EP139: Trapped Inside a Tube: The Iron Lung S...

On this episode of Our American Stories, Jim McCloskey grew up in church, but by adulthood he wanted nothing to do with the faith of his childhood. He pursued the life he thought he wanted, serving in the Navy, working in Japan, and building a successful career in international b ...  Show more

On this episode of Our American Stories, on August 24, 1919, Cleveland Indians pitcher Ray Caldwell made his debut at League Park before a crowd of 20,000. In the ninth inning, with victory in sight, lightning suddenly struck the field and Caldwell himself. Fans thought he had be ...  Show more

Paul Alexander, one of two people in the U.S. still relying on an iron lung to survive, died on March 11, 2024 at the age of 78. Paul contracted polio in 1952 at six years old, and has had to rely on an iron lung — a big metal ventilator that encases the body from the neck to ...

In the 1950s, polio spread throughout the United States. Heartbreakingly, it affected mainly children. Thousands died. Thousands more were paralyzed. Many ended up surviving only in iron lungs, a machine that breathed for polio victims, sometimes for years. Scientists raced to fi ...  Show more

On today's tapes...>> Blessing or Curse << A woman working at a spa gets an unwanted visit. Was she blessed or cursed?>> Trapped << A man sees his neighbor calling for help from a second floor window. She's trapped inside the room. 

On today's tapes...>> Brush By << An abnormal night at the front desk of a hotel leaves our storyteller questioning his sanity.>> Help Me << A babysitter wonders if she’ll be next.Want more Radio Rental? For early access and ad-free listening, subscribe to Tenderfoot+ at https:// ...  Show more