EP145: The History of Christmas Trees, The Ac...

On this episode of Our American Stories, legend says that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil at a Mississippi crossroads in exchange for his musical talent. It is one of the most enduring myths in American music history.Johnson’s grandson Steven Johnson shares the story an ...  Show more

On this episode of Our American Stories, for Stephen Rusiniak, one of the most influential people in his life was his Cub Scout leader. Long before Stephen found his calling and built his career, this leader saw potential in him and took the time to invest in it.Rusiniak shares h ...  Show more

St Nicholas was a Greek bishop, known for his generosity. But he didn’t have a beard, and he didn’t drive a sleigh - so how did he morph into the Santa Claus the world knows and loves? The supposed date of his death - 3rd December, 343 - may have a lot to do with it… Then there’s ...  Show more

In the lead-up to Christmas, 1927, the good citizens of Cisco, Texas, were looking forward to celebrating the holiday with their nearest and dearest. But a group of men who rolled into town on the morning of December 23 from Wichita Falls had different ideas. Led by an ex-con in ...  Show more

It's Christmas in July! Start drafting those letters to Santa — that's just how John Duval Gluck would have wanted it. He scammed the wealthy of New York society into doing good for poor kids, sending the kids gifts from Santa himself. Until one man asked to see the receipts.See ...  Show more

Just a little Christmas Eve cheer for our listeners as everyone keeps an eye out for Santa! It's our 2017 episode about how NORAD started tracking Santa. There’s some myth-busting here, and maybe the tiniest bit of bah-humbug. Learn more about your ad-choices at https://www.ihear ...  Show more