American History Tellers
Audible Original
The Cold War, Prohibition, the Gold Rush, the Space Race. Every part of your life - the words you speak, the ideas you share - can be traced to our history, but how well do you really know the stories that made America? We'll take you to the events, the times and the people that shaped our nation. And we'll show you how our history affected them, their families and affects you today. Hosted by Lindsay Graham (not the Senator). From Wondery, the network behind American Scandal, Tides of History, American Innovations and more.Audible subscribers can listen to all episodes of American History Tellers ad-free right now. Join Audible today by downloading the Audible app.
Episodes
Mentioned books
Nov 9, 2026 • 9min
LISTEN NOW: The First Wife
Tonia Bales, a former nurse and John Meehan’s first wife, recounts a terrifying decade of abuse and coercive control. She revisits their first meeting, his calculated manipulation, and the warning signs that emerged almost immediately. Tonia also investigates long-hidden secrets, including a startling discovery that may have uncovered a half-brother for her daughter.
Nov 4, 2026 • 37min
Greely Arctic Expedition | No Relief | 2
A second Arctic winter traps Greely’s men in darkness, hunger, and mounting conflict. Families push officials to launch a rescue, but the mission’s ship is crushed by shifting ice, leaving its crew stranded. As discipline breaks down and hope fades, Greely makes a perilous choice: abandon Fort Conger and lead his men south through frozen waters.
10 snips
Oct 28, 2026 • 39min
Greely Arctic Expedition | Farthest North | 1
Lieutenant Adolphus Greely leads an ambitious 1881 mission deep into the Arctic, pursuing both scientific discoveries and a record-setting trek north. The team builds Fort Conger, endures months of darkness, navigates tense leadership disputes, and reaches farther north than any explorers before them. But failed relief efforts and dwindling supplies turn triumph into a fight for survival.
Oct 26, 2026 • 7min
Listen Now— Over My Dead Body: Operation Sideswipe
A trucker describes a suspicious I-10 collision, fleeing passengers, and a police report that puts the blame on him. Similar sideswipes reveal a chilling pattern tied to New Orleans personal injury lawyer Vanessa Mota, a former Hollywood stuntwoman. As staged crashes, betrayal, exploitation, and murder enter the picture, a dangerous scheme begins to surface.
10 snips
Oct 21, 2026 • 36min
Ellis Island | Hope and Tears | 4
Riley Dominianni, an archival researcher, and Stephen Lean, director of the Records Discovery Center, uncover the deeply personal stories behind Ellis Island’s records. They trace one immigrant’s repeated journeys, detention for trachoma, and eventual family reunion in America. Along the way, they explore inspections, deportation risks, exclusion rules, surprising manifest connections, and how archives reconnect families across generations.
13 snips
Oct 14, 2026 • 39min
Ellis Island | Alien Enemies | 3
Ellis Island’s transformation from an immigration gateway into a wartime detention center unfolds amid German arrests, anti-radical crackdowns, and the Red Scare. The story follows the rise of eugenic theories, quota laws favoring Northern Europeans, and restrictions that shut America’s doors. Later detention controversies and the island’s eventual closure lead to its restoration as an immigration museum.
7 snips
Oct 12, 2026 • 9min
Listen Now: Audible True Crime – Ghost Story
Tristan Redman, an international journalist who has covered Ukraine and global labor strikes, investigates a chilling family mystery. Strange events in a Victorian house include moving objects, flashing lights and a faceless woman appearing on a child’s bed. Then comes a shocking connection: his wife’s great-grandmother was murdered next door, shot twice in the face.
10 snips
Oct 7, 2026 • 37min
Ellis Island | The Human Tide | 2
Theodore Roosevelt takes on corruption at Ellis Island as immigration reaches an unprecedented peak. William Williams enforces increasingly harsh standards, while Oscar Straus and Robert Watchorn push for compassion. Families are torn apart by disease exclusions, money tests, and physical inspections, fueling protests and a fierce national battle over who gets to become American.
10 snips
Sep 30, 2026 • 39min
Ellis Island | Yearning to Breathe Free | 1
Economic turmoil, persecution, and political unrest send millions toward America, where scammers prey on bewildered newcomers. As Castle Garden struggles, federal authorities create Ellis Island and impose increasingly strict rules targeting poverty, illness, Chinese immigrants, and illiteracy. Medical scares, corruption, political patronage, and inspector abuse complicate the island’s grand mission.
10 snips
Sep 23, 2026 • 47min
FAN FAVORITE: Stonewall | Pride | 4
After Stonewall, LGBTQ activism erupted into a fierce debate over revolution, respectability, and political strategy. New groups took to marches, confrontational “zaps,” and public acts of defiance. The first Pride march brought thousands into the streets, while Sylvia Rivera and Marsha P. Johnson founded STAR to provide shelter and solidarity for unhoused transgender people and sex workers.
