From the small towns to the big cities.

We bring you the stories that matter.

This is.

This is.

This is the Our American Stories podcast, and we can't wait to bring you these great stories from our entire team.

We work hard day in and day out to bring you these stories

from everyday Americans and from America itself. In the end, our stories celebrate the

American people and the country itself. We tell the stories about this great country that may

not be perfect, but it sure is good and beautiful. Join our team in the work

we do and become a part of all that's going on here. We're a nonprofit and we appreciate both

one-time gifts and monthly donations. It's for you and through you that we tell these stories.

And now the story of the disastrous 1904 Olympics in St. Louis is told by anthropology

professor and Olympic history expert Susan Brunel. Also the story of Tony Maglika, the founder

of Magistram, the company that makes the

Cadillac of flashlights, the Maglite. But first, the story of a man who had a B-25 airplane in his

backyard. In the early 1950s through 70s, the son of a penniless-check immigrant Walter

Soplata collected a rare and vintage World War II aircraft.

His son Wally then wrote the book, The B-25 in the Backyard, My Father's Historic Airplane Sanctuary.

Here's Monty with his story.

Our story begins in the home state of the Wright brothers, Ohio.

Here's Wally Soplata on the eccentric airplane collector that was his father.

Even as a young boy, I realized my father was different.

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