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The Cavalcade of America: Classic Stories of American History artwork

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The Cavalcade of America: Classic Stories of American History

Presented by OTR.FM Network

The Cavalcade of America is one of the most respected and influential dramatic history series ever produced for radio. Originally created by the DuPont Company, this landmark program dramatizes the pivotal moments, quiet turning points, and extraordinary individuals that shaped the United States.

Each episode presents a carefully crafted dramatization drawn from real American history - stories of courage, ingenuity, sacrifice, and resolve. From inventors and explorers to soldiers, leaders, and everyday citizens, The Cavalcade of America focuses on the human stories behind the nation’s progress, not just the headlines.

This podcast preserves the original recordings from radio’s golden age, offering listeners an authentic old-time radio experience complete with period performances, orchestration, and storytelling style. It’s history as it was once told to millions of Americans: thoughtful, dramatic, and deeply rooted in the belief that progress is driven by people willing to act.

Ideal for history lovers, educators, and fans of classic radio drama, The Cavalcade of America is both an entertaining listen and a time capsule, bringing America’s past to life one story at a time.

213 episodes

  1. Cavalcade Of Music Music Of Vincent Youmans

    Sep 3, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: July 28, 1937 Cavalcade of America #93, "Cavalcade Of Music Music Of Vincent Youmans," presents a musical celebration of one of America's most skilled tunesmiths. The DuPont Cavalcade Orchestra, led by Don Voorhees, performs a selection of Youmans' enduring compositions while radio baritone Conrad Thibault lends his voice to beloved numbers. The program showcases the composer's remarkable catalog, including hits from "No, No, Nanette" such as "I Wanna Be Happy" and "Tea for Two," along with "Without a Song," which Thibault selects as his personal favorite. The episode explores Youmans' unique ability to craft light melodies with permanence, featuring numbers from shows that became hits despite sometimes troubled productions. The broadcast highlights music from "Great Day," a show that closed after only two weeks yet produced lasting standards, as well as memorable tunes from "Hit the Deck" and the film "Flying Down to Rio." Through performances of "Time on My Hands," "The Carioca," and "Hallelujah," the program demonstrates why Youmans is considered the musician's composer, creating works with melodic simplicity and rhythmic precision that outlast fleeting popular trends.

  2. Cavalcade Of Music Music Of Richard Rodgers

    Sep 2, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: July 21, 1937 Cavalcade of America #92, "Cavalcade Of Music Music Of Richard Rodgers," This episode celebrates the remarkable musical achievements of Richard Rodgers and his lyric-writing partner Lorenz Hart, who revolutionized American musical theater. The broadcast traces their career from their early varsity shows at Columbia University through their breakthrough with the Garrick Gaieties, highlighting how they startled critics by bringing something fresh and intimate to Broadway. Don Voris and his DuPont Cavalcade Orchestra perform a selection of the duo's most beloved compositions, while guest baritone Conrad Thibault lends his voice to classics like "My Heart Stood Still" and "My Romance." The program showcases the versatility and innovation that made Rogers and Hart an unprecedented team in American music. From the romantic "The Blue Room" and "There's a Small Hotel" to more contemporary numbers from recent hits like "On Your Toes" and "Babes in Arms," the episode demonstrates how their compositions capture a youthful, engaging spirit that makes even romantic numbers feel fresh and vital. The broadcast salutes these composers for their continuous creativity and their gift for making America sing and dance.

  3. Cavalcade Of Music Music Of George Gershwin

    Sep 2, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: July 14, 1937 In Cavalcade of America #91, "Cavalcade Of Music Music Of George Gershwin," the program abruptly changes its scheduled lineup to honor the beloved composer who has just passed away. Originally planning to feature Richard Rogers' music, the show instead becomes a special tribute to George Gershwin, who died on July 12th at the young age of 38. Don Boris and the DuPont Cavalcade Orchestra, joined by guest soloist Conrad Thibault, trace Gershwin's remarkable journey from a teenage piano plugger earning fifteen dollars a week to America's leading interpreter of jazz. The program celebrates Gershwin's evolution as a composer, highlighting his breakthrough with Rhapsody in Blue at Aeolian Hall in 1923 and his numerous theatrical triumphs. From early hits like "Swanee" performed by Al Jolson to sophisticated works like the Pulitzer Prize-winning "Of Thee I Sing," the episode showcases Gershwin's unique ability to elevate popular music while capturing the rhythms and heartbeat of American life. The tribute emphasizes how this shy yet brilliant composer transformed the sounds of New York's East Side and Broadway into timeless melodies that the nation will never forget.

  4. Cavalcade Of Music Music Of Irving Berlin

    Sep 1, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: July 7, 1937 Cavalcade of America #90, "Cavalcade Of Music Music Of Irving Berlin," DuPont inaugurates a special summer series celebrating living American composers whose lighter melodies have influenced the world. Conductor Don Voorhees leads the DuPont Cavalcade Orchestra alongside baritone Conrad Thibault in a musical tribute to the legendary Irving Berlin. The program showcases Berlin's remarkable versatility, from his 1912 ragtime classic "Alexander's Ragtime Band" through his sophisticated waltzes and romantic ballads. Thibault performs beloved hits including "Lady of the Evening," "Let's Face the Music and Dance," and "You're Laughing at Me," while the orchestra delivers timeless pieces like "A Pretty Girl is Like a Melody" and selections from Berlin's film scores. The episode pays homage to the composer whom Jerome Kern famously described as having no place in American music because he IS American music, demonstrating why Berlin's words and melodies have become the definitive sound of the nation.

  5. Luther Burbank

    Sep 1, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: June 30, 1937 Cavalcade of America #89, "Luther Burbank," tells the story of the legendary plant breeder's early years and the philosophy that guided his groundbreaking work. From his boyhood in Lancaster, Massachusetts, young Luther demonstrates an uncanny fascination with the natural world. When he and a friend discover green grass growing in winter near a warm spring, the observation sparks an idea that leads to his first successful experiment: growing corn indoors to transplant outdoors weeks ahead of schedule. This early success sets him on a path of careful observation and patient experimentation. By age twenty-one, Luther owns a small farm where he develops the superior Burbank Potato through selective breeding from seed balls. When businessman Walter Gregory arrives offering to buy exclusive rights to the revolutionary new potato, Luther faces a choice between potential wealth and his true calling. His modest asking price of one hundred fifty dollars reveals his real motivation: funding a move to California, where the climate and soil promise endless opportunities for the plant experiments that truly captivate him.

  6. The Pine Tree Shilling

    Aug 31, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: June 23, 1937 Cavalcade of America #88, "The Pine Tree Shilling," begins in present-day Boston, where a grandfather shares with his grandson Bobby a precious pine tree shilling from 1652, America's first minted coin. This leads to a story set in colonial times, when the lack of uniform currency creates chaos in daily commerce. Carpenter Jonathan Green wants hard money for his work, but tailor Christopher Stanley can only offer payment in suits of clothes for a new shop he needs built. Green's wife tries to mediate, juggling their own debts to baker William Church while dealing with a confusing array of Spanish doubloons, English sixpences, and other foreign coins that constantly fluctuate in value. The episode illustrates the frustration and complications of colonial bartering, where every transaction becomes a complex negotiation. Green desires the certainty of metal coins while Stanley insists on trading his tailoring services. As baker Church arrives seeking payment himself, the tangled web of colonial commerce grows even more complicated, demonstrating why the creation of a standardized American currency became essential to the colonies' economic survival and eventual independence.

  7. Stars Of Destiny

    Aug 30, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: June 16, 1937 Cavalcade of America #87, "Stars Of Destiny," follows the remarkable life of David Rittenhouse, a colonial American who begins as a humble clockmaker and becomes a renowned astronomer and patriot. Born in 1732 at his family's paper mill in Philadelphia, young David faces his first major decision at fourteen when his practical farmer father disapproves of his mathematical pursuits. With his mother's support, David convinces his father to let him make clocks in the woodshed during winter, promising to help on the farm when needed most. His natural genius for astronomy and mathematics transforms simple timekeeping into scientific precision. As an adult, David's reputation for crafting innovative clocks with planetary mechanisms attracts the attention of prominent men including Dr. Smith and John Lucas, the Surveyor General. When Lucas asks David to survey the disputed boundary between Pennsylvania and Maryland, the young clockmaker hesitates, torn between his upcoming marriage to Eleanor Colston and his duty to the province. Ultimately persuaded that this is a service he cannot refuse, David accepts the mission that will establish his fame, conducting a survey so accurate it earns the approval of commissioners sent from England.

  8. The Eighth Wonder Of The World

    Aug 29, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: June 9, 1937 Cavalcade of America #86, "The Eighth Wonder Of The World," chronicles the visionary campaign to build the Grand Coulee Dam in Washington State. In 1918, publisher Rufus Woods meets with lawyer Joe in the dusty, struggling town near Wenatchee, where they discuss the region's greatest problem: over a million acres of barren, useless land alongside the mighty Columbia River. Woods seizes on Joe's idea to build a dam, launching an editorial crusade that will consume the next fifteen years. Despite support from engineers and politicians, the dream faces fierce opposition from skeptical locals like Abe Waters, who considers the whole enterprise crazy and impossible. The conflict intensifies as the community divides into believers and doubters. Woods and his allies, including Jim O'Sullivan, Gail Matthews, and others, tirelessly promote their vision through newspaper articles, government surveys, and engineering reports. Abe and his faction ridicule the project, calling Woods a modern-day Munchausen spinning impossible tales. The tension builds until July 27, 1933, when Joe bursts onto the street with stunning news that threatens to transform skepticism into reality and change the Columbia Basin forever.

  9. The Story Of American Dyes

    Aug 28, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: June 2, 1937 Cavalcade of America #85, "The Story Of American Dyes," follows the Stone family in the summer of 1916 as a seemingly minor domestic annoyance reveals a critical national crisis. When John Stone complains about his faded blue shirt and Mary mentions her daughter Molly's streaked bathing suit, they dismiss it as a problem with cheap goods. However, their neighbor Mr. Brown's urgent trip to the hospital transforms their understanding of the situation. His son Ted requires medical testing, but Dr. Alcott cannot properly diagnose the boy's potentially serious illness—possibly tuberculosis or typhoid—because the hospital has run out of biological stains, specialized dyes essential for identifying bacteria under a microscope. John Stone learns from his friend George Phillips, a textile mill manager, that America's dependence on European dyes has created a devastating shortage due to the wartime blockade. The crisis extends far beyond faded clothing, threatening entire industries and countless lives. As Phillips receives an urgent long-distance call with breaking news, the episode dramatizes how scientific research and industrial chemistry become matters of life and death for ordinary American families.

  10. Songs Of The American Indian

    Aug 27, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: May 26, 1937 In Cavalcade of America #84, "Songs Of The American Indian," the program presents an authentic celebration of Native American culture through music and legend, featuring Kuruks Pahitu (Lone Bear), a Pawnee singer and Juilliard scholarship winner who serves as both performer and narrator. Through song and storytelling, Lone Bear shares the creation legend explaining how the Great Spirit and Moon Mother fashioned the white man, black man, and finally the perfectly bronzed American Indian. The episode portrays traditional ceremonies, from the sunrise ritual led by the medicine man to a mother's lullaby for her papoose, and depicts an elaborate courtship where a young brave wins his maiden with flute music and the ceremonial blanket song. The narrative takes a dramatic turn when it becomes a reenactment of Lone Bear's own life story. His father Atius and mother Atira sit troubled in their teepee with Purao, the tribal medicine man, discussing their son's transformation after returning from school in the white man's world. Kuruks has become distant and strange, caught between two cultures, and the medicine man gravely observes that the young man has lost faith in the ways of his people.

  11. Thomas A Edison The Man

    Aug 26, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: May 19, 1937 In Cavalcade of America #83, "Thomas A Edison The Man," listeners witness the inventor's resilience and humanity during a crucial turning point in 1898. When plant manager Walter S. Mallory brings devastating news that a massive high-grade iron ore discovery in Minnesota has rendered Edison's three-million-dollar ore reduction plant obsolete, the 51-year-old inventor responds not with despair but with immediate innovation. Rather than mourning his lost fortune, Edison pivots to cement manufacturing, determined to revolutionize the industry with a kiln twice the size of conventional models. The episode follows Edison as he works simultaneously on cement production and storage battery experiments, demonstrating his relentless pursuit of progress despite repeated failures. The story deepens when Mallory's daughter Charlotte falls critically ill during a brutal heat wave. Despite their disagreement over the cement plant's disappointing output, Edison immediately shifts his focus from industrial concerns to helping his colleague's sick child, revealing the compassionate man behind the legendary inventor. Through these little-known episodes, the program illuminates Edison's character: his unshakeable optimism, his ability to learn from thousands of failures, and his fundamental decency.

  12. The Story Of Dynamite

    Aug 25, 2026 · 30 min

    Originally Aired: May 12, 1937 Cavalcade of America #82, "The Story Of Dynamite," follows Alfred Bernhardt Nobel, a Swedish chemist whose groundbreaking work with nitroglycerin was dismissed in Europe until America recognized its potential. The episode traces Nobel's journey from his first encounter with the volatile substance at age 15 in Professor Signin's St. Petersburg laboratory, where he witnesses its explosive power, through decades of dangerous experimentation. With his brother Robert, Nobel discovers how to detonate nitroglycerin using gunpowder in 1862, but the substance remains deadly and unpredictable, claiming the lives of his brother and others in tragic accidents. Working from a barge on Lake Malarin with his assistants Jalmer Svensson and Oscar Holmquist, Nobel perseveres despite the constant danger and skepticism. When a can of nitroglycerin accidentally leaks into the kieselguhr packing material and forms a stable crust, Nobel realizes he has found the key to creating a safe, handleable explosive. The episode celebrates how this Swedish inventor's determination and faith in American innovation ultimately revolutionized construction, enabling modern engineering feats like New York's midtown tunnel.

  13. Songs Of The South

    Aug 24, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: May 5, 1937 Cavalcade of America #81, "Songs Of The South," celebrates National Music Week by tracing the rich musical heritage of the American South from its earliest origins. The episode opens in 1619 at Jamestown, Virginia, where settlers Thomas and Charles witness the arrival of the first slave ship. To their amazement, they hear drumming and singing carrying across the water from the vessel. The colonists marvel that these enslaved people, torn from their African homes and facing an uncertain future, still find the strength to sing. This moment marks the beginning of a profound musical tradition that will shape American culture for centuries to come. The narrative moves through time, demonstrating how enslaved people created work songs to match the rhythm of planting and harvesting cotton, inspiring composers like Stephen Foster. The episode features performances by soprano Maria Silvera, contralto Abby Mitchell, and the Southern Aires, along with a special appearance by legendary blues composer W.C. Handy performing his famous "Memphis Blues" on trumpet. The story culminates on a moonlit plantation evening where young Melissa and Henry listen to Mamma Callie sing a lullaby before heading to the church, illustrating how Southern music permeated every aspect of life.

  14. George Washington

    Aug 23, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: April 28, 1937 Cavalcade of America #80, "George Washington," finds the celebrated general facing a new challenge after laying down his sword in 1783. Returning to his Mount Vernon plantation after eight years leading the Revolutionary War, Washington confronts devastating reports from his overseer John Alton: corn crops destroyed by drought, tobacco quality plummeting, and soil depleted from years of intensive cultivation. When Governor Randolph arrives offering blocks of stock as a gift from the grateful Virginia Assembly, Washington refuses what he sees as a pension, declaring instead that he has a profession he intends to make the most honorable in the land: farming. Washington immediately begins implementing radical agricultural reforms, ordering his overseers to abandon traditional tobacco planting entirely in favor of experimental crops from around the world and setting aside hundreds of acres as grassland to enrich the soil. His worried overseers, led by Alton, approach Dr. James Crake in private, questioning whether the war has affected Washington's judgment and asking the doctor to intervene. They fear these "wild schemes" will bankrupt their beloved general, unable to understand his vision of scientific farming and soil conservation for future generations.

  15. The Golden Touch

    Aug 22, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: April 21, 1937 Cavalcade of America #79, "The Golden Touch," follows the remarkable journey of Johann August Sutter, a German Swiss immigrant who leaves his family in 1834 to seek his fortune in the New World. After traveling from New York to St. Louis and across the Santa Fe Trail, Sutter hears tales of California's magnificent climate and fertile lands from a Mexican alcalde. Rather than seeking mineral wealth, Sutter dreams of golden fields of wheat ripening in summer sunlight. He eventually makes his way to Monterey, where Governor Alvarado grants him land in the remote Sacramento Valley, challenging him to tame and govern it. By 1847, Sutter has built a thriving agricultural empire with the help of local Indians and settlers like his right-hand man John Bidwell. His vast holdings boast abundant crops, thousands of cattle and sheep, and endless timber. Though rich in goods, Sutter operates on a barter economy using his own tin coin system rather than seeking gold. When Bidwell recommends building a sawmill and brings in James Marshall to construct it at American Fork, Sutter's vision of agricultural prosperity stands at a turning point, as forces beyond his farming ambitions begin to converge.

  16. Songs Of The Gay Nineties

    Aug 21, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: April 14, 1937 Cavalcade of America #78, "Songs Of The Gay Nineties," takes listeners on a whirlwind tour of 1890s New York as two couples—city pair Charlie and Anna, along with country visitors Johnny and Kate—explore the entertainment district centered around 14th Street. The group boards the newly-minted Third Avenue Elevated Railroad, a steam-powered marvel that whisks them past electric streetlights and bustling city life. Johnny and Kate are wide-eyed with excitement, determined to see all of New York in a single day despite their companions' warnings about the ambitious itinerary. The foursome makes their way through the era's most famous entertainment venues, first stopping at Tony Pastor's music hall to catch the renowned Lottie Gilson performing popular songs of the day. After catching a glimpse of the glamorous Lillian Russell in her victoria, they head to the more risqué Coster and Beal's establishment, much to Kate's initial hesitation. The episode captures the excitement and energy of the Gay Nineties through both the characters' adventures and the popular songs that defined the decade.

  17. Admiral Peary Discovers The Pole

    Aug 20, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: April 7, 1937 Cavalcade of America #77, "Admiral Peary Discovers The Pole," dramatizes the relentless pursuit of Arctic explorer Robert E. Peary as he dedicates 23 years of his life to reaching the North Pole. The story begins with Peary's first Arctic expedition in 1886, when a devastating blizzard nearly claims his life and that of his guide during an attempt to cross Greenland. Despite this early failure, the young Navy officer makes a fateful vow in that howling storm: someday, he will conquer the pole. Through the following years, Peary faces heartbreaking setbacks, including a harrowing separation from his wife and infant daughter Marie, the first white child born in the far north. As the expedition continues, Peary and his loyal companions Matt Henson and Hugh Lee battle starvation when their food cache vanishes beneath the ice caps. Later, wintering at their base camp, crew members like Bob Bartlett anxiously await Peary's return from Fort Conger as the commander pushes ever northward through the long Arctic night, driven by stubborn determination to achieve his dream despite repeated failures.

  18. The Mcguffey Readers

    Aug 19, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: March 31, 1937 In Cavalcade of America #76, "The McGuffey Readers," the story follows William Holmes McGuffey, the brilliant mind behind one of America's most influential educational tools. Born in 1800 to a pioneer family in Pennsylvania, young William possesses an extraordinary hunger for knowledge that seems impossible to satisfy on the frontier. While his devout mother prays for her son's future, a wandering schoolteacher named Reverend Thomas Hughes experiences what he calls a miracle when he discovers the McGuffey family. Hughes recognizes the passionate student he's been searching for in young William, offering him the chance to attend the Old Stone Academy in Pennsylvania. The episode traces McGuffey's journey from frontier boy to respected educator, earning his way through school by working in gardens and eventually becoming a professor of ancient languages at Miami University in Oxford, Ohio. As students gather in his classroom at Harrison Hall, nervous newcomers learn that despite his stern reputation and homely appearance, "Guff" is actually beloved by those who know him—a testament to the dedication and meticulous care that would make his Readers an educational foundation for generations of Americans.

  19. The House Of Glass

    Aug 18, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: March 24, 1937 Cavalcade of America #75, "The House Of Glass," tells the story of Henry William Stiegel, an ambitious young German immigrant who arrives in Pennsylvania in 1752 with grand visions for American industry. Working at Jacob Huber's iron furnace, the eager Stiegel approaches his employer with two bold requests: permission to marry Huber's daughter Elizabeth and the opportunity to revolutionize their business. While Huber is content with his modest local market, Stiegel envisions selling innovative iron stoves to distant markets like the West Indies and across the growing colonies. His persuasive enthusiasm wins over both his future father-in-law and his bride. Stiegel's success with improved stove designs, including a revolutionary ten-plate model, leads to prosperity and partnership with the Steadman brothers. However, his restless ambition soon turns to an entirely new venture. When three skilled glass blowers end up working at his iron furnace, Stiegel sees an opportunity to establish an American glass industry. Despite partner Alexander Steadman's skepticism about diverting resources from their profitable iron business, Stiegel pursues his vision with characteristic determination, even planning a trip to England to recruit the finest glass blowers in Europe.

  20. James Fenimore Cooper First American Novelist

    Aug 17, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: March 17, 1937 In Cavalcade of America #74, "James Fenimore Cooper First American Novelist," the dramatic story begins in 1820 when James Fenimore Cooper throws down a dull English novel in disgust, boasting to his wife Susan that he could write something better. Susan challenges her husband to prove it, leading the reluctant writer to pen his first novel, Precaution, in secret. When a guest at their friend Judge Jay's home declares it must be written by English novelist Mrs. Opie, Cooper feels humiliated by his failure to create anything original. Determined to redeem himself, Cooper resolves to write about what he truly knows: the American wilderness and frontier life. He completes The Spy and brings it to his publisher friend Charles Wiley, who bluntly rejects the manuscript as worthless, insisting Americans want to read about polished European society, not their own rough country. Undeterred and encouraged by Susan's faith in him, Cooper prints the book himself. The episode follows Cooper's struggle to prove that American stories deserve to be told, setting the stage for his eventual recognition as the nation's first great novelist.

  21. Stephen Girard

    Aug 16, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: March 10, 1937 In Cavalcade of America #73, "Stephen Girard," the episode traces the remarkable life of French-born Stephen Girard, from his determined beginnings as a one-eyed fourteen-year-old boy convincing a skeptical ship captain to take him aboard as cabin boy in 1764. Through ambition and skill, young Stephen rises through the maritime ranks, eventually becoming captain of his own vessel. In 1776, facing a British blockade, he makes a fateful decision to land in Philadelphia rather than his intended destination, choosing to settle in America and cast his lot with the rebellious colonies. Girard establishes himself as a merchant in Philadelphia, where he meets and marries Mary Lum, daughter of a shipbuilder, becoming an American citizen. After independence, he builds a trading empire with ships sailing to ports worldwide. The central conflict emerges when his young supercargo Brent returns from a voyage, having deliberately disobeyed Girard's explicit orders to land in Bordeaux. Though Brent's decision to redirect to Germany proved financially profitable, Girard must confront this breach of trust and determine what matters more: profits or principles in building his business and reputation.

  22. National Parks Pioneers

    Aug 15, 2026 · 32 min

    Originally Aired: March 3, 1937 In Cavalcade of America #72, "National Parks Pioneers," legendary scout Jim Bridger returns to Fort Fargo with fantastic tales from his western expeditions that few believe. When a skeptical tenderfoot named Peter challenges his story about floating on a salt lake without sinking, Bridger is defended by Tom Fitzpatrick, who becomes intrigued enough to join him on further explorations. The two men set out together as trappers and scouts, pushing westward into unknown territories in search of beaver pelts and natural wonders. As they work their traps and discuss the "westward course of Empire," Bridger hints at even more spectacular discoveries waiting to be found. He begins telling Fitzpatrick about another remarkable place, weaving tales of geysers and thermal wonders that sound even more impossible than the salt lake. The episode chronicles how these rough-hewn frontiersmen, dismissed as storytellers and exaggerators, actually discovered and documented the natural marvels that would eventually become Yellowstone National Park, preserved for future generations to witness.

  23. Winning Recognition For American Singers

    Aug 14, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: February 24, 1937 Cavalcade of America #71, "Winning Recognition For American Singers," tells the story of Lillian Norton, a young woman from Farmington, Maine, who would become the renowned opera star Madame Lillian Nordica. The episode follows her struggle against two formidable obstacles: her family's strict religious beliefs that view the theater as sinful, and an American public that refuses to recognize native-born singers as legitimate artists. When seventeen-year-old Lillian receives an unexpected opportunity to perform with the great European tenor Brignoli, her father initially forbids it, believing concert halls are wicked. Only her grandfather's intervention, declaring that singing itself is not sinful, allows her to pursue her dream. Years later, after saving money to study in Milan, Lillian faces another crisis on the eve of her operatic debut. Her teacher insists she cannot perform under her American name, as audiences won't accept her as a true artist. When her mother reveals that the entire Norton family back in Maine considers her stage career a disgrace to their name, Lillian must make a painful choice between her heritage and her ambitions.

  24. The Ounce Of Prevention

    Aug 13, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: February 17, 1937 Cavalcade of America #70, "The Ounce Of Prevention," tells the story of Cotton Mather, a Boston preacher who becomes an unlikely medical pioneer in the fight against smallpox. In 1707, when his congregation gifts him a slave named Bonnie Simonson from West Africa, Mather learns of a remarkable practice: inoculation, a method where pustules from smallpox victims are deliberately introduced into healthy people through small cuts to prevent the disease. Despite the fear and uncertainty, Mather courageously has himself inoculated, surviving without contracting the full disease. When smallpox returns to Boston with devastating force in 1721, threatening to decimate the colony, Mather knows what must be done. He seeks out his friend Dr. Zabdil Boylston in nearby Muddy River, hoping to convince the physician to help implement inoculation on a wider scale. However, the people of Boston are more terrified of this unfamiliar medical practice than of the familiar scourge of smallpox itself. Mather and Boylston face the challenge of overcoming public fear and superstition to save countless lives through this revolutionary preventive measure.

  25. The Man Who Couldn't Grow Old

    Aug 12, 2026 · 31 min

    Originally Aired: February 10, 1937 In Cavalcade of America #69, "The Man Who Couldn't Grow Old," Peter Cooper refuses to let age or lack of formal education limit his ambitions. At thirty-six, the humble New York grocer faces mockery from customers like Mrs. Van Slyck when he reveals his dream of building a free school for young people and working adults who never had educational opportunities. Despite having little schooling himself and admitting he never learned proper spelling, Cooper sees his own struggles as motivation rather than obstacles. He shocks his friend John Freeland by announcing plans to leave the grocery business and purchase a glue factory, determined to master a manufacturing process that no one in America has yet perfected. Through sheer persistence and self-taught experimentation, Cooper spends two years working in his laboratory until he successfully creates glue superior to European imports. When he proudly shows his wife Sarah the results of his chemical research, he reveals yet another ambitious project: a model steam locomotive designed specifically for American railroads with their sharp curves. Sarah recognizes her husband's restless genius, understanding that Peter Cooper's determination to keep learning and innovating makes him a man who simply cannot grow old.