This is an iHeart podcast. Guaranteed human. Before we had AT and T business wireless coverage, our delivery GPS wasn't the most reliable. Once, our driver had to do a fourteen point turn to get back on route. A fourteen point turn.
An influencer even live streamed the whole thing. Not good for business.
Now with ATT Business Wireless, routes are updating on the fly and deliveries are on time. And the influencer did get us 53 new followers, though. ATT Business Wireless. Connecting changes everything. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans.
It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years. And now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint. It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues.
Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semi-q. That's usmint.gov/slash S-E-M-I-Q. When it comes to your yard, reliability matters. Shop with confidence at the Home Depot and get 4th of July savings on Ryobi, the number one cordless outdoor power brand. It's time to choose your power.
Both the Ryobi 18-volt and 40-volt self-propelled mower kits are on special buy for an even lower price of $429 each, was $479. Ryobi's battery platform delivers the power, runtime, and dependability you need to tackle yard work with ease. Shop 4th of July savings on Rio v outdoor power only at the Home Depot. While supplies last pricing valid June 25th through July 8th, US only sees for online for details. Yeah.
Fill your tank and fill yourself with new experiences. With old friends, new ones, and the next generation ready to ride. Get to living with Harley-Davidson Motorcycles. When your day is just beginning and full of possibilities, hit the open road and remember why you want to ride. Visit Independence Harley-Davidson and see what freedom looks like.
Click the screen now and start your ride at h-d.com/slash ride. Harley-Davidson Motorcycles. Right. This is a message from Michelin. And in messages like this, you'll usually hear But this time, all you will hear is this.
Because at Michelin, we innovate by creating acoustic technology. designed to reduce noise from the road inside your vehicle. There's nothing like a bit of silence. This is Lee Habib, and this is Our American Stories, the show where America is the star. and the American people coming to you from where the West begins.
in Fort Worth, Texas. Up next, the story of how a bird Benjamin Franklin once said was of bad moral character. ended up as our national symbol. Here to tell the story of the bald eagle is Jack E. Davis, a Pulitzer Prize-winning author of The Bald Eagle, The Improbable Journey of America's Bird.
You'll also be hearing from our Hillsdale intern. Nate Gallagher. Let's get into the story.
So the bald eagle is truly an all-American bird. when you think about it. A bird that is charismatic in its behavior and its appearance. And so it was always a. A stunning sight when a bald eagle crossed the sky.
So, in seventeen seventy-six, within a few hours after Congress approved the Declaration of Independence. Congress organized a committee to devise or to create, design. a great seal of the United States. The three members of the committee were Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams. Stellar cast, right?
Really the Principal architects of American independence.
So you think it'd be no-brainer for them to come up with a seal that would be acceptable. They failed miserably. The design proposed by these three American all-stars featured ladies liberty and justice flanking an all-seeing eye of God. Surrounding them in a ring were the initials of each state inside a small shield. enclosed by liberty, justice, and the eye of God, was a shield with insignia from each of the six nations that, according to the artist of the seal Pierre Eugene de Simetier, had keepled the colonies.
Including insignia from other countries on your own national seal was a strange choice and likely one of the many reasons Congress disapproved of the design. The Congress immediately rejected their design, and another committee was formed, it failed, a third committee was formed, it failed. And finally, Charles Thompson, who was the Secretary of Congress, said, you know, we're about to go sign a peace treaty. We need a great seal to stamp on it.
So he came up with the design. He could look outside his windows in Philadelphia, where Congress held its sessions in those days, and see bald eagles. They were quite common around Philadelphia. along the Delaware River and they were practically an everyday sight. And he's the one who, we don't know why exactly.
He didn't leave a record why he chose the Bald Eagle. But he's the one who came up with the idea to put the bald eagle on the Great Seal of the United States. And Congress loved it.
Okay. The Palm Eagle Has this distinctive look. It's easy to capture its image. And as a bird that as a species that's endemic to North America. And an image that really has the sense of power and strength behind it.
It made sense that Americans would like it. But also, the bald eagle. In its life itself, it represents freedom and liberty and independence. Those were. quality that Americans associated Not just with their country, but with themselves.
And so you have this free, independent bird of courage and strength. It was just ideal. Even though Americans loved the bald eagle image early on. They loathe the species itself, the living bird behind it. They treated the bald eagle as a predator.
But they Were accused. There was this myth that they were a jeopardy to American husbandry, to farmers, and to. Livestock farmers and two people who raise chickens in their backyards. And so it was regarded as a civic duty to shoot and kill a bald eagle. and thousands of them were shot and killed throughout the 19th century.
Mm-hmm.
So by the late 19th century, bald eagles had all but disappeared from the eastern seabird station. Uh And then in 1945, DDT went on the open market. It was available to anybody to buy. It begins with the warborne development of DDT, this diabolical weapon of modern science saved millions of humans, but killed billions of insects. Man, with this newly discovered force, has at long last gained the upper hand in our age-old struggle.
We ended up blanketing the lower 48 states. To beat the bugs, if you will. We beaten the Japanese, we're beating the Germans, now it's time to beat the bugs. And so by the 1950s, bird populations, songbird populations, Raptor populations were noticeably declining, and the bald eagle population reached its nadir. In 1963, a census was conducted that year.
Of the bald eagle population across the lower 48 states, and there were fewer than 500 nesting pairs.
Now, let's put that in perspective. Congress adopted the Great Seal of the United States in 1782. The estimated bald eagle population in North America was 500,000. We redeemed ourselves later in the century by calling for its protection and. In 1972, the Environmental Protection Agency banned the sale of DDT, but also Congress in that same year.
Passed one of the most important conservation acts in U.S. history, and that was the Clean Water Act. Through the 1980s, 90s, and on into the 21st century, we brought All these bays and bayous and sounds and lakes and rivers that were on the verge of ecological collapse around the country, back to teeming love. And today The bald eagle population in North America is estimated to be 500,000, the same as it was in 1782. And a terrific job on the production, editing, and storytelling by our own Nate Gallagher.
And also, special thanks to Jack E. Davis. He's a Pulitzer Prize-winning author and the author of The Bald Eagle, The Improbable Journey of America's Bird. And my goodness, Jefferson, Adams, and Franklin couldn't get the deal done three times. They were rejected by Congress with the seal of the United States, and it took Charles Thompson, the Secretary of Commerce, to get it done.
But my goodness, we learned something special about this bird, both loved as a symbol, but hated as a predator, thanks to the EPA, the Clean Water Act. and our own laws to protect this bird, we now have as many as when we had at our nation's founding. The story of America's symbol, the bald eagle, here on Our American Stories. Lee Habib here, and I'd like to encourage you to subscribe to Our American Stories on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, or wherever you get our podcast. Again, Please subscribe to the Our American Stories podcast on Apple Podcasts, the iHeartRadio app, or anywhere you get your podcasts.
It helps us keep these great American stories coming. Introducing B of A Rewards, a new way to reward your every ambition. It all starts with a Bank of America checking account and grows from there. You get cashback deals on brands you know and love, plus a credit card rewards bonus, helping you earn more rewards on things you buy every day. Join B of A Rewards today for rewards tailored to your lifestyle.
What would you like the power to do? Bank of America. Open or enroll your account at bankofamerica.com/slash BFA rewards. Bank of America Corporation, all rights reserved. Liberty has never been just a word to we Americans.
It has guided every one of our endeavors for the past 250 years. And now it takes form in a new way. The 2026 Semi-Quincentennial Coin and Metal Program from the United States Mint. It celebrates the founding ideals that have long shaped our coinage. Available one year only, this historic collection features new coin designs, limited edition releases, and reissues.
Shop new official coins at usmint.gov forward slash semi-q. That's usmint.gov/slash S-E-M-I-Q. Maintenance fee, overdraft fee, minimum balance fee, maximum balance fee. Banking fees are just a part of modern life. Or are they?
They're not at Ally Banks. At Ally Bank, there are no tricks. No hidden fine print or jumping through hoops for better rates. They just want to help you save automatically while you spend with spending accounts and savings tools with great rates. No tricks, no hidden fees, banking built for life today.
Learn more at ally.com. Ally Bank, member FTIC. The United States is about to mark its 250th anniversary. And so on the Global Story Podcast from the BBC, we're telling surprising tales of American influence on the world stage and in ordinary people's lives all across the globe. We have this ability to export our story, and a lot of people have bought it.
I feel like the American dream is alive, but not well. From the BBC, it's the United States at 250. Listen wherever you get your podcasts or find us on YouTube. Paramount Plus is now the home of all your BET favorites. What?
Yeah. With all new episodes of Tyler Perry's Divorce Sisters. You've always liked a little drama. Plus a whole new world of movies like Gladiator 2.
Now I will control an empire. Original series like The Shy. Just make sure we protect each other. And live sports like UFC. Welcome to the history books!
New home, same family. Your BET favorites are now on Paramount Plus. Subscribe now. Yeah.
