This is America. Speak Spanish: A documentary on the Amazing Life of Victor Leighton Ochoa

Matthew Cooke covers the story of Victor Leighton Ochoa from Ojinaga, Chihuahua, Mexico, whom he regards a famous, albeit unknown, person in history. I couldn't agree more. Such an extraordinary life. Hats off to Matthew Cooke for this and other work he does with American Origin Stories. He was a Mexican-American gunslinger, and inventor, who got kicked out of the U.S. for pursuing the American dream. This despite being from what today is known as "Texas" and the "United States" (formerly Mexico) before it became part of U.S. territory. This must have resulted in a high level of cognitive dissonance for him at the time.

Here is what a brief AARP snapshot says about him:

The next time you step off a train after arriving at your destination you may want to thank serial inventor Victor Ochoa. Born in Mexico in 1850, Ochoa earned a patent for the electric brake in 1907, more specifically for a process that uses magnetic attraction to slow the train. This invention led to safer mass transit systems, with the ability to transport more commuters.

A prolific inventor, Ochoa also is credited with the folding wing airplane (also known as the Ochoaplane), the adjustable wrench, the wind-powered generator and more. He was also a journalist and close friends with former President Theodore Roosevelt.

        Ochoa was 57 at the time of his electric brake invention.

We should totally be teaching him in our K-12 public school curriculum. It would not just inspire, but fascinate our youth to learn about him.

I've been to Ojinaga in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico, by the way, by driving through Texas' majestic Big Bend Country and then crossing the Rio Grande River on a boat. It's all very rustic. Its more developed sister city is Presidio, Texas. Both are so remote even still today that most Texans and Mexicans themselves will never visit either in a lifetime. It's easy to forget just how big of a state we are.

This is the first history I've ever read of anyone from Ojinaga. And geez, what a story! It teaches us about our own history as a country, too. I so enjoyed listening to this and learning about him and trust that you will, too.

-Angela Valenzuela

This is America. Speak Spanish. 

Victor Ochoa was a gunslinger, an inventor of airplanes, a wind turbine, and the pocket protector. He was a revolutionary, a friend of President Teddy Roosevelt, and wanted by the Mexican government, dead or alive. Ochoa's ancestors came from Texas when it was Mexican territory, overrun by illegal Anglo immigrants. Victor lived through the Civil War, World War 1, and the industrial revolution. The path of his extraordinary life teaches us much about America, its people, and human nature itself. The American Origin Stories Podcast airs every Tuesday morning at 12 o'clock midnight pacific time on all podcast platforms. Click here: https://americanoriginstories.buzzspr... Video versions on YouTube every Tuesday at 10am PT / 1pm ET Written and Narrated by Matthew Cooke - © Copyright, 2023, 1 Cooke in the Kitchen, Inc Mailing list and more info: http://www.matthewcooke.com