Shows / MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds
Daily dose of Minnesota history - MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds" is a history program airing on Ampers stations in Minnesota. It is a co-production of Ampers and the Minnesota Historical Society. Made possible by funding from the Minnesota Art's and Cultural Heritage fund.
Episodes
- MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds
Peer Patrol
One of the first-ever School Patrol programs was established in St. Paul, teaching young kids how to advocate for safety; for themselves, and their peers…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsLove Medicine
Before Louise Erdrich became a celebrated author, she was a girl from Little Falls, Minnesota. And before Erdrich wrote her first novel, says producer Britt…
- MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds
Abdallah Candies
Albert Abdallah opened the Calhoun Candy Depot, a bustling shop that quickly became a community favorite. Rebranded as Abdallah Candies, the business grew into…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsMinnehaha Falls
Tucked inside Minneapolis, surrounded by busy city life, a fifty-three-foot waterfall plunges into a limestone gorge. Minnehaha Falls offers a glimpse of…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsThe Haunted Mansion of Forepaugh
A popular restaurant in St. Paul has a hauntingly delicious history of romance, scandal, and death. ----- Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsWinona of Minnesota
Can Minnesota really claim Winona Ryder as one of its own? Britt Aamodt explores the actor’s North Star roots. ----- Producer: Britt Aamodt Editorial support…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsMinnesotans Jumping to New Heights
In the late 1800s Norwegian immigrants brought ski jumping to Minnesota, launching a winter obsession that still sends jumpers flying through the air today…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsThe Witch Tower
Overlooking the prospect park neighborhood in Minneapolis, is a unique witchy architectural landmark nicknamed “The witch hat tower”. Some even say it was…
- MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds
The Return of the Wolf
1986 – National Geographic photographer from Minnesota, Jim Brandenburg wanted to see wolves returned to Yellowstone National Park. Farmers weren’t so sure…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsFilm Nights with Chaplin
In 1941, the news from Europe was grim. The war was going badly for the good guys. That year, an insurance company employee decided to bring comedy to rural…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsWhoopee John
He was born John Wilfart in New Ulm, Minnesota. But legions of fans knew him as Whoopee John. Britt Aamodt resurrects the king of Midwest polka. —– Producer…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsThe Cereal Botanist
The story of Alexander P. Anderson, the Minnesota scientist and how he came to study starches. ----- Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily Krumberger…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsJane Russell and the Outlaw
1941 – Jane Russell, a 19-year-old with roots in Bemidji, felt like the luckiest girl alive to be plucked out of obscurity to star the new RKO picture The…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsMinnesota Broadcaster’s Pioneering Use of Satellites
The invention of the satellite newsgathering truck by lifelong Minnesota broadcaster Stanley S. Hubbard was met with skepticism when he first demonstrated it…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsThe Feud
October 12, 1915 - John C. Freund just wanted to give his music lecture in Duluth. But a colleague from New York was in town and badmouthing him in the local…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsMaya Moore
She soared on the court and shook up the courtroom. Maya Moore didn’t just change the game, she changed lives. ----- Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsFritz
Walter Mondale is one of Minnesota’s most well-known and well respected politicians to make his mark on the national scene. Many people remember his landslide…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsA Game of Agents
George R. R. Martin believed in his literary agent when times were hard. Britt Aamodt reports how that agent, a Minnesotan, repaid that loyalty when Martin…
- MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds
Minnesota’s Massive Fire of 1918
In a matter of hours, a series of devastating fires changed the look of Northern Minnesota for decades. The Cloquet/Moose Lake fires of 1918 resulted in a loss…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsShock Theater
In 1958, Minnesota got a shock. Classic horror films were introduced to a new generation of TV viewers courtesy of Shock Theater and local creature feature…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsParty Line Days
Back in 1950, three-quarters of American households had party line telephones. That was even more true in rural Minnesota. Britt Aamodt looks at life with a…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsHappy Chef
Happy Chef was a beacon for hungry travelers all over the Midwest. Today, one original still stands, flipping pancakes and memories in Mankato. ----- Producer…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsSing for Your Breakfast: The Radio Jingle that Saved a Cereal
Washburn-Crosby had a great breakfast cereal, Wheaties, in stores. But customers weren’t scooping it up. So, the company created a singing ad, "Have You Tried…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsNorthwest Angle
At the very top of Minnesota, where forest meets water and maps get complicated, lies one of America’s strangest corners: the Northwest Angle. ----- Producer…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsThe Gopher's Little Brown Jug
Why do the University of Minnesota’s Golden Gophers and the University of Michigan’s Wolverines football teams battle over a Little Brown Jug? Britt Aamodt…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsDungeons & Dragons Co-Creator
August 1969 – Dave Arneson loved war games. That’s what drew him to the board game convention Gen Con, and to fellow gamer Gary Gygax. Five years later, the…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsKevin Odegard Gets Tangled up in Dylan
December 1974 – Kevin Odegard grew up listening to Bob Dylan records on the basement record player. So it was incredible that the now 25-year-old guitarist…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsRollerblades: Hockey's Distant Cousin
Walking, biking, running and yes...rollerblading are all things Minnesotans do when the weather gets warmer. Allison Herrera tells us how the famous in-line…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsTaconite
Taconite can be found all over Minnesota’s iron range, but at first it lacked in iron. Learn how it became viable. ----- Editor: Britt Aamodt Producer: Autumn…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsDesigning Miss Piggy
In 1970, Bonnie Erickson, an artist from Anoka, had a head cold. But she also had this big interview—with Jim Henson. She went through with the interview, got…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsThe Horse Buried at Fort Snelling
In 1921, a 10-year-old wagon trained horse named "Whiskey" was introduced to Fort Snelling. He was a wild and restless horse, often overlooked because of his…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsHome of the Grange
When Oliver Kelley began farming in Minnesota during the mid-1850s, he was frustrated by the low status of farmers and the isolation of rural life. So along…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsWhat's That Smell?
3M is famous for inventing the Post-It note. But Britt Aamodt has uncovered a 3M that gave you a scratch you just had to sniff. ----- Producer: Britt Aamodt…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsSpider, Snaker, and Little Sun
In 1962, Dave "Snaker" Ray, Tony "Little Sun" Glover and "Spider" John Koerner met in the Dinkytown neighborhood near the University of Minnesota in…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsCoffee Pot Water Tower
The water tower in Lindstrom Minnesota is not your average tower… and it’s not built for water either! ----- Producer: Autumn Haeg Editorial support: Emily…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsBack to the Digital Future
At a time when most popular music is available digitally, it’s taken for granted that analog recording is a thing of the past. But few people realize that it…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsWarhol’s Baggage
September 1975: Andy Warhol was in Minnesota to grace a film screening, attend a party and, unofficially, to lug around empty suitcases he was supposed to be…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsThe Nesmith Cave Hoax
In 1866, a man digging in St. Anthony Main uncovered a trapdoor leading to a subterranean labyrinth. Or did he? Autumn Haeg looks into the Nesmith Tunnel Hoax…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsFrom Kapok to Cattails
The cattails you'll find in roadside ditches might not look like anything special. But as MN90 Producer Andi McDaniel discovers, in the 1940s in northern…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsPaul Nelson: Everything Is an Afterthought
Minnesotan Paul Nelson was one of the great journalists of the golden age of rock music criticism. But by his death in 2006, he had become a recluse. Britt…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsFirst Artificial Blood Transfusion
It was November 20th, 1979, at when a 67-year-old Jehovah's Witness patient was readmitted to the university of Minnesota’s hospital after suffering severe…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsOrdinary Philosophers Next to the Cows: The Story of Youth Work at UMN
In the 1960s and ‘70’s, the University of Minnesota took the growing interest in and concern over youth and family social work into their classrooms and the…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsDan Patch Breaks the World Record
Dan Patch was the greatest athlete in the country. Now the standardbred horse was going to make it official by breaking the world record for harness racing…
- MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds
The Notorious Northfield Raid
By the time Jesse James and his gang showed up to rob a bank in Northfield, Minnesota, they’d been at it for over a decade. But on that fateful September day…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsTrouble Boys
Music journalist Bob Mehr wanted to write a biography of the Replacements, the Minneapolis punk/alt-rock group that formed in a basement in 1979, recorded…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsBreakfast of Champions: The Invention of Wheaties
By 1921, Minneapolis’ reign as the Flour Milling Capital of the World was coming to an end. So one enterprising flour company threw in its lot with a tasty…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsLaura Ingalls Wilder: Midwest Pioneer
Laura Ingalls Wilder was born on February 7, 1867, in Pepin County, Wisconsin. Throughout Laura's childhood, her pioneer parents moved the family seeking a…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsMinnesota Ballad
Bessie M. Stanchfield visited St. Cloud in 1936, where she heard "The Beauty of the West" performed by Mrs. Elma Snyder McDowell. The search for a Minnesota…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsSkyride
The Skyride s still running strong after 60 years. It’s no surprise that this iconic ride and way of transportation attracts over 10% of all Minnesota State…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsTilt-A-Whirl
The Tilt-A-Whirl, one of the most iconic and gut spinning amusement park rides, was invented by Herbert W. Sellner, an entrepreneur from Minnesota. -----…
- MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds
Minnesota’s Golden Girl
August 1984, NBC was tossing around ideas for a new sitcom with a cast of older women. The senior characters were Sophia, Dorothy, Blanche and Rose. For seven…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsGetting a Handle on the Paper Bag
At his grocery store in St. Paul, Walter Deubner noticed that his customers were limited in their purchases by the capacity of paper grocery sacks. Join MN90…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsMitropoulos and Bernstein
Leonard Bernstein was one of the most dramatic conductors of the 20th century. And, according to Britt Aamodt, he found one of his earliest mentors at the…
MN90: Minnesota History in 90 SecondsEloise Butler Wildflower Garden and Bird Sanctuary
In 1907, Eloise Butler, along with other botanists, asked for and received a portion of Minneapolis' Glenwood Park to set aside for native wildflowers. The…
- MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds
Waiting on the Beatles
In 1965, the Beatles were not granting interviews after their Minnesota concert. But intern reporter Holly Stocking needed a story — and she’d just gotten her…
- MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds
Magnetic Shakespeare
This small collection of random words glued to magnets and stuck to refrigerators and office cubicles world wide got their start right here in Minnesota. After…
- MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds
The Devil's Kettle
Devil's Kettle Falls in Judge Magney State Park is notable for more than its name. Britt Aamodt describes the geological mystery that no one has yet been able…
- MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds
Marquette National Bank vs. First National of Omaha
A little-known Supreme Court case in the 1970s had a massive effect on the credit card industry as we know it. It all started with a battle over interest rates…
- MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds
"Pretty Boy" Larry Hennig
Canada produces hockey players. But Robbinsdale, Minnesota, says Britt Aamodt, has a line on wrestlers, including Verne Gagne and the subject of this MN90…
- MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds
Tippi and the Birds
It didn’t get any bigger than this. Tippi Hedren, Minnesotan, model, single mother, had been cast in Alfred Hitchcock’s new film. But she soon discovered…