MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds

From the sandlots to the Metrodome, Kirby Puckett was more than a ballplayer. He was the heart and soul of the Minnesota Twins.Producer: Autumn HaegEditorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood-----For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media. https://www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers/Never miss a beat. Sign up for our email list to receive news, updates and content releases from AMPERS. ampers.org/about-ampers/staytuned/ This show is made possible by community support. Due to cuts in federal funding, the community radio you love is at risk. Your support is needed now more than ever. Donate now to power the community programs you love: ampers.org/fund

Where giant puppets meet powerful protest, Minnesota’s In the Heart of the Beast Theater brings stories to life with color and courage. Producer: Autumn HaegEditorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris HarwoodImage: In the Heart of the Beast Theater, Minneapolis, MN. [credit: Autumn Haeg]-----For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media. https://www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers/Never miss a beat. Sign up for our email list to receive news, updates and content releases from AMPERS. ampers.org/about-ampers/staytuned/ This show is made possible by community support. Due to cuts in federal funding, the community radio you love is at risk. Your support is needed now more than ever. Donate now to power the community programs you love: ampers.org/fund

Before all the stars and glamor, the iconic Minneapolis music venue had several other purposes.Producer: Autumn HaegEditorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris HarwoodImage: Greyhound Bus Depot, located at First Avenue North and Seventh Street, Minneapolis, ca. 1935. [credit: Charles W. Howson Company, courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society]Music: "River Deep – Mountain High" by Ike and Tina Turner from River Deep – Mountain High. (A&M Records 1966) (0:10)Music: "Purple Rain" by Prince from Purple Rain (Warner Bros. Records, 1984) (0:16)-----For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media. https://www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers/Never miss a beat. Sign up for our email list to receive news, updates and content releases from AMPERS. ampers.org/about-ampers/staytuned/ This show is made possible by community support. Due to cuts in federal funding, the community radio you love is at risk. Your support is needed now more than ever. Donate now to power the community programs you love: ampers.org/fund

In a small town in the southwest corner of Minnesota, you'll find Blue Mounds State Park, one of the few places in the state that visitors can see the historic bison up close and in a natural habitat year-round. Producer: Autumn HaegEditorial support: Emily Krumberger & Britt AamodtMixing & mastering: Chris HarwoodImage: Bison ca 1880 [credit: Collection of the Minnesota Historical Society]-----For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media. https://www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers/Never miss a beat. Sign up for our email list to receive news, updates and content releases from AMPERS. ampers.org/about-ampers/staytuned/ This show is made possible by community support. Due to cuts in federal funding, the community radio you love is at risk. Your support is needed now more than ever. Donate now to power the community programs you love: ampers.org/fund

Madonna and Nirvana were just two of the many fan-favorite acts shown on MTV during the 80s and 90s. But one small town in Minnesota was not entertained.Producer: Autumn HaegEditorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris HarwoodImage by: Autumn Haeg-----For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media. https://www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers/Never miss a beat. Sign up for our email list to receive news, updates and content releases from AMPERS. ampers.org/about-ampers/staytuned/ This show is made possible by community support. Due to cuts in federal funding, the community radio you love is at risk. Your support is needed now more than ever. Donate now to power the community programs you love: ampers.org/fund

Many high school students learn about photosynthesis in their biology classes. However, some may not know about one Minnesotan who was crucial to discovering plant life cycles. Producer: Autumn HaegEditorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood[Image credit: Autumn Haeg]-----For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media. https://www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers/Never miss a beat. Sign up for our email list to receive news, updates and content releases from AMPERS. ampers.org/about-ampers/staytuned/ This show is made possible by community support. Due to cuts in federal funding, the community radio you love is at risk. Your support is needed now more than ever. Donate now to power the community programs you love: ampers.org/fund

Minneapolis faced one of its most tragic events in 1878 after a cloud of flour dust got mixed up in a fiery situation. Producer: Autumn HaegMixing & mastering: Chris HarwoodImage:  Photograph altered by an artist to illustrate the Washburn A Mill explosion, 1878.  [Credit: Minnesota Historical Society]-----For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media. https://www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers/Never miss a beat. Sign up for our email list to receive news, updates and content releases from AMPERS. ampers.org/about-ampers/staytuned/ This show is made possible by community support. Due to cuts in federal funding, the community radio you love is at risk. Your support is needed now more than ever. Donate now to power the community programs you love: ampers.org/fund

What if the songs of a culture could disappear forever? Frances Densmore of Red Wing, Minnesota wanted to ensure they didn’t. A pioneer in ethnology, Frances Densmore helped preserve Indigenous stories and songs across the state.Image:  Portrait of Frances Densmore, 1928. [credit: Minnesota Historical Society]

After fears of drowning were rising among his customers, Peter Markus knew it was up to him to invent a new way of staying afloat should a boat capsize.

A popular restaurant in St. Paul has a hauntingly delicious history of romance, scandal, and death.[Image by: Autumn Haeg]

Minnesota artist Duane Hanson captivated the country with his hyper-realistic sculptures depicting everyday people and events.Produced by Autumn HaegEditorial support: Emily Krumberger, Britt AamodtMixing & mastering: Chris HarwoodPhoto: Portrait of Duane Hanson, Minneapolis, 1986 (American Swedish Institute, collection.mndigital.org/catalog/swede:169)-----For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media: www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers.Never miss a beat. Sign up for our email list to receive news, updates and content releases from AMPERS: www.ampers.org/about-ampers/staytuned.This show is made possible by community support. Due to cuts in federal funding, the community radio you love is at risk. Your support is needed now more than ever. Donate now to power the community programs you love: www.ampers.org/fund.

Swans used to be a popular game of choice for Minnesota hunters. But by the 1900’s, the entire population of trumpeter swans was gone.Produced by Autumn HaegEditorial support: Emily KrumbergerMixing & mastering: Chris HarwoodImage: Loring Park swans in Minneapolis Park Board's winter house in Theodore Wirth Park, 1948 (Philip Dittes). Courtesy of Minnesota Historical Society-----For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media: www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers.Never miss a beat. Sign up for our email list to receive news, updates and content releases from AMPERS: www.ampers.org/about-ampers/staytuned.This show is made possible by community support. Due to cuts in federal funding, the community radio you love is at risk. Your support is needed now more than ever. Donate now to power the community programs you love: www.ampers.org/fund.

Grain giant Frank Peavey was a wealthy man who needed a way to boast his money. Following trends from other local philanthropists, he donated his money for a new horse fountain.Produced by Autumn HaegEditorial support: Emily KrumbergerMixing & mastering: Chris HarwoodImage: painting of the Rose Garden at Lake Harriet, Minneapolis by Eric Austen Erickson (1992). Courtesy of the Minnesota Historical Society-----For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media: www.facebook.com/MN90Ampers.Never miss a beat. Sign up for our email list to receive news, updates and content releases from AMPERS: www.ampers.org/about-ampers/staytuned.This show is made possible by community support. Due to cuts in federal funding, the community radio you love is at risk. Your support is needed now more than ever. Donate now to power the community programs you love: www.ampers.org/fund.

Richard Wozniak loved the Frank Sinatra recording of the Johnny Richards-Carolyn Leigh song "Young-at-Heart." So, in 1956, when he opened his Duluth business, there was only one name for it: Young at Heart Record Store.Image: Young at Heart record club business card. [credit: Collection of Minnesota Historical Society]

With the railroad expanding westward, Minnesota needed farmers and laborers to work in the new settlements along the railroad line. Minnesota State Board of Immigration member William Seeger advocated for a group of Russian Mennonites to come and live in the new settlement of Mountain Lake.Image: Evangelical Mennonite Church, half-mile north of Mountain Lake, Minnesota, 1959. [credit:  MN Historical Society]

Many Minnesotans are familiar with our state bird, the loon, and state flower, the lady slipper. But did you know that milk is Minnesota's state drink? Here's how.[Image by: sommai | Adobe Stock ]

In 1923, the University of Minnesota launched the Red Wing Project, an experiment to bring electricity to rural farmers in the state. This experiment, believed to be the first of its kind in the world, inspired 23 other states to conduct their own electrification studies and led to the establishment of the national Rural Electrification Administration.Image: Farmer W.A. Benitt with electric pump, 1938. [credit: MN Historical Society]

While no longer standing, the Westgate Theater was a beloved arts space in South Minneapolis for over 40 years. The founder of the Westgate, musician Carl Fust, had a vision of bringing people together during the Depression Era. Image: Exterior of the Westgate Theater [credit: The Fust Family Collection]

Actor and South Saint Paul native Mike Farrell was replacing a popular character in one of the 1970's most popular TV shows. He was thrilled for the job, but would M*A*S*H's devoted fan base hate him?Image: American GIs at a concert in Korea 1952. [credit: Collection Minnesota Historical Society]

Along the banks of the Mississippi River in Minneapolis, a community of immigrant families built a life from scratch in a neighborhood known as Bohemian Flats.Image: Bohemian Flats during a springtime flood, April 7, 1897. The Washington Avenue bridge is in the background. [credit: Hennepin County Library]