Curious Minnesota

Pacemakers, Post-it notes and Spam rank among the state's best-known inventions. But creative Minnesotans devised hundreds of other products we take for granted. Reporter Brooks Johnson dug into this issue for Curious Minnesota and found so many interesting Minnesota inventions that he wrote two stories. LINKS: What Minnesota inventions have shaped modern life? Skid-steers, Softsoa

The familiar image of a stoic Native American chief wearing a headdress is in many ways a core American cultural stereotype. It has been memorialized in films and statutes, as well as exploited to sell cigarettes and motorcycles. But who are these celebrated figures of the past? Mark Boswell joins host Eric Roper to discuss the roles that Native American chiefs played and introduce

Maplewood arguably has the strangest border of any city in the Twin Cities metro area. Its L shape wraps around the northern and eastern edges of St. Paul. The origins of that border reveals an interesting history of development patterns in the east metro. Reporter Greta Kaul joins host Eric Roper to discuss how Maplewood was born out of leftover land -- and became home to a signat

St. Olaf and Carleton colleges have left a big mark on the world. Their alumni have reached the highest levels of entertainment, the arts, politics and the legal system. A reader wanted to know how these two prominent private colleges ended up in Northfield, a small city just south of the Twin Cities metro area. Reporter Trey Mewes, who wrote a story on this topic for Curious Minne

Sometimes rejection is the beginning of an exciting new path in life. That's one takeaway from today's episode about Leonard Bernstein, who once planned to work at the Minneapolis Symphony Orchestra (now the Minnesota Orchestra). Reporter Jenna Ross joins host Eric Roper to discuss how Bernstein's complex relationship with his mentor nearly landed him in Minnesota. LINKS: Did union

It's not uncommon in Minnesota to see a news story about someone being sentenced to "the workhouse." But what is a workhouse? It turns out Minnesota is one of the only states still using this term, which describes unique facilities that are neither jails nor prisons. Reporter Kim Hyatt joins host Eric Roper to talk about what happens in a workhouse, who is sentenced there and the l

Sometimes, what seems like a simple question unravels into something much more complex and surprising than we expected. That was the case with the question behind today's episode, regarding the deepest lake in Minnesota. Reporter Chloe Johnson and graphics artist Jake Steinberg join host Eric Roper to discuss their reporting journey to find which lake dips the lowest. LINKS: What i

Minnesota has been a national leader in turkey production since the 1950s, and No. 1 for the last two decades. That wouldn't have been possible without collaboration between farmers and researchers at the University of Minnesota. Christopher Vondracek joins host Eric Roper to discuss how Minnesota became such a turkey powerhouse. LINKS: How did Minnesota become the nation's top tur

Our winning question from the State Fair required some serious mathematics to answer. But the bakers at Duluth's Best Bread were up to the challenge. Reporter Christa Lawler joined host Eric Roper to discuss the logistics behind the Lake Superior Loaf. LINKS: How much flour would it take to turn Lake Superior into bread? (October 2023 Curious Minnesota article) MetaFilter thread ab

The Beatles' 1965 concert in Bloomington was a memorable evening for many young fans. But that event was just the beginning of a long night for some ardent followers of the Fab Four. Reporter Zoë Jackson joins host Eric Roper to discuss what happened in downtown Minneapolis after the show. LINKS: Did teenagers 'riot' when the Beatles stayed in downtown Minneapolis in 1965? (June 2