MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds

Thanks to Minnesota’s substantial Scandinavian population, certain foods have long been wildly popular in our state. One is lefse, a crepe-like potato bread that is time-intensive to make. MN90 Producer Andi McDaniel heads to Ingebretson’s Scandinavian deli in Minneapolis to find out what the fuss is all about. (Image by Lance Fisher) [Read Transcript...]

Minnesota natives Joel and Ethan Coen are two of the most original, creative filmmakers working today. Their Academy-award winning 1996 film Fargo, put Minnesota on the cinematic map. Since their first noir thriller, 1984’s Blood Simple, the Coens have released about a dozen quirky, totally unique, films. Their 2009 film, A Serious Man, was based on their childhood growing up Jewish in 1960s St. Louis Park. As MN90 producer Marisa Helms reports, the Coen Brothers are true Minnesota originals. [Read Transcript...]

In 1930, Minnesota writer Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) became the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. Lewis is best known for his novel Main Street, a biting satire of life in middle America. The town featured in the story is modeled after the central Minnesota city of Sauk Centre, where Lewis was born and raised. Though Main Street is his most well-known work, Lewis wrote many novels and short stories, several of which were turned into Hollywood movies. MN90 producer Marisa Helms has his story. [Read Transcript...]

The variety of toys available today seems endless. But in the 1940s, a now-classic toy designed near Lake Minnetonka practically ruled the industry. MN90 Producer Andi McDaniel takes us back the early days of Tonka trucks. (Image by Joost J. Bakker) [Read Transcript...]