MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds

In the late 1970s, eight female employees from the Citizens’ National Bank in Willmar stirred up controversy in their town and across the country when they filed a complaint against the bank for unequal pay and gender discrimination. The Willmar 8, as they were called, formed their own union and went on strike for two years. MN90 producer Marisa Helms tells us the Willmar 8 came to symbolize the uphill climb many American women face when seeking equity in the workplace. [Read Transcript...]

Minnesotan Charles A. Lindbergh, Junior, was the twentieth century’s first international celebrity – a tall, photogenic aviator who soared into the spotlight in 1927 when he was the first to fly solo and nonstop across the Atlantic from New York to Paris. MN90 producer Marisa Helms reminds us that overall, Lindbergh’s life was far from lucky. His first son was kidnapped and murdered, and his reputation as a Nazi sympathizer has recently eclipsed his earlier fame as an aviator. [Read Transcript...]

If you’ve lived in Minnesota for any length of time, you’ve probably heard about the St. Olaf Choir. They’re internationally acclaimed for the quality of their music, as pioneers of a capella singing over the past 75 years, and their embodiment of the Lutheran choral tradition in America. MN90 producer Marisa Helms reports the man behind the choir is Norwegian musician F. Melius Christiansen (1871-1955). Among Christiansen’s legacies is the much-loved St. Olaf Christmas Festival; a tradition he started in 1912 that continues today. [Read Transcript...]

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 was at Sound 80 studio in Minneapolis that the historic transition to digital recording likely first took place. MN90 Producer Andi McDaniel shares that story. [Read Transcript...]