Historical

December 30, 2010

MN90: A Whiz Bang of a Joke

When enterprising Wilford Fawcett came home to Robbinsdale, MN, after World War I, he thought it would be good business to publish the dirty jokes he heard in the trenches overseas. He called his magazine "Captain Billy’s Whiz Bang" and it became a huge success. MN90 producer Marisa Helms tells us Fawcett made a small fortune off of his bawdy humor magazine and went on to build a publishing empire of hobby magazines and comic books, including Captain Marvel. [Read Transcript...]

November 19, 2010

MN90: Back 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 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...]

November 10, 2010

MN90: The Bridges of Hennepin County

There are more bridges across the Mississippi in the City of Minneapolis than anywhere else along the river. MN90 Producer Andi McDaniel speaks with David Stevens of Mill City Museum to find out why. [Read Transcript...]

November 3, 2010

MN90: Getting 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 Producer Andi McDaniel as she discovers how that simple problem led to an invention that’s familiar to all. [Read Transcript...]