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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...]

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...]