Curious Minnesota
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Top 10 Curious Minnesota Episodes
Goodpods has curated a list of the 10 best Curious Minnesota episodes, ranked by the number of listens and likes each episode have garnered from our listeners. If you are listening to Curious Minnesota for the first time, there's no better place to start than with one of these standout episodes. If you are a fan of the show, vote for your favorite Curious Minnesota episode by adding your comments to the episode page.
How did Minnesota become the nation's top turkey state?
Curious Minnesota
01/18/24 • 16 min
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 turkey state? (November 2023 Curious Minnesota article)
How lumberjacks harnessed an 'ocean of pine' to build Minnesota
Curious Minnesota
08/29/22 • 15 min
Minnesota's flour milling prowess is a well-known part of the state's history. But the area's milling legacy began with sawmills that turned the state's white pine trees into lumber. By 1905, Minneapolis was the top lumber market in the world. Transporting these logs to mills was no easy task. The Star Tribune's Christa Lawler joins host Eric Roper to discuss the logistics of how this booming industry worked.
LINKS:
How lumberjacks harnessed an 'ocean of pine' to build Minnesota
What is the future of COVID-19 and the delta variant?
Curious Minnesota
08/25/21 • 16 min
The arrival of vaccines earlier this year offered a glimmer of hope that the COVID-19 pandemic was nearing an end. But the emergence of the delta variant has dampened some of that optimism.
The Star Tribune solicited reader questions about this new phase of the pandemic. Pulitzer Prize-winning health reporters Glenn Howatt and Jeremy Olson discussed the answers in their third appearance on the podcast.
02/10/22 • 9 min
The wildfires of 1894 and 1918 remain two of the worst natural disasters in Minnesota history, more than a century after destroying entire towns in the northern portion of the state. These rapidly moving blazes claimed more than 900 victims. What caused them to spread so quickly? Could it happen again?
Hannah Sayle and Duluth reporter Jana Hollingsworth discuss the circumstances that led to these tragedies, and what lessons were learned to prevent them from repeating.
LINKS:
Historic wildfires once destroyed entire cities in northern Minnesota. Could it happen again?
How did gambling develop into a major industry in Minnesota?
Curious Minnesota
05/31/24 • 16 min
Minnesotans wanting to gamble have many options these days. They can visit a Native American casino, buy scratch-off games at a gas station, yank open pull-tabs at a bar or even play bingo at a church fish fry. But this is a fairly recent phenomenon. Reporter Alex Chhith joins host Eric Roper to discuss the history of gambling in Minnesota.
LINKS:
How did gambling develop into a major industry in Minnesota?
Why do Minnesotans have accents?
Curious Minnesota
04/21/22 • 17 min
The Minnesota accent is ubiquitous in the Land of 10,000 Lakes. But where does it come from?
Keely Wolter, a Richfield-based accent and dialogue coach, joins the Star Tribune's Hannah Sayle and Rachel Hutton to discuss the accent's origins and what defines this uniquely Minnesotan way of speaking.
LINKS:
Why do Minnesotans have accents? (Nov. 2021 Curious Minnesota article)
Why does Maplewood have such an odd shape?
Curious Minnesota
04/04/24 • 18 min
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 signature Minnesota company.
LINKS:
Why does Maplewood have such an odd shape?
Why didn't Minneapolis gobble up its suburbs? (Podcast, May 2023)
Why didn't Minneapolis gobble up its suburbs? (Story, March 2023)
Why is Minnesota such a hotbed of professional wrestling?
Curious Minnesota
09/08/23 • 17 min
Minnesota features prominently in the history of professional wrestling. Minneapolis was a prominent "hub" for the sport before promotions like the WWE made it a worldwide sensation. Reporter Stephen Montemayor joins host Eric Roper to discuss pro wrestling's background in the state.
LINKS:
Why is Minnesota such a hotbed of professional wrestling? (June 2023 Curious Minnesota story)
03/08/24 • 19 min
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 rules prevent Leonard Bernstein from joining the Minnesota Orchestra? (January 2024 Curious Minnesota story)
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FAQ
How many episodes does Curious Minnesota have?
Curious Minnesota currently has 99 episodes available.
What topics does Curious Minnesota cover?
The podcast is about Society & Culture and Podcasts.
What is the most popular episode on Curious Minnesota?
The episode title 'Why hasn't Minnesota passed the Equal Rights Amendment?' is the most popular.
What is the average episode length on Curious Minnesota?
The average episode length on Curious Minnesota is 16 minutes.
How often are episodes of Curious Minnesota released?
Episodes of Curious Minnesota are typically released every 14 days.
When was the first episode of Curious Minnesota?
The first episode of Curious Minnesota was released on Jan 16, 2020.
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