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Cool
Things Podcast
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Record
of Skies Henry Worrall wasn't born in Kansas, nor was he a trained artist, but
that didn't stop him from using art to promote his adopted state. "Record
of Skies" is the title of his 1870s sketchbook filled with Kansas
scenes. |
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Flag Waving
The Kansas Cavalry rode to the rescue with these silk guidons snapping
in the wind. Hear the interesting story of two
Civil War swallowtail flags, recently preserved through our Save
the Flags project. |
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Black Umbrella
It may look like an ordinary umbrella, but this faded parasol had
a brush with fame when it sheltered Abraham Lincoln during an historic post-inaugural tour. |
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Long, Hard Journey
The massive American surrender in the Philippines during World War
II led to a horrifying journey known as the Bataan Death March. These
sandals are a reminder of one Kansas
soldier's powerful experiences during the war. |
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Harpers Ferry
Revolver Religious fervor led an once-innocent young Kansan to help John Brown seize the federal arsenal at Harpers Ferry. Albert Hazlett hoped to start a rebellion using this revolver. And in a way, he did--Harpers Ferry helped spark the Civil War. |
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Volcanic Pottery
Hear about a Kansan who mixed volcanic ash with local mud to produce
some stunning ceramics in the 1950s. James Dryden cornered the market on Kansas kitsch until the
highway bypassed his location and Dryden moved his operation out-of-state. |
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Ship Without a Rudder
To navigate the Kansas River in the 1820s, you needed the right equipment--a
keelboat. This steering oar helped a fur trader's keelboat stay the course on the mighty Kaw. |
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Window to the World
St. Louis was a city on the move in 1904, and Kansas went along
for the ride. This stained glass window is from the Kansas Building
at the Louisiana Purchase Exposition, better known as the 1904
World's Fair. |
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The Red Telephone
A powerful icon of the Cold War, this telephone with a red receiver
rode out the threat of nuclear disaster two floors below ground
at Topeka's Shawnee County Courthouse. |
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Dirty Money
Think money is hard to come by these days? It was even harder
to get in 1850s Kansas. This episode deals with failed bank notes--not
worth the paper they're printed on. |
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Couch Potato
Harriet Beecher Stowe had to sit somewhere while getting ideas
for her masterpiece, Uncle Tom's Cabin. This sofa was
one of the lucky furnishings that supported the best-selling author.
Perhaps this couch helped set the stage for the Civil War! |
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Dancing With
the Stars Margaret Usher dazzled other dancers at Abraham Lincoln's 1865
inaugural ball with this militaristic yet still feminine ball
gown. |
2008 Podcasts
MUSE Award Winner (Honorable Mention) for 2008, American Association of Museums Media and Technology Committee
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The Slouch
A Union chaplain from Kansas picked up this slouch-style hat
on a Civil War battleground in Arkansas. This little-known western
battle involved Native Americans, African Americans, and whites.
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Amelia
Earhart Christmas Cards Between setting flight records and circumnavigating the globe,
Kansas aviator Amelia Earhart found time to send out these Christmas
cards. |
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Golfing Buddies
This ticket commemorates a monumental match at a Kansas City
golf course between Arnold Palmer, Jack Nicklaus, Byron Nelson,
and Harold "Jug" McSpaden. Who was Jug? Listen and learn!
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Smoked Turkey
Our Thanksgiving episode focuses on a uniquely North American
tool. Pipe tomahawks symbolize the blending of two cultures--European
and Native American. |
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Travel in the
Time of Cholera The biggest killer on the Oregon Trail was cholera. Hear how
one Kentucky man was stricken in the morning and died that afternoon.
He was buried in Kansas, where this tombstone marked his grave. |
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A Very
Merry Neewollah Neewollah is Halloween spelled backward. Hear how one Kansas
community launched a Neewollah festival to keep kids off the streets
on Halloween night. |
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Barbed Wire
It has separated neighbors, marked boundaries, and divided nations.
But first it fenced in cattle. |
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Adventure
Martin and Osa Johnson indulged their passion for travel by
filming the South Seas and Africa in the 1920s and 1930s. They
collected this barong (a jungle knife used by members of the Moro
people) on their first trip to Borneo. |
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Centron
During the 1950s, this Kansas film studio promoted mental hygiene
among America's youth by producing such films as "The Bully"
and "What About Prejudice." |
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Space
Age Stove This nearly indestructible Frigidaire Custom Imperial Flair
stove from 1968 made efficient use of space in the kitchen. Only
a kitchen remodeling project and difficulty in getting replacement
parts brought an end to its use. |
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Lincoln
Log The exciting story of the hours following Lincoln's assassination
involves this piece of wood, removed from the gallows on which
the conspirators were hanged. |
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Monopolize
The goal of the game Monopoly is to become a real estate tycoon.
But originally it was designed to teach the evils of monopolies
and the virtues of something called the Single Tax. |
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Connie's Café
Wichita's oldest family-run Mexican restaurant is Connie's Mexico
Café. These objects were used by its founders, Concepción
"Connie" Lopez and her husband Rafael. |
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Boyd's Girls
This group of girl cadets, armed with broomsticks and rifle parts,
produced a patriotic quilt while defending Topeka at the turn
of the 20th century. |
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Flagged
Hear about two battle flags carried in the Civil War by Kansas
boys fighting in Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma. Yes, the Civil
War was fought in states west of the Mississippi, too! |
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Modern
Ledger Art Looting of Native American artifacts has been a problem almost
since Columbus first stepped off the boat in the New World. Meet
Dolores Purdy Corcoran, a Topeka artist who argues for repatriation
through her paintings. |
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Firestick
Kansas ranchers get to indulge their pyromaniacal tendencies
every spring when they light the grasslands on fire with homemade
incendiary devices called firesticks. It's an accepted technique
for managing the prairie. |
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Plowed
This revolutionary plow was invented by a farmer from Plains,
Kansas. It worked well, maybe too well. Some people believe it
was responsible for the Dust Bowl. |
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Blue Jacket
In the Future Farmers of America, blue corduroy is the fabric
of success. This particular jacket was worn by Wes Jackson, a
former FFA member who today is recognized as a visionary leader
in agriculture. |
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Clocked
Submerged under seven feet of floodwater in a small Kansas City
cafe, this clock quietly documented the rising tide of one of
the most destructive events in the history of the central plains.
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Snow Gate
How do you drive across Kansas on Interstate 70 during a blizzard?
You don't. Hear about a gate used to close the highway during
severe winter weather. |
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Cyclone
Stop Sign Find out what it takes to crumple street signs like pieces of
tin foil. These signs survived a massive tornado that destroyed
the town of Greensburg in May 2007. |
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A Civilized
Bookcase This bookcase symbolizes a tragic period in Native American
history. Were the missionaries who used it trying to improve the
lives of their Indian pupils, or wipe out their culture? |
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Seat of Government
Topeka's first African American mayor used this unassuming office
chair. James McClinton felt his appointment to the mayorship reflected
the positive impact of the nation's civil rights movement, and
a sign that Topeka was moving ahead. |
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Quadruple Constitutions Every territory needs a constitution to become a state. Kansas
had four of them. What a political nightmare! Hear about Kansas'
complex constitutional history, closely related to the nation's
tense pre-Civil War politics. |
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Funston's
Flu Disease was the deadliest enemy during World War I. In this podcast
we examine a quarantine sign used in Bushong, Kansas, during the
greatest pandemic in history. Also, learn the history of Kansas
Day--our state's birthday. |
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Saddle Up!
The road between Abilene and San Antonio could get a little rough
in the 1870s. This saddle cushioned the ride for Kansas cowboy
Gus Bellport. |
Podcast Archives
Check out our award winning podcasts from previous years:
2007 Cool Things Podcasts
Voted Top Ten Museum and Cultural Podcast Winner for 2007 by MuseumPods.
2006 Cool Things Podcasts
Voted Number One Museum Podcast for 2006 by MuseumPods.
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A
Kansas Memory Podcast: Another podcast from the Kansas Historical
Society sharing stories of Kansans -- some famous, some infamous, and
some just average folks.
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