CuriosiD

Vernors Ginger Ale is one of America's oldest soft drinks and a favorite hometown beverage in Michigan — born right here in Detroit. Over the years, the soda has gained a local reputation as a cure-all for stomach aches, colds and more. But is the medicinal magic of Vernors a myth or reality? In this episode of "CuriosiD," WDET's Amanda LeClaire answers the bubbling question by consulting with two Detroit area doctors.

Get ready to uncover the heights of Detroit like never before! In the latest episode of "CuriosiD," join Outlier Media's Koby Levin as he delves into the city's unique pursuit of peaks.

Outer Drive is an epic street in Detroit and the suburbs that winds for more than 40 miles. But the roadway isn't continuous, it's broken up into pieces. One listener wants to know why. WDET's Pat Batcheller has the answer. Have your own question about Detroit? Submit it at http://wdet.org/curious.

Before Michigan was known for making cars, it was known for manufacturing stoves. As part of that legacy, the city of Detroit became host to “The World’s Largest Stove.” In this episode of CuriosiD, WDET's Laura Herberg tells the story of the birth and death of that stove. Have your own question about Detroit? Submit it at http://wdet.org/curious.

All around metro Detroit there are tiny, white tile, old-fashioned buildings that sell hamburgers, or more specifically, sliders. There's Brayz, Hunter House, Telway and more. But if these places are owned by different companies, why do they all look so similar? WDET's Russ McNamara answers this popular question, and tours as many slider joints as he and a listener can handle, in this episode of CuriosiD.

A group of bikers formed the Outcast Motorcycle club in Detroit in 1969. Some say that this was the first all-Black club that eventually spread nationwide. These days, if you cruise around Detroit you'll see dozens of clubhouses with members dressed in leather, wearing patches representing names like the Hell Raisers, Soul Stars or the Black Syndicate. In this episode of CuriosiD, WDET's Quinn Klinefelter dives into the history behind Black motorcycle clubs in Detroit. Plus, a white rider reflects on his journey from being a hardcore biker criminal to becoming a motorcycle missionary.

Just outside Detroit, along the side of a I-94, sits a very big tire. In this episode of CuriosiD, a listener asks how the Uniroyal Giant Tire ended up there, and what it's like inside. Plus, did the it ever roll across the freeway? WDET's Jack Filbrandt goes the extra mile to get some answers. Have your own question about Detroit? Submit it at http://wdet.org/curious. It might be the subject of a future episode.

Where do the mile roads in metro Detroit begin? And why do we have mile roads in the first place? WDET's Pat Batcheller answers those questions and explains what you need to know about mile roads in Southeast Michigan. Then, we connect the dots on why intersections on roads like Michigan Ave and Fort Street have such weird angles. Finally, we find out who John R really was. Have your own question about Detroit? Submit it at wdet.org/curious.

In Michigan -- and a few other select states -- you can buy a red, yellow and blue ice cream often called Superman. One WDET listener wants to know the flavors behind this iconic treat and how it came to be. WDET’s Eli Newman digs in to bring you the scoop. Plus, WDET's Laura Herberg interviews Chicago Tribune's Nara Schoenberg on the origin of Blue Moon ice cream. || Read Nara Schoenberg’s reporting on Blue Moon in the Chicago Tribune: https://www.chicagotribune.com/news/ct-xpm-2007-08-31-0708300659-story.html || See Daniel Huffman’s Blue Moon ice cream maps: https://somethingaboutmaps.wordpress.com/2020/11/02/the-quest-for-the-blue-moon/ | | Have your own question about Detroit? Submit it at http://wdet.org/curious

Listener Jack Nagle knows that it's possible to catch your limit in fish down on the Detroit River, but he hasn't had any luck. For this episode of CuriosiD, WDET's Laura Herberg tries to find out how to fish the Detroit River. She also interviews a toxicologist to find out if the fish are safe to eat. | Eat Safe Fish guides: https://www.michigan.gov/mdhhs/safety-injury-prev/environmental-health/topics/eatsafefish/guides | Story about PFAS in the Detroit River and other water bodies: https://www.bridgedetroit.com/high-levels-of-pfas-great-lakes-fish-detroit/ | Have a question about Detroit? Ask it here: https://wdet.org/curious

On Detroit's westside there's an area known as the Bagley neighborhood. There's also Bagley Elementary and Bagley Street. But who was Bagley? In this epsisode of CuriosiD, WDET's Sascha Raiyn delves into the history behind the Bagley neighborhood and its namesake. | Have a question about Detroit? Submit it at http://wdet.org/curious | Live or work in the Bagley neighborhood, the University District, Martin Park or Fitzgerald? WDET would like to hear from you for a special project we're working on. Please fill out this survey before June 1, 2023: https://wdet.org/live6

For nearly 100 years there was an amusement park on an island in the Detroit River that you could only get to by boat. Two large steamships, the Columbia and the Ste. Claire, ferried people to Boblo Island. The amusement park closed down in 1993 and now one WDET listener wants to know what's on Boblo Island today... and what happened to the boats? To answer these questions, WDET's Laura Herberg travels to Boblo Island and she also tours one of the steamships with the listener. | Link to Boblo Boats documentary: https://www.bobloboatsfilm.com/ Link to Laura's interview with Boblo Boats director Aaron Schillinger: https://wdet.org/2022/10/11/documentary-follows-the-restoration-of-historic-boblo-boat/ | Have your own question about Detroit? Submit it at http://wdet.org/curious | Support programming like CuriosiD by giving a tax-deductible donation to WDET at http://wdet.org/give

Today, Coney Island restaurants are all over Detroit. These establishments sell Detroit's own specialty hot dog, the Coney Dog. A listener wanted to know why there are so many Coney Islands spread across the city. WDET's Quinn Klinefelter sniffs out the answer. As part of his reporting, he talks to Joe Grimm and Katherine Yung, authors of the book "Coney Detroit." Have your own question about Detroit? Submit it at http://wdet.org/curious Support programming like CuriosiD by giving a tax-deductible donation to WDET at http://wdet.org/give

Streams are buried underneath Detroit. A few other cities that had covered streams have dug them up and restored them to a more natural state. One listener asks CuriosiD if 'daylighting,' as it's called, has happened anywhere in Detroit. WDET's Pat Batcheller uncovers the answer. Plus, we talk to Gary Belan of the national nonprofit American Rivers about some successful daylighting projects. | Here's a link to a story from the Detroit Free Press Flashback series that question asker Bill McGraw edits: https://www.freep.com/story/news/local/michigan/2023/01/08/frank-zuzek-voice-of-detroit-river-westcott-company/69775287007/ | Have your own question about Detroit? Submit it at http://wdet.org/curious | Support programming like CuriosiD by giving a tax-deductible donation to WDET at http://wdet.org/give

Pheasants are often spotted darting around the city of Detroit. In this episode of CuriosiD, a listener asks "why?" Reporter Shelby Jouppi takes her out to find one of these large, colorful birds in the urban wild. Then, WDET's Laura Herberg heads into the woods with Nyeema C. Harris, an associate professor in the School of the Environment at Yale University. The pair search for one of the cameras Harris' team has hidden in Detroit parks to capture urban wildlife. || Have your own question about Detroit? Submit it at http://wdet.org/curious || Support programming like CuriosiD by giving a tax-deductible donation to WDET at http://wdet.org/give

Have you ever noticed that it looks like steam is coming out of the sewers in Detroit? Well, it's not actually coming out of sewers, but steam plumes do come out of manhole covers in the streets of Detroit. In this episode of CuriosiD, WDET's Laura Herberg heads 60 feet underground to get to the bottom of where the white vapor is coming from.

Detroit-style pizza has become a bit of a national phenomenon over the last decade. The distinctive square pies have appeared on menus from San Francisco to Washington, D.C. Even Pizza Hut has its own version of the pan pizza. But the style hasn’t always been so popular. In this episode of CuriosiD, WDET’s Claudia Brancart looks into what Detroit-style pizza is and where it came from. | We want to hear from you! For a future episode we're working on, tell us your memories of Boblo Island. Leave a voicemail on the CuriosiD Question Line: (313) 403-5747. Have your own question about Detroit? Submit it at http://wdet.org/curious | This is the link to the Detroit pizza map from DETROITography that Laura mentions in the episode: https://detroitography.com/2020/05/22/map-detroits-pizza-place-geography-2020/

Back in November 2020, after the polls closed, chaos ensued at a convention center in Detroit where poll workers were counting absentee ballots. Republican challengers stormed the center, banging on the windows, demanding that workers "stop the count." In this episode of CuriosiD, WDET's Russ McNamara recounts what happened and answers listeners questions about what's being done to ensure something like that doesn't happen during the upcoming election. We want to hear from you for a future episode we're working on! Tell us who makes the best Detroit-style pizza and why it's so good there. Tweet us at @CuriosiDWDET or leave a voicemail on the CuriosiD Question Line: (313) 403-5747. Have your own question about Detroit? Submit it at http://wdet.org/curious

Inside Detroit there is a little city named Hamtramck. And no -- that's not a typo -- there really is no vowel between the 'm' and the 'ck.' Where did this unique-sounding name come from? WDET's Nargis Rahman looks into the origin of the word Hamtramck.

In the late 1960s, the City of Detroit got its first swimmobile. This pool on wheels was carted around to the neighborhoods for kids to swim in on hot summer days. WDET listener Angela Hart is one of many Detroiters who remembers swimmobiles from her childhood. She asked WDET to find out what happened to them. WDET's Laura Herberg looks into it for this episode of CuriosiD. Have your own question about Detroit? Submit it at http://wdet.org/curious. Now though August 31, 2022 we are specifically seeking questions about Michigan's 2022 General Election. Submit you election questions here: https://wdet.org/2022/08/09/do-you-have-questions-about-michigans-elections/ Stay in the loop! Twitter: @CuriosiDWDET @WDET @HerbergRadio Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/wdetdetroit/ Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WDETFM/ Website: http://wdet.org/curious