MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds

The University and Snelling intersection has seen many changes over time. Once home to Dakota people and wildlife, European settlers took over in the mid-1800s. Streetcars came first, then cars and buses became popular in the 1950s. Interstate 94 brought more businesses to the area. In recent years, a light rail was added along with a soccer stadium, apartments, a playground, and a loon sculpture. This busy corner shows how St. Paul has changed from its early days to the present. Image: The Southwest corner of University and Snelling Avenues in Saint Paul in 1932. [credit: MN Historical Society]

The Strutwear Knitting Factory strike was the longest and least violent of the three major labor strikes that happened in Minneapolis from 1934 to 1925. Minneapolis Mayor Thomas Latimer and Minnesota Governor Floyd B. Olson were caught in between pressure from Strutwear and protecting their constituents. In the end, the strike led to a full union victory for the Strutwear workers. Image: Picketing and striking workers outside the Strutwear Knitting Company building, 1935. [Credit: Minnesota Historical Society Collections]

In 1938, William Pelley, leader of Nazi copycat group the Silver Legion of America, or Silver Shirts, made plans to speak in Minneapolis and, allegedly, to have his followers attack a local labor union headquarters. Image: Anti-Nazi meeting in St. Paul in 1938 [credit: Collection of Minnesota Historical Society]

Founded in Minneapolis in 1897, the Daughters of Norway grew into the largest secular organization of Norwegian American women in the country. Image: Members of Thief River Falls Varblomsten, dressed to waitress at a Norwegian event, a. 1890s-1910s. [credit: Haugen Family Collection - MNopedia]

In 1979, Martha Rossini Olson built a homespun recipe for chocolate chip cookies into a Minnesota State Fair juggernaut.

In 1896, Dr. Orianna McDaniel became the first female physician hired by the state of Minnesota to work in its new bacteriology lab. Image: Dr. Orianna McDaniel. State Health Board Service from 1896-1946 [credit: Collection of Minnesota Historical Society]

Founded in 1924, the Phyllis Wheatley House was the first settlement house in Minneapolis to serve the social service needs of African Americans. Image: Exterior view of the Phyllis Wheatley House, 1931. [Image courtesy of: Minnesota Historical Society]

From the 1880s to the 1930s, the Finnish-language newspaper Uusi Kotimaa connected immigrant communities across Minnesota and the United States. Based largely in New York Mills, it served as a cultural lifeline for thousands of Finnish Americans. Image: Front page of Uusi Kotimaa, July 7, 1922. [credit: Minnesota Digital Newspaper Hub]

During World War II, the Japanese military floated thousands of balloon bombs to the United States, its wartime enemy. The casualties were surprisingly few, but two Minnesota children would number among the victims of the campaign. Producer: Britt Aamodt Image description: A World War II-era Japanese balloon bomb Image by: Wikipedia [public domain: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Japanese_fire_balloon_Moffett.jpg]

Indigenous seed-saving traditions in Minnesota are being revived today through community and library programs that preserve ancestral crops and the knowledge behind them. ----- Editor: Britt Aamodt Producer: Faaya Adem Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Photo Credit: Faaya Adem ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media. instagram.com/ampersradio/ Facebook.com/MN90Ampers Never miss a beat. Sign up for our email list to receive news, updates and content releases from AMPERS. ampers.org/about-ampers/staytuned/ This show is made possible by community support. Due to cuts in federal funding, the community radio you love is at risk. Your support is needed now more than ever. Donate now to power the community programs you love: ampers.org/fund

For two days in June 1984, Bruce Springsteen recorded a music video for a new single he was putting out at the St. Paul Civic Center. The video was pretty basic, but it would help make "Dancing in the Dark" the biggest hit of his career. ----- Editor: Britt Aamodt Producer: Britt Aamodt Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood Photo Credit: MN Historical Society ----- For the latest episode drops and updates, follow us on social media. instagram.com/ampersradio/ Facebook.com/MN90Ampers Never miss a beat. Sign up for our email list to receive news, updates and content releases from AMPERS. ampers.org/about-ampers/staytuned/ This show is made possible by community support. Due to cuts in federal funding, the community radio you love is at risk. Your support is needed now more than ever. Donate now to power the community programs you love: ampers.org/fund

Dar Al-Hijrah is the oldest Somali masjid in Minnesota. Founded in 1988 in the Cedar-Riverside neighborhood of Minneapolis, the masjid is a center for the Somali community. ----- Editor: Britt Aamodt Producer: Faaya Adem Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood

From humble prayer meetings in their home, Paul and Mattie Brown helped birth one of Minnesota’s oldest Black churches. Despite setbacks and exclusion, the congregation built St. James AME in Minneapolis – leaving a lasting symbol of faith and freedom. ----- Editor: Britt Aamodt Producer: Amira Warren-Yearby Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood

On a quiet November day in 1951, Betty Klein’s three sons went out to play and never came home. Though the case was closed as a presumed drowning, their bodies were never found—and Minnesota’s oldest cold case remains a haunting mystery. ----- Editor: Britt Aamodt Producer: Amira Warren-Yearby Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood

Oromos began immigrating to Minnesota in large numbers during the 1970s and 1980s, fleeing government violence in Ethiopia. ----- Editor: Britt Aamodt Producer: Faaya Adem Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood

At the heart of the Wadi family were their recipes. Wajdi, the eldest son knew they were special. Hear how a small storefront in northeast Minneapolis became a go-to destination for Middle Eastern food. ----- Producer: Amira Warren-Yearby Editorial support: Britt Aamodt, Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood

Minnesota native Duane Pederson moved to California with dreams of entertainment but instead launched —a radical, Jesus-centered publication that sparked a revival. He helped birth one of the largest religious movements in America. ----- Producer: Amira Warren-Yearby Editorial support: Britt Aamodt & Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood

Inspired by the collaborative art colonies he experienced in Boston, Duluth native Birney Quick returned to Minnesota, where a single summer cohort with his students in Grand Marais sparked the founding of the state’s first art colony. ----- Producer: Amira Warren-Yearby Editorial support: Emily Krumberger & Britt Aamodt Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood

Widely remembered as an illustrious wedding venue, the Aria building in downtown Minneapolis holds a dramatic history that stretches back to 1889, when it first rose as a bustling industrial warehouse with grand architectural ambition. ----- Producer: Amira Warren-Yearby Editorial support: Britt Aamodt & Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood

In June 1977, Jay Berine opened a live music club in what had been a Texas ranch-themed steakhouse. Jay’s Longhorn Bar, with its cow head and wagon wheel decorations, would become the epicenter of the Twin Cities punk and New Wave music scene. ----- Editor: Britt Aamodt Producer: Britt Aamodt Editorial support: Emily Krumberger Mixing & mastering: Chris Harwood