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Cool Things Podcasts - 2008

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MUSE Award Winner (Honorable Mention) for 2008,
American Association of Museums Media and Technology Committee

Civil War slouch hatThe Slouch Play Audio
Dec. 31, 2008

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Rod Blagojevich
Running time 00:29:20

Earhart Christmas cardAmelia Earhart Christmas Cards Play Audio
Dec. 17, 2008

Between setting flight records and circumnavigating the globe, Kansas aviator Amelia Earhart found time to send out these Christmas cards.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Axl Rose
Running time 00:30:26

Golf match ticketGolfing Buddies Play Audio
Dec. 3, 2008

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!
Six Degrees: W.A. White to the Mayflower
Running time 00:30:18

Pipe tomahawkSmoked Turkey Play Audio
Nov. 19, 2008

Our Thanksgiving episode focuses on a uniquely North American tool. Pipe tomahawks symbolize the blending of two cultures--European and Native American.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Battlestar Galactica
Running time 00:22:00

Oregon Trail tombstoneTravel in the Time of Cholera Play Audio
Nov. 5, 2008

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Sarah Palin
Running time 00:22:20

Halloween invitationA Very Merry Neewollah Play Audio
Oct. 22, 2008

Neewollah is Halloween spelled backward. Hear how one Kansas community launched a Neewollah festival to keep kids off the streets on Halloween night.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to the Oakland Raiders
Running time 00:27:20

Barbed wireBarbed Wire Play Audio
Oct. 8, 2008

It has separated neighbors, marked boundaries, and divided nations. But first it fenced in cattle.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Niagara Falls
Running time 00:33:16

Barong from BorneoAdventure Play Audio
Sept. 24, 2008

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to the lithium ion battery
Running time 00:29:40

Centron movie cameraCentron Play Audio
Sept. 10, 2008

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."
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Austin Powers
Running time 00:28:18

Frigidaire stoveSpace Age Stove Play Audio
August 27, 2008

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Michael Phelps
Running time 00:20:02

Section from gallowsLincoln Log Play Audio
August 13, 2008

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Batman
Running time 00:29:12

Early Monopoly gameMonopolize Play Audio
July 30, 2008

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to the Gateway Arch
Running time 00:25:36

Bean pot used by owner of Connies Mexico CafeConnie's Café Play Audio
July 16, 2008

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to the De Beers diamond trading company
Running time 00:27:06

Boyds Girls Cadets quilt in flag designBoyd's Girls Play Audio
July 2, 2008

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to the Sands Casino
Running time 00:22:44

Regimental flag from 2nd Kansas, Civil WarFlagged Play Audio
June 18, 2008

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!
Six Degrees: W.A. White to the TV sitcom Three's Company
Running time 00:33:16

Modern ledger artModern Ledger Art Play Audio
June 4, 2008

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to the rock band Weezer
Running time 00:22:38

Flint Hills firestickFirestick Play Audio
May 21, 2008

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to the atom bomb
Running time 00:25:00

Plow from Plains, KansasPlowed Play Audio
May 7, 2008

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Dalai Lama
Running time 00:27:10

FFA jacket worn by Wes JacksonBlue Jacket Play Audio
Apr. 23, 2008

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to James Bond
Running time 00:24:00

Clock that survived floodClocked Play Audio
Apr. 9, 2008

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Bon Jovi
Running time 00:30:58

Sign from I-70 snow gateSnow Gate Play Audio
Mar. 26, 2008

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to NCAA Men's Division I Basketball Tournament
Running time 00:27:22

Tornado-damaged stop signCyclone Stop Sign Play Audio
Mar. 12, 2008

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Nikola Tesla
Running time 00:23:04

Bookcase built by American Indian pupilsA Civilized Bookcase Play Audio
Feb. 27, 2008

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?
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Harry Houdini
Running time 00:27:54

Topeka mayoral chairSeat of Government Play Audio
Feb. 13, 2008

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.
Six Degrees / Election 2008: W.A. White to Mike Gravel
Running time 00:28:10

Kansas constitutionQuadruple Constitutions Play Audio
Jan. 30, 2008

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.
Six Degrees / Election 2008: W.A. White to Mitt Romney
Running time 00:27:46

Influenza quarantine signFunston's Flu Play Audio
Jan. 16, 2008

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.
Six Degrees / Election 2008: W.A. White to Dennis Kucinich
Running time 00:30:53

Bellport saddleSaddle Up! Play Audio
Jan. 2, 2008

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.
Six Degrees / Election 2008: W.A. White to Rudy Giuliani
Running time 00:26:11

 

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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.

Entry: Cool Things Podcasts - 2008

Author: Kansas Historical Society

Author information: The Kansas Historical Society is a state agency charged with actively safeguarding and sharing the state's history.

Date Created: June 2014

Date Modified: July 2021

The author of this article is solely responsible for its content.