Jump to Navigation

Cool Things Podcasts - 2009

Get an insider's perspective on interesting objects selected by curators at the Kansas Museum of History.

Sugar sack dollSugar Sack Doll Play Audio
Dec. 30, 2009

Lots of museums have dolls in their collections, but how many have a peasant doll holding a hoe and smoking a cigar? Get the scoop on this unusual figure, clad in a dress made from a sugar sack.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Dick Clark
Running time 00:17:05

Hello Santy cartoonAll I Want For Christmas Play Audio
Dec. 16, 2009

Our collections include many holiday-themed artifacts. This one is an early cartoon of Santa Claus, drawn by a Kansas artist. What did Santy look like around 1900? A bit different from today's version, as you might imagine.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Irving Berlin
Running time 00:23:38

Rungless ladderThe Rungless Ladder Play Audio
Dec. 2, 2009

It's hard to imagine a ladder without rungs, and yet that was the vision of one Kansas inventor. How does a rungless ladder even work? You'll have to listen to find out.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Ray Walston
Running time 00:14:57

Welcome Hunters bannerA Hunting We Will Go Play Audio
Nov. 18, 2009

Hunting is big business in rural Kansas, where hunters visit with guns, ammo, and fat wallets. This banner greeted sportsmen in the western Kansas town of Hays just before the opening of pheasant season.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Julia Child
Running time 00:20:41

Veterinarian Corps jacketVet's Uniform Play Audio
Nov. 4, 2009

Even well into the 20th century, the U.S. Army relied heavily on horses and mules to move equipment. Surprisingly, though, veterinarians are a fairly recent addition to our military. In this podcast, you'll hear about a World War I veteran's uniform worn by a veterinarian.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Abner Doubleday
Running time 00:21:15

Sennrich cameraSay Cheese! Play Audio
Oct. 21, 2009

A century ago, photography was much more difficult than point-and-shoot. Hear about the challenges faced by a pioneering woman photographer, Alice Gardiner Sennrich, who documented her town--Valley Falls, Kansas--through the lens of a massive camera.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Bram Stoker
Running time 00:18:33

KnorkIs That a Knork in Your Pocket? Play Audio
Oct. 7, 2009

It's a knife . . . it's a fork . . . it's a Knork! Hear about the genius of one Kansas inventor who combined the best qualities of the knife and the fork into a single clever utensil. The Knork is taking the food-service industry by storm.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Leif Ericson
Running time 00:18:15

Gun from James Gang shootoutShoot to Kill Play Audio
Sept. 23, 2009

The notorious Jesse James gang terrorized much of the Midwest in the years after the Civil War. A Kansan used this rifle to bring down one of the gang members in 1875.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Michael Vick
Running time 00:16:15

Desk from The Mary Tyler Moore ShowDesk Set Play Audio
Sept. 9, 2009

The Mary Tyler Moore Show was one of the most successful programs in television history. The museum owns the desk used by the character Lou Grant, Mary's gruff but lovable boss.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Labor Day
Running time 00:27:09

World War I nurse uniformNo Man's Land Play Audio
Aug. 26, 2009

The United States didn't immediately send soldiers to fight in World War I, but that didn't stop Americans from volunteering. In this episode we hear the story behind a nurse's uniform worn by Ethelyn Myers, whose career took her from small-town Kansas to the battlefields of Europe.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Walter Cronkite
Running time 00:18:09

Walking stickYou've Got a Friend in Me Play Audio
Aug. 12, 2009

A deep friendship took root between two men in the wilds of Kansas Territory. Their bond spanned the differences of culture and race, and lasted a lifetime. This walking stick endures as a symbol of their regard for each other.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to George Armstrong Custer
Running time 00:16:55

Dockum anniversary march bannerCivil Rights Banner Play Audio
July 29, 2009

The Dockum Drug Store sit-in was an important civil rights event that occurred in Wichita in 1958. Fifty years later, this banner was proudly displayed at a march recognizing an overlooked episode in Kansas history.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Winnie the Pooh
Running time 00:17:27

Playbill from night of Lincoln assassinationBlood on the Program Play Audio
July 15, 2009

T. D. Bancroft saved this playbill fragment stained with Abraham Lincoln's blood from from the night the president was assassinated at Ford's Theatre.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Shirley Manson
Running time 00:12:46

Hmong storyclothEmbroidering History Play Audio
July 1, 2009

Storytelling is a way of life for the Hmong people, an Asian ethnic group that suffered during the Vietnam War. Kansas has become home to a surprising number of Hmong. This story cloth depicts their journey from farming villages to refugee camps.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Independence Hall
Running time 00:19:29

Worrall sketchbookRecord of Skies Play Audio
June 17, 2009

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to the Belmont Stakes
Running time 00:14:45

Ninth Kansas Cavalry guidonFlag Waving Play Audio
June 3, 2009

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Cleopatra, Queen of the Nile
Running time 00:26:20

Umbrella from Lincoln's post-inaugural tourBlack Umbrella Play Audio
May 20, 2009

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to the Brett Favre and the Green Bay Packers
Running time 00:25:44

Geta sandalsLong, Hard Journey Play Audio
May 6, 2009

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to the Bonnie and Clyde
Running time 00:24:52

Hazlett revolverHarpers Ferry Revolver Play Audio
Apr. 22, 2009

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to the Jolly Green Giant
Running time 00:26:52

Dryden potteryVolcanic Pottery Play Audio
Apr. 8, 2009

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Henry Aaron
Running time 00:26:02

Keelboat steering oarShip Without a Rudder Play Audio
Mar. 25, 2009

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to the Birdman of Alcatraz
Running time 00:26:46

Stained glass window from 1904 world fairWindow to the World Play Audio
Mar. 11, 2009

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Lizzie Borden
Running time 00:24:46

Civil Defense telephoneThe Red Telephone Play Audio
Feb. 25, 2009

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Frederick Douglass
Running time 00:29:16

Failed bank noteDirty Money Play Audio
Feb. 11, 2009

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.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to the St. Valentine's Day Massacre
Running time 00:30:44

Sofa sat on by Harriet Beecher StoweCouch Potato Play Audio
Jan. 28, 2009

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!
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Jefferson Davis
Running time 00:33:16

Ball gown worn to Lincoln inaugural ballDancing With the Stars Play Audio
Jan. 14, 2009

Margaret Usher dazzled other dancers at Abraham Lincoln's 1865 inaugural ball with this militaristic yet still feminine ball gown.
Six Degrees: W.A. White to Bernard Madoff
Running time 00:33:16

 

Check out our award winning Cool Things podcasts from other years.

 

Subscribe to This Podcast

Subscribe directly using popular podcatcher or RSS reader software:

Google Reader or Homepage Add to My Yahoo! Subscribe with Bloglines

Or copy and paste the following URL into your preferred podcatching tool:

   /audiotours/coolthings/index.xml

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 - 2009

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.