Cool Things Podcasts - 2009
Get an insider's perspective on interesting objects selected by curators at the Kansas Museum of History.
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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. |
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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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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Margaret Usher dazzled other dancers at Abraham Lincoln's 1865 inaugural ball with this militaristic yet still feminine ball gown.
Check out our award winning Cool Things podcasts from other years. |
Sugar Sack Doll
All I Want For Christmas
The Rungless Ladder
A Hunting We Will Go
Vet's Uniform
Say Cheese!
Shoot to Kill
Desk Set
No Man's Land
Civil Rights Banner
Blood on the Program
Embroidering History
Record of Skies
Flag Waving
Black Umbrella
Long, Hard Journey
Harpers Ferry Revolver
Volcanic Pottery
Ship Without a Rudder
Window to the World
The Red Telephone
Dirty Money
Couch Potato
Dancing With the Stars
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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 - 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.
