For a new generation of kids, a favorite toy might be an app on a computer tablet. But for the children of the 1950s, 60s and 70s, the toys they remember were more physical objects – metal, wood and plastic instead of electrons on a screen. Now those classic toys are part of a new exhibit opening in May at the MN Historical Society in St Paul. It’s called Toys of the 50s, 60s and 70s. Here to tell us about it is senior exhibit developer Kate Roberts.
Have you ever had a perfectly good appliance that you can no longer use because a part has worn out? In the not too distant future, you may be able to manufacture the part yourself, at home, with a 3D printer. Kirsten Mischalke from Northland’s Center for Outreach and Innovation stopped by Pioneer 90.1 to talk about a May 5th event that will showcase the new technology.
Northwest Minnesota is home to a number of businesses that have grown from a garage or a kitchen table to become companies that employ hundreds of people and sell products around the world. A lot of entrepreneurs in our area look to successful companies like Arctic Cat, Central Boiler, Digi-Key, Marvin Windows and Doors, and Polaris as examples to learn from as they grow their own businesses.
IDEA – a competition to help small businesses thrive – is celebrating its sixth year. Michelle Landsverk of Landsverk and Associates in Fosston joined Pioneer 90.1’s Mark Johnson to talk about it.
In the mid-70’s a new kind of pop music came on the scene that was pretty divisive. Whether you loved or hated it, 40 years ago, the first disco songs were making a splash on the dance floor, on radio, and in even in the movies with “Saturday Night Fever.” Disco made near-instant stars of many of its performers, but in many cases their fame was fleeting. Author James Arena has written a new book called “First Legends of Disco,” that features interviews with 40 disco stars looking back on their careers.
New on Pioneer 90.1 Weekends: BackStory is a public radio program bringing historical perspective to the events happening around us today. Every Saturday at noon, U.S. historians Ed Ayers, Peter Onuf, and Brian Balogh tear a topic from the headlines and plumb its historical depths. Over the course of the hour, they are joined by fellow historians, people in the news, and callers interested in exploring the roots of what’s going on today.
Together, they drill down to colonial times and earlier, revealing the connections (and disconnections) between past and present. With its passionate, intelligent, and irreverent approach, BackStory is fun and essential weekend listening.