Garrison Keillor's Podcast

On this day in 1776, the Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence, though the document was approved and signed two days earlier.

It’s the birthday of Franz Kafka (1883), described by a lover as being “always cheerful. He liked to play; he was a born playmate, always ready for some fun."

It’s the birthday of civil rights activist, lawyer, and Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall (1908), known especially for his ruling in Brown vs. Board of Education.

On this day in 1979, Sony introduced the Walkman portable cassette player. It weighed 14 ounces and had two headphone jacks so you could listen with a friend.

On this day 83 years ago, Margaret Mitchell's novel “Gone With the Wind” was published. Three years later, it was made into a movie that became the highest-grossing film of all time.

It was on this day in 1956 that President Eisenhower signed the Federal Highway Act, which established the Interstate Highway System. It cost more than $100 billion, about three times the initial budget.

It was on this date in 1928 that a 26-year-old Louis Armstrong and his band, the Hot Five, recorded "West End Blues." One night, an audience was so enraptured by the song that they carried Armstrong off the stage.

It’s the birthday of Helen Keller (1880), an activist who helped found the American Civil Liberties Union. She was also a socialist who supported Communist Russia, which prompted the FBI to open a file on her.

On this day in 1974, the first Universal Product Code was scanned at a supermarket cash register. The first scan was made at a Marsh’s Supermarket in Troy, Ohio, which had agreed to serve as a test facility for the new technology.

It’s the birthday of Eric Carle (1929), author and illustrator of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar,” which has sold almost 50 million copies and which is purchased somewhere in the world every 30 seconds.