MN90: Minnesota History in 90 Seconds

The Minnesota State Capitol is a must-see building. Allison Herrera tells us all about the men who built it...by hand.

Born on the Iron Range to Finnish immigrant parents, Gus Hall (born Arvo Kustaa Halberg) grew up in a rich brew of socialism and political activism. MN90 Producer Andi McDaniel discovers how Hall’s early life set the stage for him to become the longtime leader of the American Communist Party and a perennial Presidential candidate on the Communist ticket.

To say that Frederick McGhee had a remarkable life would be an understatement. Born into slavery, he became the first African American attorney to practice in MN. He was among the founders of the NAACP. He argued against separate but equal laws in 1910, nearly forty years before Plessy vs. Ferguson. MN90 producer Allison Herrera tells us about his legacy.

When you’re in the middle of it, every blizzard seems like the worst blizzard. But the Armistice Day Blizzard of 1940 really was one of Minnesota’s most lethal storms, primarily because there was so little warning.

The Spanish Flu descended on Minnesota in 1918, at a time when the world had no effective answer to major pandemics. The state's disjointed response had mixed results, but helped future health workers decide how to prepare for infectious outbreaks. Produced for Ampers by Art Hughes.

The invention of the satellite newsgathering truck by lifelong Minnesota broadcaster Stanley S. Hubbard was met with skepticism when he first demonstrated it in 1981. But as MN90 producer Marisa Helms reports, nowadays every T-V station that has a meaningful news operation has a satellite newsgathering truck. No matter where news is happening or when it’s happening, we can all watch it live thanks to Mr. Hubbard.

Carole Lombard was the queen of 1930’s screwball comedies, and she was married to Clark Gable. The two Second Lieutenants from Minnesota never expected to end up on a night flight with her, and, says Britt Aamodt, never expected it to be their last.

In 1940, John F. Kennedy was 23 and sick, which explains his visit to the Mayo Clinic. But he was also a newly published author. Britt Aamodt has the story behind JFK’s radio interview at KROC-AM

In 1872, the Minnesota State Board of Health was created to coordinate sanitation and disease control statewide. And by 1918, the average lifespan for Minnesotans was inching up—until September when Spanish flu arrived. No one had anticipated an outbreak like this so there was no plan in place. Britt Aamodt has the story.