Talking Hoosier History

Follow us through five scenes from the 165 year history of the Indiana State Fair. The curtain rises on the first fair in 1852, when farmers gathered to learn about the latest innovations and compete for prizes such as "best pair men's cowhide shoes." In scene two, we enter the sideshow tent and examine the Victorian moral controversy behind treating people with physical differences like objects. In scene three, we'll rush the stage to see The Beatles in 1964, during their only appearance in the Hoosier State. In scene four, we'll drool over Jessop's Butterscotch Corn and wonder at the young woman who built the business from the back of a wagon. And in scene five we'll walk through Hook's Drug Store Museum and learn about how this temporary exhibit became one of the most popular permanent features of the Indiana State Fair.

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The Ku Klux Klan came to Indiana in 1920. Within four years it had infiltrated Indiana politics to the highest levels. But they did not go unchallenged. The Indianapolis Times crusaded against the KKK at every step and contributed to their downfall. Learn about the rise and fall of the Indiana Klan and its nefarious leader, the convicted murder D.C. Stephenson in this episode of Talking Hoosier History.

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Kenneth Rexroth's poetry, literary criticism, and political activism inspired a generation and solidified his place in the American literary canon. And while much has been written about his years in San Francisco laying the groundwork for a literary renaissance in that city that grew into the larger Beat movement, little has been written about his time in Indiana, Illinois, and Ohio – a period when the budding poet rubbed elbows with anarchists, burlesque dancers, criminals, and the artistic and literary elite of the Midwest and the world.

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In a career spanning half a century, the radical Hoosier politician George Washington Julian worked to end slavery in the United States. Working through various political parties, he maintained his abolitionist views in the face of adversity and helped push the Lincoln administration toward the 13th Amendment. Learn more about Julian in Episode Three of the Indiana Historical Bureau's podcast, Talking Hoosier History.

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During her prestigious career, Hoosier physicist Melba Phillips developed a key quantum theory with J. Robert Oppenheimer, worked for peace in the new atomic age following WWII, and was persecuted as an alleged communist during the McCarthy Era. Learn more about her story in Episode Two of the Indiana Historical Bureau's official podcast, Talking Hoosier History. This episode features music from the award-winning musician Moby!

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In 1948, African American Hoosier Bill Garrett made his varsity debut at Indiana University, directly challenging the Big Ten ban on black players. Learn more about his story in the first episode of the Indiana Historical Bureau's official podcast, Talking Hoosier History.

Read the show notes here.