Topics

People & Places

• Revisiting Zebulon Pike's expedition to Minnesota
  This winter marks the 200th anniversary of explorer Zebulon Pike's expedition to Minnesota. Some historians say Pike deserves more respect for that effort. But Pike is also a controversial figure in the eyes of Native Americans.December 29, 2005
• Pet care questions answered
  There are few bonds stronger than those between people and their pets. But it can also be a challenge to make sure our pets are in good health and in good spirits.December 29, 2005
• Local food touted as healthy alternative
  Some people in northern Minnesota are making sure they know where their food comes from. They're eating only the food they can find that's grown within 250 miles of where they live.December 27, 2005
• Favorites of 2005
  We run into fascinating people with stories to tell every day at MPR. But some are more memorable than others. From light-hearted to deadly serious, these stories have been submitted by our reporters and hosts as their favorite work of the year.December 27, 2005
• Extreme Makeover: Santa Claus Edition
  Santa's red suit and stocking cap are so yesterday. These days you can find Mr. Claus sporting everything from hunting vests and Speedos to do-rags and yarmulkes.December 23, 2005
• Did Charles Dickens invent Christmas?
  On a recent visit to the Twin Cities, the author Salman Rushdie joked that Charles Dickens was the man who invented including Christmas. Historians give Dickens credit for popularizing the holiday after it was suppressed by the Puritans.December 23, 2005
• A holiday mixer
  Family and this time of the year don't always mix as well as they might. Professor William Doherty at the University of Minnesota appeared Friday on MPR's All Things Considered broadcast to talk about why.December 23, 2005
• How did Christmas get to be this way?
  Like many traditions, Christmas has a feel of timelessness. But Bruce Forbes, who is writing a book on the holiday's history, says Christmas has changed dramatically over the years. It didn't even exist until the fourth century, when Christians adopted a pagan solstice festival. It was suppressed by the Puritans, and shaped by forces as diverse as Charles Dickens and Coca Cola.December 23, 2005
• "The Loop" looks behind those holiday sentiments
  MPR's experimental new show "The Loop" seeks out the sentiments of the holiday season in some unusual places, including dumpsters, a third grade classroom, and a barn in Romania.December 22, 2005
• President Lincoln's political genius
  Historian Doris Kearns Goodwin is out with a new presidential biography, this time on Abraham Lincoln. In "Team of Rivals: The Political Genius of Abraham Lincoln," Goodwin argues that one of the keys to Lincoln's success was his ability to incorporate his political adversaries into his administration.December 21, 2005
• Las Vegas: An Unconventional History
  Once a remote desert outpost, the city of Las Vegas is now 100 years old and it's the fastest growing metropolitan area in the United States. It also ranks near the top of American cities in rates of alcoholism, drug addiction, personal bankruptcy, teen pregnancy and suicide. "Las Vegas: An Unconventional History," tells the story of Sin City.December 16, 2005
• Eugene McCarthy, who galvanized a generation of war opponents, dies
  Former Democratic Sen. Eugene McCarthy, one of Minnesota's and the country's most influential political figures of the last century, has died. He was 89. McCarthy's opposition to the Vietnam War became his platform for an unsuccessful 1968 bid to win his party's presidential nomination. He lost to fellow Democrat and Minnesotan Hubert Humphrey, but the effort influenced American politics for years.December 10, 2005
• Water-soaked colors
  One of Minnesota's best-known watercolor artists has just published a book for children. It's called "Noel," and it's a free-flowing poem by Tony Johnston about the sights and sounds of an old-fashioned Christmas. The softly colored paintings are by Duluth-based painter Cheng-Khee Chee.December 9, 2005
• "Bootlegs" CD a kick for First Avenue fans
  First Avenue in Minneapolis has long been viewed as the epicenter of the Twin Cities music scene and a nationally known music destination. To celebrate its 35th anniversary the nightclub has released a compilation of bootleg recordings.December 6, 2005
• Defining great leadership
  Steven Hayward says the late President Ronald Reagan will go down in history as a great leader on the order of Winston Churchill.December 6, 2005

• Previous
• 525
• 526
• 527
• 528
• 529
• 530
• 531
• 532
• 533
• 534
• Next