Tracing The Path

We connect the dots between the people, products, events and ideas of America's 20th Century. Inspired by storytellers like Paul Harvey, Charles Kuralt, and Andy Rooney.

The Signs of War and Peace 04/22/2022

The Signs of War and Peace Is PEACE just a political campaign? How did the Peace sign come to be? In today's episode learn the stance Russia has had on peace. Meet Marie Curie, Pablo Picasso, the Lighthouse of Alexandria, the situation with Ukraine's Crimean Coast, the Manhattan Project and hear the words of Russian Premiere Yuri Andropov and 11 year old Samantha Smith. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/22873745

Suffragists Bomb The President for Votes 03/19/2022

Suffragists Bomb The President for Votes Yes, it's true, and they bombed other things as well. The suffragists weren't kidding when in their campaign to gain the right to vote. Today's story involves L. Frank Baum, Edith Wilson, the Statue of Liberty, Wilbur Wright, Oberlin College, Ruth Law, Matilda Jocelyn Gage, the State of Tennessee, and William Boeing. Sit back and enjoy as we celebrate the 19th Amendment. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/22501913

187 Years Behind Martin Luther King's Dream 02/17/2022

187 Years Behind Martin Luther King's Dream W.E.B. Dubois, Abraham Lincoln, A. Philip Randolph, Langston Hughes, Mahalia Jackson, Thomas Dorsey, Harry Belafonte, John D. Rockefeller, and so many others have been fighting for the Dream since 1776. When Martin Luther King gave his speech in Washington, he made sure their voices were heard. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/22174079

Will Winnie the Pooh Ever Be Free? 01/21/2022

Will Winnie the Pooh Ever Be Free? United States Copyright laws have changed from the beginning, making public domain dates a moving target. This is the story of how Disney built its empire using the public domain as a tool. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/21844052

The Mad McCann Who Authored The 20th Century 12/20/2021

The Mad McCann Who Authored The 20th Century Much of what you know from the 20th Century can be traced back to McCann Erickson. Everything that seemingly unites those of us with a common 20th Century History can be linked to them . . . even the toppling of a government. If you've seen Mad Men, you've heard them mentioned. But what you didn't learn was the truth about their role and impact on your life. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/21787505

A Charlie Brown Christmas Podcast 11/17/2021

A Charlie Brown Christmas Podcast Thinking of watching A Charlie Brown Christmas this year? What would be better than a full understanding of how it came to be, starting way back in the 1400s. Learn about Charles Schulz, Lee Mendelson, Bill Melendez, Vince Guaraldi, Hans Christian Andersen, Felix Mendelssohn, Saul Zaentz, NASA, Coca-Cola and more. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/21191327

Who Were The Celebrities In The World's Greatest Con 10/21/2021

Who Were The Celebrities In The World's Greatest Con Would you ever think Thomas Edison, George Easton, Ian Fleming and Bill Blass all took part in deception? In the World's Greatest Con? It's the story of James Bond, Inflatable Tanks, Celluloid Film and a WW2 Ghost Army. Sit back and be amazed at this story of America's most respected names. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/20898095

How the Cholera Outbreak Created Pizza (and Al Capone) 09/21/2021

How the Cholera Outbreak Created Pizza (and Al Capone) The history of pizza is more than its Naples Origin. You'll be amazed how Mario Puzo, Queen Margherita, Pinocchio, Yogi Berra, Al Capone, The Supreme Court and Sophia Loren all play a part. Today we look at the interconnected history of the world's greatest food (and maybe the Mob). /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/20552366

How the Post Office Grew America? 08/23/2021

How the Post Office Grew America? Could the post office be the single largest cause of America's expansion to Westward? When you look at it through Maslow's lens, it just may be. Sears, Greeting Cards, Charles Lindbergh, Benjamin Franklin, King William III, the California Gold Rush, the Boston Tea Party . . . and Addressing the Unaddressed in Calcutta. Let's talk about the 7 most important words in the U.S. Constitution. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/20224079

How the Supreme Court and the Pink Panther Created Disney+ 07/21/2021

How the Supreme Court and the Pink Panther Created Disney+ People like Walt Disney, Walter Murisch, Blake Edwards, Friz Freleng and Henry Mancini paved the way for Independent Film Makers today. . . but they had help with the Paramount Decrees of 1948. Now that those are over, has the window closed? /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/19877291

The Science Fiction Novel that Started JFK's Space Race 06/20/2021

The Science Fiction Novel that Started JFK's Space Race HG Wells motivated authors, inventors, scientists, politicians and the every day man. Specifically Orson Welles, Leo Szilard, Robert Goddard and George Lucas were inspired by Wells to change the world. And from his words we put astronauts on the moon, created NASA and now rovers on Mars. Get ready to hear the story of how one man shaped science. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/19649453

Officially, The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon 05/19/2021

Officially, The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon The Six Degrees of Separation Game originated in 1909 with a Novel Prize winners speech. From there it has grown in reach and truth. What if we connect the most amazing things that could never truly have something in common. We do and it's amazing! /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/19174445

After his dad kicked him out, he created (or stole) M&Ms 04/20/2021

After his dad kicked him out, he created (or stole) M&Ms Which 2 wars played a role in the history of M&M Chocolate Candy? And the Nutcracker? How did the Mars Bar, 3 Musketeers, Milky Way and Cadbury Easter Eggs come to be? And learn how 2 wars combined to make the most popular candy in the world. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/18802559

How Negro League Baseball Solved the Cuban Missile Crisis 03/19/2021

How Negro League Baseball Solved the Cuban Missile Crisis Baseball created strong ties between the U.S. and Cuba, specifically the negro leagues and the Cuban league. For both countries baseball had become the national past time . . . until Fidel Castro stepped in. Today we look at the how baseball impacted the Cuban Missile Crisis along with some of the major traditions surrounding it. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/18395681

How a Tennessee Student Overturned the Scopes Trial Verdict 02/21/2021

How a Tennessee Student Overturned the Scopes Trial Verdict Let's unravel the mysteries of the Trial of the Century where Clarence Darrow and William Jennings Bryan put evolution on trial. What was the long term significance? How did it end? And who got the final justice? /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/18030365

Believe it or Not, A Cartoonist Saved our National Anthem 01/19/2021

Believe it or Not, A Cartoonist Saved our National Anthem In today's story we explore the interconnected stories of Anacreon the Greek Poet, Francis Scott Key, Robert Ripley, John Philip Sousa and 7 US Presidents. The Star Spangled Banner isn't just about a flag or the Battle of Fort McHenry. It involves slaves, Charles Schulz, Jack London, Oliver Wendell Holmes, and even Barry Goldwater. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/17611259

Pt. 5 The Complete Canon of Santa Claus 12/05/2020

Pt. 5 The Complete Canon of Santa Claus A lot happens in Santa's story since the 1950s. Not only does the NORAD Santa Tracker take hold, but a human baby makes it to Santa's Village and Santa finally puts the pieces together as to what role he plays in the world. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/17452523

Pt. 4 The Complete Canon of Santa Claus 12/04/2020

Pt. 4 The Complete Canon of Santa Claus Kris Kringle was Santa Claus for most of the 20th Century. He's the one most of us grew up under. During his time as Santa, he lived through the Spanish Flu, WWI, the Great Depression, WWII, the Beatles and more. In today's episode we discuss the role of Santa over the last 120 years. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/17262482

Pt. 3 The Complete Canon of Santa Claus 12/03/2020

Pt. 3 The Complete Canon of Santa Claus Today's we explore the time that Christmas was banned in parts of the world and what Santa was doing to raise spirit, the invention of the candy cane and Santa's new idea - a train to bring kids to the North Pole. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/17132720

Pt. 2 The Complete Canon of Santa Claus 12/02/2020

Pt. 2 The Complete Canon of Santa Claus The middle centuries of Santa Claus's life are where derive most of our traditions and overall Christmas culture. It's also the time that St. Nicholas Day and the birth of Jesus Christ begin to converge. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/17027441

Pt 1. The Complete Canon of Santa Claus 12/01/2020

Pt 1. The Complete Canon of Santa Claus This is the official "Canon" of Santa Claus. The story of St. Nicholas begins in 343 a.d. but it includes all the stories, songs, movies and books that have been produced since then. We decided to put them in their historical order and made sure we explained all our Christmas traditions along the way. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/16963355

How the Transistor and Pirate Radio Created Rock n Roll 10/22/2020

How the Transistor and Pirate Radio Created Rock n Roll Rock N Roll wouldn't exist like it does without these three guys. Because while Chuck Berry and Elvis were ushering in a new age of music. They had a little help from a major invention. We go "Back to the Future" to find out how rock n roll came to be. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/16510736

ABCs of the Most Famous Song in the World 08/25/2020

ABCs of the Most Famous Song in the World The most famous tune in the world has been around for 700 years as part of classical, folk, children's and pop music. It's been played by Mozart, Louis Armstrong, the Simpsons, and Lewis Carroll. In the 1800 it changed the American lexicon, and in the 1960s it became a pop song that was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/15742856

Rand McNally's Route 66 Started With Camels 07/20/2020

Rand McNally's Route 66 Started With Camels Did you know Route 66 started in 1857, with Camels? Learn about the history of Route 66 intersects with the Indy 500, Charles Lindbergh, The Lincoln Highway, Rand McNally, L. Frank Baum, Dwight Eisenhower, Edward Fitzgerald Beale and more. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/12945842

The WIzard of Oz's 30 Year Miracle 06/18/2020

The WIzard of Oz's 30 Year Miracle How did Frank Lloyd Wright, Susan B. Anthony, the Great Chicago Fire, L. Frank Baum and Judy Garland help create the 39 year Wizard of Oz Tradition? /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/12738503

The John Williams Legacy You Knew Nothing About 05/19/2020

The John Williams Legacy You Knew Nothing About Did you know that the Williams family has its hands on Orson Wells, Gilligan's Island, Back to the Future, the Looney Tunes, the Simpsons, Saved By the Bell, the Olympics, Jaws, Star Wars and Tears for Fears? No other family has reached so far. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/11227310

How Curious George Escaped Nazi Germany 04/17/2020

How Curious George Escaped Nazi Germany If you're going to the traveling exhibit of the Journey That Saved Curious George: The True Wartime Escape of Margret and H.A. Rey, this is a great companion podcast. Listen in as we connect the dots between Hans and Margret Rey, Chris Van Allsburg, H.G. Wells, Harry the Dirty Dog and Will Ferrel and more. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/11092544

The Surprising Life Story of Paul Harvey 03/19/2020

The Surprising Life Story of Paul Harvey What path did Paul Harvey take to become the most influential man of the 20th century? Let me just say that it involves Charles Lindbergh, Pearl Harbor, Joseph Kennedy . . . and you'll have to listen to get the rest of the story. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/10868739

The Hostess Twinkie Shelf Life Miracle 02/19/2020

The Hostess Twinkie Shelf Life Miracle There's a Twinkie in Maine that's 30 years old. But the story of Twinkie has far outlasted that. How did a brand outlast it's owners and defy all odds to become a success? /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/10867517

How The Oregon Trail Game Made Apple Computers Famous 08/06/2019

How The Oregon Trail Game Made Apple Computers Famous Minneapolis's tech community was far ahead of everyone else. And their state government's progressive attitude paved the way for great changes. /episode/index/show/tracingthepath/id/10867457

Tracing The Path

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