Tracing The Path: The Connected 20th Century

Episode 79: The Conversation: Yeltsin's Grocery Revolution

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Sat, 02 May 2026 03:28:05 +0000

In today's episode we discussion the evolution of grocery stores, as discussed in Episode 78. Life in Romania, automatic sliding doors, Walgreens lighting, Rachel's dads inventions and the plight of A&P.

Episode 78: Yeltsin's Grocery Revolution

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Thu, 30 Apr 2026 05:30:26 +0000

When Boris Yeltsin came to the United States in 1989 to speak, visit with the President and see the Statue of Liberty, his entire outlook on the world changed in one :20 minute moment. But it wasn't NYC or Miami or President Bush. It was Randall's Grocery Store in Webster Texas. This is the story of the history of that moment.

In this episode we cross paths with Marjorie Merriwether Post, IBM, Spectra-Physics, Wrigley's Gum, James J. Hill, Clarence Saudners, Williams Leslie Maxson, Boris Yeltsin and Grape Nuts.

Episode 77: The Conversation: World's Best Music

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Wed, 01 Apr 2026 13:08:07 +0000

Are those really the world's most famous tunes? Rachel and I discuss the "easter eggs" of the show, whether they are songs and more ludicrousness. Foreigner, Twinkle Twinkle, Happy Birthday . . . what do you think?

Episode 76: The World's Most Famous Music

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Sun, 29 Mar 2026 16:55:33 +0000

Can you believe the world's most famous music is 3,000 years old? Not necessarily from the first note written, but from the idea that created it. In this episode we cross paths with Thomas Edison, Stanley Kubrick, Walt Disney, The Lone Ranger, Richard Strauss, Johannes Brahms, Charles Darwin, The Who, Edvard Grieg, Peer Gynt, Freidrich Schiller and Friedrich Nietzche and many more.

Episode 75: The Conversation: The Real Forrest Gump

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Wed, 11 Mar 2026 01:01:49 +0000

We're taking "the cutting room floor" to a new level. Rachel and I go over all the stories we couldn't fit into "The Real Forrest Gump" story. Enjoy this new series and a full conversation, including Josh Norton: The Emperor of the United States.

Episode 74: The Real Life Forrest Gump

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Sun, 01 Mar 2026 04:41:18 +0000

Before there was a movie, there was a man who lived it. We all know the story of the accidental hero who wandered through history, rubbing elbows with presidents and changing the world by mistake. But what if that story wasn't fiction? In this episode, we trace the impossible footsteps of a figure who defined the 19th century.

Follow the journey of a man who:

Survived the rugged Oregon Trail during the height of the expansion.
Navigated the treacherous Mississippi as a high-stakes steamboat captain.
Chased a fortune as a silver and gold miner in the wild West.
Crossed the Atlantic Ocean six times, becoming one of the first true global celebrities.
Revolutionized modern life by inventing and patenting the everyday bra strap clasp.

He wasn't just a witness to history—he was the one writing it. Join us as we peel back the layers of a life so cinematic, it’s hard to believe he was ever real. You might think you know who we’re talking about, but the final destination is a name you’d never expect to find sitting on that bench.

Episode 73: The Gilded Age: First March on Washington D.C.

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Fri, 30 Jan 2026 22:17:37 +0000

In 1894 Jacob Coxey decided to take thousands of unemployed and March on Washington. Well, that was just the prequel to 1964 March for Civil Rights. But it's how A. Philip Randolph was indoctrinated to the idea. And crazily this store involves both Mark Twain and Jack London, in addition to Pullman Porters, the Ferris Wheel, Eugene V Debs, the May Day Riots, Frederick Douglass, and even the Statue of Liberty.

Episode 72: The Invention of Hello

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Sun, 28 Dec 2025 05:52:25 +0000

The word Hello showed up just as the world was changing . . . in the absolute biggest ways ever. Nothing was the same after "Hello". In this episode we cross paths with Michigan J Frog, Tin Pan Alley, the Phonograph, Western Union, Laura Ingalls Wilder, Alexander Graham Bell, Scott Joplin, the telephone operator, Thomas Edison and J. N. Pattison.

Episode 71: The Amana Utopia and Patriot Missile

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Mon, 24 Nov 2025 03:41:56 +0000

Can you imagine a group running on perfect communism, flourishing in the capitalist market and then eventually spawning the Patriot Missile - to fight actual Communists. And it happened twice. In this episode we cross paths with Quaker Oatmeal, microwave popcorn, Vennevar Bush, the Amana Colonies, Oneida Silverware, Bob Hope and Raytheon.

Episode 70: Who Knows The Truth? Does A.I.?

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Fri, 24 Oct 2025 03:57:09 +0000

Somewhere along the way, we lost the truth. The questions we ask about the truth haven't been the same since Orson Welles' War of the World's Broadcast in 1938, but that doesn't mean we haven't stopped trying. In this episode we cross paths with William Moulton Marston, Alice Guy-Blache, Frye Vs The United States, John Houseman, Alan Turing, The Shadow, Wonder Woman, Artificial Intelligence, FDR, IBM and Orson Welles.

Episode 69: Status Symbol for Rent

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Mon, 29 Sep 2025 03:15:52 +0000

In today’s episode we’re discussing three of the history's most amazing "status symbol" stories. The story involves the Silk Road, Sulieman the Magnificent, Tulipomania, Carolus Clusius, Chuck Berry, Christopher Columbus, Henry Ford, James Dole, Madame C.J. Walker, and Mahalia Jackson.

Episode 68: Hello Darkness My New Friend - The Story of The Family Who Created Sonar and Braille

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Fri, 22 Aug 2025 18:25:39 +0000

In this episode we explore Simon & Garfunkel, Louis Braille, Charles Barbier, Valentin Haüy and René-Jus Haüy, Marvel Comics, Popular Science Magazine, Plato and even George Washington. How the world has fought Darkness has been pretty amazing . . . and crazily it's all because of one family

Episode 67: How a Coffee Shop Changed the World: The Origin Story of Lloyds of London

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Mon, 28 Jul 2025 03:54:28 +0000

This is the story of Edward Lloyd and his London Coffee Shop . . . and how they were able to change the world. Amazingly this story touches on the New York Stock Exchange, Bruce Springsteen, George Lucas, Lorenzo de Tonti, the Origin of the Tontine, Robert Louis Stevenson, Lloyds of London and Rosa Parks. Be prepared to be amazed.

Episode 66: The America of Tarzan and Buck vs Bell

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Fri, 27 Jun 2025 18:18:14 +0000

The 1890 closing of the Frontier by the US Census Bureau is a major milestone in the history of the United States. The outcome of that change affected the mindset of the Americans. . . and from that comes some of our most loved fiction. But on the flip side, also the darkest stain on the United States. In this episode we cross paths with Thomas Jefferson, Johnny Weissmuller, Edgar Rice Burroughs, H.G. Wells, Frank Munsey, Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., the Great Chicago Fire, and Davy Crockett

Episode 65: When Osama Bin Laden Wrinkled FDR's Plans: The 100 Year Fight Against Polio

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Tue, 27 May 2025 20:35:10 +0000

This is the story of Franklin Delano Roosevelt, Henrietta Lacks, Jonas Salk, the March of Dimes, the Tuskegee Institute and their collective effort to eradicate polio from the earth. But the story also touches on Booker T. Washington, George Washington Carver, Lewis Adams, the Hampton School, Basil O'Connor, Elvis Presley, Eddie Cantor, Paul Alexander and Osama Bin Laden.

Episode 64: How did Bob Hope's USO become a thing? And who performed?

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Fri, 25 Apr 2025 22:52:12 +0000

In today's episode we look at all the people and plans it took to create the United Service Organization (USO). While there was enormous planning and smart people, it wouldn't be what it is without a trumpet player from Chicago. We cross paths with General Pershing, Glenn Miller, m&ms, Thomas Dewey, Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, and little guy from England named Lesley Townes Hope.

Episode 63: Classified: How the Library Built the FBI and How did J. Edgar Hoover Get Involved?

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Tue, 25 Mar 2025 02:04:59 +0000

It all started in the 1500s with Sir Francis Bacon, and then in the 1700s with Carl Linnaeus. And along the way we run into Thomas Jefferson, President McKinley, Melvil Dewey, Elihu Root, Napoleon Bonaparte, Al Capone, Teddy Roosevelt, the Library of Congress, Ainsworth Rand Spofford and J. Edgar Hoover. All of them to birth the FBI.

Episode 62: The Cheesy Results of WW II: Plus the Story of How Nachos Came to Be

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Wed, 26 Feb 2025 05:10:48 +0000

One of the greatest products of World War II was "cheesy". And it's all Wisconsin's fault. In fact it's possible that without WW2 three of the greatest things in your daily life just wouldn't be there. In today's episode we cross paths with FDR, Ricos Nachos, Jean Nicolet, Cheetos, Fritos, Kraft, and would you believe . . . Care Packages.

Episode 61: Every Episode Has 4

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Tue, 21 Jan 2025 05:36:42 +0000

This is episode 61, the end of the first era and beginning of the second. In fielding your hundreds of ideas for shows, we decided to go over the 4 actual requirement that every story must have before becoming an episode of Tracing The Path. We look at old episodes and how they meet the requirements. We go over some unbelievable stories that haven't quite made it yet and preview what's in the works. Stay tuned.

Episode 60: The Secret World of Roald Dahl (A Real Chocolate Spy)

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Wed, 18 Dec 2024 02:09:56 +0000

The fact that our most beloved children's author was a spy for the British isn't the twist. The twist comes when his greatest enemy becomes an important advisor. Along the way we run into Ian Fleming, FDR, Cadbury, Quaker Oats, Winston Churchill, Ernest Hemingway, Beatrix Potter, the Sopwith Camel Ace Flyer and C.S. Forrester

Episode 59: The True Story of Candy Canes and How They Became a Christmas Tradition

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Fri, 22 Nov 2024 06:23:50 +0000

Did you know that if it weren't for the Mexicans and the Swedes, our Christmas would look substantially different? Yep, today we trace the world of Peppermint back to Santa Anna, Bob, Amalia Erickson, William Wrigley, the American Chicle Company, the Erie Canal, some French cellophane and maybe even Elvis

Episode 58: The Cultural Impact of Don McLean's "American Pie" (and the part Roberta Flack played)

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Wed, 23 Oct 2024 01:59:45 +0000

The "American Dream" was first coined in 1931. In 1971 two things happened on exactly the same day . . . the world's biggest song was released lamenting the end of the American Dream. And the world's biggest dreamer opened the most amazing American institution. In today's episode we cross paths with Apple Pie, James Truslow Adams, Buddy Holly, Billy McGuigan, Pat Hazell, Don McLean, Roberta Flack, Richard Valenzuela, Johnny Appleseed and Walt Disney among others.

Episode 57: 1848: The Year Halloween Began and How it Started

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Thu, 26 Sep 2024 15:53:41 +0000

Have you ever heard the origin of Halloween? Perhaps you've heard about the Irish holiday Samhain, but there's more. And all of it converges on one year, 1848. In this episode learn about Mary Shelley, Lord Byron, Washington Irving, Edgar Allen Poe, Thomas Paine, Mary Wollstonecraft, the most powerful volcano ever recorded, Yellow Fever, premature burial, Galvanism, John William Polidori and vampires. You're about to hear the true origin of Halloween.

Episode 56: The Amazing Story of Van Diemen's Land and the U.S. Presidential Resolute Desk

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Sat, 24 Aug 2024 05:17:29 +0000

The Resolute Desk was a gift to the President as the movie National Treasure says. But did you know it involved Tasmania, Van Diemen's Land, Explorer John Franklin, Maritime Salvage Laws, Senator Lawrence S Foster, Abel Tasman, Anthony Van Diemen, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, the HMS Resolute, Sweden's 300,000 oak trees, Rutherford B Hayes and Harry Truman.

Episode 55: The Story of Grant Wood's American Gothic and How Crayola Was the Inspiration

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Sun, 28 Jul 2024 05:28:50 +0000

When the Industrial Revolution came to town, it inspired an opposite movement that may have changed the world. It certainly inspired a construction style and a whole bunch more. Today we rub elbow's with Teddy Roosevelt, David Sedaris, Grant Wood, Thomas Hart Benton, Georgia O'Keefe, the Carnegies, Crayola Crayons, Edgar Allen Poe, Chicago Academy of Design and the Veterans Memorial in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

Episode 54: America's Westward Expansion and CBS TV's Rural Purge

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Fri, 21 Jun 2024 22:24:59 +0000

The Louisiana Purchase kicked off Westward Expansion in the United States. Then came the transcontinental railroad, Homesteading and factory towns. Even the Industrial Revolution aided rural communities with new farming technology and access to bigger markets. But one day in 1971, Rural America was cancelled. In today's episode we cross paths with Arthur Nielsen, UNIVAC Computer, General Douglas MacArthur, punch cards, the US Census Bureau, Remington Rand, IBM, CBS, Fred Silverman, Eckert & Mauchly, Herman Hollerith, Andy Griffith, Beverly Hillbillies, Starsky & Hutch and Eisenhower vs Stevenson

Episode 53: Robert Smalls & the Death of Lincoln: A Civil War Story

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Sat, 04 May 2024 06:30:48 +0000

Robert Smalls was the defiant slave who decided freedom was a better choice. That is when his and President Abraham Lincoln's lives would be intertwined, from the Civil War all the way through death. In this episode we discover Lydia Polite, Harriet Buss, Henry Ward Beecher, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Harriet Tubman, the Freedsman Bureau, Parris Island, Andrew Johnson, Joe Louis and the Harlem Globetrotters.

Episode 52: The History of Maritime Law and How The Chinese Spy Balloon Used it

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Thu, 11 Apr 2024 21:39:16 +0000

Did you know the collapsed Francis Scott Key Bridge in Baltimore, the Chinese Spy Balloon and the International Space Station all have one thing in common? A law written in Roman Times. Let us tell you about NASA and Captain Skip Strong, the Stamp Act, H.G. Wells, Edward Bulwer Lytton, the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Antarctica and the 1967 Space Treaty.

Episode 51: The NBA?? Origin of the Bloody Mary & Moscow Mule

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Sun, 10 Mar 2024 05:32:21 +0000

French Lick, Indiana was once the top resort town in the U.S. Famous people like Bing Crosby, Al Capone and Ronald Reagan all went there. But it's known for much more than that and what starts in there, changes the world. This week's episode features Tod Sloan, FDR, West Baden Springs Hotel, Sun Rayed Tomato Juice, Smirnoff Vodka, Cock & Bull and the Russian Revolution.

Episode 50: How Many Times Has Coca-Cola Changed Their Secret Recipe?

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Mon, 12 Feb 2024 05:54:44 +0000

Everyone knows they changed it in 1985 to New Coke. But how many know of the other four times? And one of those might be considered a public duping. To get the answer today's story covers Thomas Edison, Cocaine, Kola Nut, General Dwight D. Eisenhower, Robert Gozuieta, Fanta, Tab, Diet Rite, Robert Woodruff, Atlanta's Jewish Community, Royal Crown Cola and just maybe the show The Walking Dead.

Episode 49: The 20th Century Trivia Window: Jeopardy & Trivial Pursuit

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Wed, 10 Jan 2024 21:41:56 +0000

The 20th Century presented the perfect moment for the rise is Trivia, and the games that go with it. Maybe that window is beginning to close. In today's episode we explore the Han Dynasty, WW2, Merv Griffin, Charles Van Doren, NBC, College Bowl, Trivial Pursuit, Jeopardy, Alex Trebek, Radio Quiz Bowls, Information Please, the $64K Question, Columbia University and Dr. Joyce Brothers.

Episode 48: The Whole It's A Wonderful Life Movie Story

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Sun, 19 Nov 2023 23:56:17 +0000

Did you know "It's A Wonderful Life" started out as a dream? And then as a Christmas card? How did it beat the odds to become an American classic? The story starts back in 1876 and involves Amadeo Giannini, Philip Van Doren Stern, Frank Capra, Jimmy Stewart, World War II, the Council on Books in Wartime, Jimmy the Raven, Cary Grant, Republic Pictures, Columbia Pictures, The Greatest Gift and the 1906 San Francisco Earth Quake.

Episode 47: Was Dickens the World's First Influencer?

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Mon, 06 Nov 2023 07:09:35 +0000

According to the Oxford English Dictionary, an influencer is someone who made it big online. We disagree. Could there have been an influencer before the internet? Charles Dickens did have millions of fans, he did influence people, companies, governments and society. He was much more than an author and perhaps the world's first influencer.

Episode 46: How East Texas Wildcatters Won World War II

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Sat, 07 Oct 2023 13:31:14 +0000

Winston Churchill said it best "whomever controls the oil will win the war". Luckily, the United States had Wilcatters with true tenacity who would find oil no matter where it hid. In today's episode we explore the Big Inch and Little Big Inch piplines, Columbus Joiner, Spindletop, Cushing Oklahoma, Tom Slick, Texaco, the Rule of Capture, origin of kerosene, street lights, German U-Boats, H.L. Hunt, Lamar Hunt, the Superbowl and the NFL.

Episode 45: How the Chinese Exclusion Act Created Bing Cherries and General Tso Chicken

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Fri, 04 Aug 2023 19:58:51 +0000

The Chinese Exclusion Act is one of our most undiscussed tragedies. Despite the bad, Chinese immigrants pushed through to help shapes these United States. Today's episode crosses paths with Bruce Lee, Teddy Roosevelt, Chester A. Arthur, Franklin Delano Roosevelt, the Bing Cherry, the Valencia Orange, the Citizenship Clause and Equal Protection Clauses of the 14th Amendment, Oldsmobile, the TaiPing Revolution, the Gold Rush, the Transcontinental Railroad, Wong Kim Ark, Grover Cleveland, the NY Sun and the Statue of Liberty.

Episode 44: The Complex History of Popcorn in the 20th Century Culture

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Mon, 03 Jul 2023 05:35:27 +0000

To get a button on the microwave for popcorn, it first had to touch the hands of Winston Churchill, Cracker Jacks, the 1893 World's Fair, Major League Baseball, a #1 hit song, Superman, Betty Boop, Raytheon, McCann Erickson, and popcorn balls at the North Pole. Sit back and hear a tale you've not heard before.

Episode 43: Celebrity Edition: The Rest of the Story

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Tue, 06 Jun 2023 20:56:26 +0000

Today we honor Paul Harvey's "The Rest of the Story" with this unbelievable tale. You'll never guess who it is about, but along the way the story touches Martin Luther King, Jr, Mbutu Sese Seko, Pearl Harbor, Goucher College, Rudolf Hess, Erwin Rommel, Apollo 13, the Israeli Air Force, Isaroku Yamamoto, and the Ebola Epidemic. All connected with one amazing revelation.

Episode 42: The Murder That Created the Oxford English Dictionary

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Wed, 03 May 2023 04:20:05 +0000

The path to creating the world's most important dictionary involved J.R.R. Tolkien, the constructed language of Esperanto, the Oxford English Dictionary, a murderer in an insane asylum, Alice in Wonderland and the Civil War in the United States. Today's story also featured Alfred Lord Tennyson, Bialystok Poland, L.L. Zamenhoff, W.C. Minor, James Murray, Winston Churchill, Jonathan Swift, and St. Elizabeth's Hospital.

Episode 41: Halley's Comet and the Scientist who Hijacked a NASA Satellite

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Mon, 03 Apr 2023 17:36:23 +0000

Did you know a scientist once hijacked a satellite from NASA? And got a medal for it? Comets have been part of our world since the beginning, no matter what science fiction films tell you. Today we visit Einstein, Atilla the Hun, Isaac Newton, Robert Farquhar, Edmund Halley, NASA, Jimmy Carter, Jules Verne, Galileo, Mark Twain and a painter in Italy.

Episode 40: The Evolution of Email and the Enron Corpus

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Fri, 03 Mar 2023 04:00:32 +0000

The history of email is over 300 years in the making . . . and every step is fascinating, especially the Enron Corpus. Without the story of the typewriter, Emilie Baudot, Alan Turing, Donald Murray, and the U.S. Air Force, there likely wouldn't be email today. This story covers Ray Tomlinson, Western Union, H.G. Wells, Remington, John Pratt, Christopher Sholes, Tom Hanks, and Kenneth Lay.

Episode 39: 484 Year Documentary of Muscle Shoals

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Sat, 04 Feb 2023 06:30:44 +0000

How could the smallest town in the furthest corner become the epicenter of music? Because it has been the silent epicenter of the US from the beginning. In today's episode we cross paths with King Ferdinand, Ponce De Leon, Beethoven, W.C. Handy, Sam Philips, Robert E Lee, Charles Dickens, Helen Keller, Elvis Presley, Aretha Franklin, Henry Ford, Thomas Edison, Mark Twain, Alexander Graham Bell, Woodrow Wilson and even Reynolds Wrap Aluminum Foil.

Episode 38: Who Silenced Alfred Hitchcock?

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Mon, 23 Jan 2023 20:31:10 +0000

Alfred Hitchcock is known as the Master of Suspense and greatest director of the 20th Century. What made him different? Today's episode is the Six Degrees of Hitchcock as we encounter Cary Grant, Salvador Dali, John Steinbeck, Thornton Wilder, Ingrid Bergman, James Stewart, Jerry Mathers, Charles Gounod and J. M. Barrie.

Episode 37: The Cropduster, The Military Plot & Lindbergh's 322 Bones

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Sat, 22 Oct 2022 06:19:49 +0000

Charles Lindbergh is the connecting rod between Delta Air Lines and Pan Am. But how they came to be involves a military plot, some crop dusters, the Skull & Bones society, the Lusitania, a name change and a boll weevil. It's an amazing story when you hear it all together.

Episode 36: When 26 Million Teens Waited for The Beatles

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Wed, 21 Sep 2022 21:39:52 +0000

While many think The Beatles took the world by storm, in reality the world was patiently waiting for them. In this episode we explore Brylcreem, Marlon Brando, the Queen of England, Brian Epstein, Elvis Presley, World War II, JFK, Martin Guitars, the Ed Sullivan Show, the British class system, Liverpool England, Disney, Davy Jones, Hamburg Germany, John, Paul, George and Ringo.

Episode 34: Rolex and the Hands that Changed the World

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Tue, 23 Aug 2022 19:49:44 +0000

Did you know that a town in Norway wanted to abolish time? They decided to get rid of all the clocks because "shouldn't people eat when they are hungry and sleep when they are tired?" You'll be amazed at how we got here in the first place. Today we connect Rolex, Galileo, Christiaan Huygens, The Golden Spike, Benedictine Monks, the US Naval Observatory, John Harrison and the Boer War.

Episode 35: The Fairy Tale of Sixto Rodriquez

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Wed, 20 Jul 2022 02:51:12 +0000

Have you heard of Sixto Rodriguez? At one time he was more popular than the Rolling Stones and the Beatles. The Story of Sixto Rodriguez doesn't start in 1971, it starts with Ghandi and apartheid. In today's episode we look at Paul Simon, Harry Belafonte, The Beatles, Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Bob Dylan, the United Nations, Coca-Cola, Ghandi, The Sugarman Sixto Rodriquez and even Rosa Parks.

Episode 33: Finish What You Started

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Sat, 25 Jun 2022 01:04:10 +0000

In today's episode we look at how it all started. George Lucas, Thor Heyerdahl, Warren Buffet, James Marshall, Roger Cook, Mt. St. Helens, John Houseman, Elmendorf Air Force Base, Michael Jackson, and Wynton Marsalis all come together for one purpose. Grab the Star Wars Radio Drama here: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/kkl2tsaf7tskc2m/AABr6AFIukEYAq7kZitrQERHa?dl=0

Episode 32: How the Creation of Blue Dye Became the Signature of the 20th Century

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Fri, 20 May 2022 19:52:45 +0000

The creation of blue has dyed jeans and caused immeasurable grief. Blue is not an easy color to come by in nature. The path to making blue jeans; therefore is an interesting one. In today's episode we reach Levi Strauss, John Hershel, Charles Darwin, the American Revolution, Eli Whitney, the California Gold Rush and ultimately the company whose experiments with Prussian Blue led to murder.

Episode 31: Did Russia Start the Peace Movement?

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Fri, 22 Apr 2022 20:40:21 +0000

Was Russia the first to make Peace 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 himself and 11 year old Samantha Smith.

Episode 30: The Wright Brothers, The Suffragists and the U.S. President

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Fri, 18 Mar 2022 21:20:16 +0000

There was a time when a plan was hatched to bomb Woodrow Wilson, but not the way you'd ever think. 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 29: 187 Years Behind Martin Luther King's Dream

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Sun, 20 Feb 2022 19:57:30 +0000

Where did the words in the "I have a dream" speech come from? W.E.B. Dubois, Abraham Lincoln, A. Philip Randolph, Langston Hughes, Mahalia Jackson, Thomas Dorsey, Harry Belafonte, Prathia Hall Wynn, 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 28: Will Winnie the Pooh Ever Find Freedom?

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Fri, 21 Jan 2022 01:13:55 +0000

How did Winnie The Pooh change United States Copyright law? Since the beginning they changed considerably - and maybe rightly so. This is the story of how Disney built its empire using the public domain as a tool. Disney, A.A. Milne, Mickey Mouse, Jimmy Stewart, and the U.S. Congress.

Episode 27: The History and Impact of McCann Erickson

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Mon, 20 Dec 2021 05:56:11 +0000

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 26: A Charlie Brown Christmas Podcast (The Trivia)

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Wed, 17 Nov 2021 05:59:08 +0000

Thinking of watching A Charlie Brown Christmas this year? Or creating a Charlie Brown Christmas Trivia Game? 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 25: Ian Fleming and the Fake Armies of World War II

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Fri, 22 Oct 2021 04:20:56 +0000

Would you ever think Thomas Edison, George Easton, Ian Fleming and Bill Blass all took part in deception? In the World's Greatest Con? The Ghost Army. 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 24: How the Cholera Epidemic Jump Started the History of Pizza

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Wed, 22 Sep 2021 00:48:58 +0000

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 23: Did the Post Office Grow America?

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Mon, 23 Aug 2021 07:25:42 +0000

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 22: How the Supreme Court Created Disney+ and HBOMax

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Wed, 21 Jul 2021 08:59:25 +0000

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 21: How H.G. Wells Started Science Fiction and the Space Race

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Sun, 20 Jun 2021 23:00:00 +0000

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 20: Connecting The Six Degrees of Kevin Bacon

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Wed, 19 May 2021 23:00:00 +0000

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 19: Was the Idea for m&ms Stolen or Inspired?

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Tue, 20 Apr 2021 23:00:00 +0000

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 18: How Negro League Baseball Solved the Cuban Missile Crisis

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Sat, 20 Mar 2021 03:09:37 +0000

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 17: How a Tennessee Student Overturned the Scopes Trial Verdict

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Mon, 22 Feb 2021 04:06:57 +0000

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 16: Believe it or Not! A Cartoonist Saved our National Anthem

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Wed, 20 Jan 2021 03:42:08 +0000

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 9: How the Transistor and Pirate Radio Created Rock n Roll

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Fri, 23 Oct 2020 03:23:47 +0000

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 8: ABCs of the Most Famous Song in the World

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Tue, 25 Aug 2020 10:12:33 +0000

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 7: Why Rand McNally's Route 66 Started With Camels

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Mon, 20 Jul 2020 23:00:00 +0000

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 6: The Wizard of Oz's 30 Year Miracle

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Thu, 18 Jun 2020 23:00:00 +0000

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 5: The John Williams Legacy You Knew Nothing About

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Tue, 19 May 2020 23:00:00 +0000

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 4: How Curious George Escaped Nazi Germany

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Fri, 17 Apr 2020 23:00:00 +0000

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 3: The Surprising Life Story of Paul Harvey (Radio)

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Thu, 19 Mar 2020 23:00:00 +0000

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 2: How the Hostess Twinkie Survived Death (Twice)

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Thu, 20 Feb 2020 01:00:00 +0000

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 1: How The Oregon Trail Game Made Apple Computers Famous

Dan R. Morris - 20th Century Historian — Tue, 06 Aug 2019 23:00:00 +0000

Minneapolis's tech community was far ahead of everyone else. And their state government's progressive attitude paved the way for great changes. 1,500 miles away Steve Jobs was building a computer company, but he knew something was missing, and the answer fell in his lap. Learn how Apple went from selling 300 computers, to millions because of a game.