Curious Minnesota
What do you wonder about the people, places and culture of Minnesota? Listen to our community-driven reporting project, which invites listeners to ask questions that our newsroom researches and answers.
26
What is the oldest tree in Minnesota?
Star Tribune staffers took a winter journey to the Boundary Waters to visit this ancient Minnesota artifact.
21 min
27
Emptying state institutions was supposed to hel...
Like many states, Minnesota shuttered the controversial institutions that once housed mentally ill people.
25 min
28
How did gambling develop into a major industry ...
Minnesotans wanting to gamble have many options these days. But this is a fairly recent phenomenon.
15 min
29
Searching for Snoopy: What happened to all the ...
It was difficult to walk around downtown St. Paul in the early 2000s without running into Snoopy, Linus, Lucy and Charlie Brown.
16 min
30
What Minnesota inventions have shaped modern life?
Creative Minnesotans devised hundreds of products we take for granted.
18 min
31
What roles did Minnesota's Native American chie...
The familiar image of a stoic Native American chief wearing a headdress is in many ways a core American cultural stereotype.
21 min
32
Why does Maplewood have such an odd shape?
Maplewood arguably has the strangest border of any city in the Twin Cities metro area.
17 min
33
How did Northfield become home to St. Olaf and ...
St. Olaf and Carleton colleges have left a big mark on the world.
18 min
34
Did union rules prevent Leonard Bernstein from ...
Sometimes rejection is the beginning of an exciting new path in life.
19 min
35
What does it mean when Minnesota courts sentenc...
It's not uncommon in Minnesota to see a news story about someone being sentenced to the workhouse. But what is a workhouse?
20 min
36
What is Minnesota's deepest lake?
Sometimes, what seems like a simple question unravels into something much more complex and surprising than we expected.
15 min
37
How did Minnesota become the nation's top turke...
Minnesota has been a national leader in turkey production since the 1950s, and No. 1 for the last two decades.
16 min
38
How much flour would it take to turn Lake Super...
Our winning question from the State Fair required some serious mathematics to answer.
11 min
39
Did teenagers 'riot' when the Beatles stayed in...
The Beatles' 1965 concert in Bloomington was a memorable evening for many young fans.
14 min
40
Did a Nazi sympathizer once represent Minnesota...
Ernest Lundeen spent three decades trying to succeed in Minnesota politics.
22 min
41
How did Kid Cann become Minneapolis' most infam...
Isadore Blumenfeld, a.k.a. Kid Cann, is the arguably biggest name in the criminal history of Minneapolis.
22 min
42
Was Moorhead once a drinking destination?
Different laws -- and cultures -- sometimes collide at the borders between states.
17 min
43
Why did Spam become an international sensation?
Nearly 90 years since its invention in Minnesota, Spam's legacy extends far beyond the state.
17 min
44
Why did Prince decide to live in Chanhassen?
Prince was raised in Minneapolis, but settled in Chanhassen as his career blossomed.
20 min
45
State Fair attendees tell us their Minnesota qu...
Vote on your favorite question that we received at the Great Minnesota Get-Together.
7 min
46
Why is Minnesota such a hotbed of professional ...
Minneapolis was a prominent "hub" for the sport before promotions like the WWE made it a worldwide sensation.
17 min
47
Curious Minnesota at the State Fair this Saturday
Saturday, September 2 is Curious Minnesota Day at the Star Tribune's State Fair building!
0 min
48
Why did Minnesota once require margarine to be ...
The introduction of margarine in the United States in the late 1800s was very controversial in butter-producing states like Minnesota.
20 min
49
How did Tonka trucks get their start in Minnesota?
Many people alive today have memories of Tonka trucks, which have been an enduring element of the children's toy market for more than 70 years.
17 min
50
Inside the mines and megamachines of the Iron R...
Minnesota's Iron Range essentially fueled America's success story as the country's largest source of iron ore.
15 min