Minnesota History

It was 88 years ago when the U.S. entered World War I, a conflict far more unpopular than the current war in Iraq. Then, as now, officials worried how the country could protect itself at home, and how many civil liberties should be restricted in the interest of national security. The reaction by Minnesota officials was extreme.
The StoryCorps project is in the Twin Cities. People from all walks of life are stopping by a mobile recording studio on Peavey Plaza in Minneapolis to tell their stories, which will eventually end up in the Library of Congress. People talk about all sorts of things, including how the pope affects local liquor laws. Minnesotan Amy Trojanowski told a story about being in the Peace Corps in Poland during the reign of Pope John Paul II.
A 15-room mansion in Hastings, designed by Andrew Jackson Downing, a man considered this country's first well-known writer on the subjects of domestic architecture, gardening, and "genteel living," is opening for tours after standing vacant for 20 years.
George Mikan, professional basketball's first dominant big man who led the Minneapolis Lakers to five NBA championships, has died, family members said Thursday. He was 80.
Twin brothers in Clear Lake, Wisconsin, are known nationwide for their restorations of antique cannons.
For the past nine years, amateur historian Pat Hill has been giving guided tours of Oakland Cemetery in St. Paul, focusing on the approximately 1,500 Civil War veterans who are buried there. Those veterans include six Minnesota governors. Morning Edition host Cathy Wurzer went on a tour with Hill.
Voices of Minnesota takes a tour of the GOP's big tent with three prominent Minnesota Republicans from the party's left wing to its right: Sally Pillsbury, Wheelock Whitney and Bill Cooper.
Organizers of a party on Selby Avenue in St. Paul say they want to celebrate life on the avenue and call attention to the revitalization of Selby. In the past decade, the street has become a safer place to live, and a destination for shoppers and diners.
Next time you're poking through grandma's attic you might keep your eyes open for one of these. A rare American-built clavichord made 244 years ago in Pennsylvania has popped up in the collection of the St. Paul Schubert Club. Curators say the instrument is priceless.
The University of Minnesota, Morris provides free tuition for Native American students. But school officials say they want the federal government to help pay for the program.