It all began with a lumber yard in Indianola, Iowa. Of course, today you don’t know this company for its lumber. You instead know it for the ingenuity that came from learning to sell that product…..
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The longest nonstop commercial flight in the world is currently a Singapore Airlines route from Newark to Singapore. It’s in the air over 18 hours and covers over 10,000 miles. That’s nothing compared to this flight that took off from Meridian, Mississippi in 1935. The flight was measured in days, but you could say, the flight never went anywhere…..
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For the past few days we,ve been in Greenfield, Iowa, home to the Iowa Aviation Museum. You probably never realized how many aviation firsts are tied to Iowa, including a car company that decided to try its hand at making airplanes. Its unique vision is preserved here…..
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Chalres Lindburgh was the first person to fly an airplane across the Atlantic Ocean. But lost in our history books in the name of a man who would most likely have beaten Lindburgh to the prize, if not for a court case that kept his plane from taking off from the very same airport……
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Today, aircraft carriers and the planes they transport play a vital role in country’s military might. However, have you ever given any thought to the first brave soul that attempted to take off and land a plane aboard a boat? It takes a courageous or perhaps very crazy individual to try it…..
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In some parts of the Midwest, you can buy a brand new car for the same price as one acre of farmland. That’s land that’s growing corn and soybeans, not land being developed next to a city. With so much riding on those acres it made for a unique harvest for this framer……
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It was Christmas 1945. German POWs at Camp Algona in Algona, Iowa would be returning to Europe the next year. This was the final Christmas they would spend with many of the Americans they had built friendships with during their time here…..
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At first glance, it might appear to be an odd request. A U.S. commander asked a group of German POWs to construct a nativity scene in Algona, Iowa…..
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When people began attending funerals here, many had the exact same reaction. They mentioned that when they passed, they wanted a funeral just like that. What resulted is a business with deep ties to the mission they men serve…..
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These men had about 3500 acres of farmland, pasture and timber. However, tilling the land they owned was becoming more difficult as they grew older. What they did next not only pays the bills, it has become a well-known enterprise…..
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Who helped supply the Union army’s depot in Galena, Illinois during the Civil War? The monks at this abbey, of course. Their work is why you’ll find many of the beautiful buildings that still stand on the hills just outside of Dubuque…..
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Holly Berg finds a steady stream of people that stop by her office to have their picture taken in overalls holding a pitchfork. There’s a good reason for that…..
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If an artist painted a picture of his sister and his dentist, you’d probably doubt it would be anything special. Think again. It became the second most recognized portrait in the world and it all began in this small Iowa town…..
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Over time, corn yields have steadily risen. Sure, there are dips in production due to drought and disease, but over time, farmers produce far more than they did even a couple of decades ago. However, there is one corn record that stood for 65 years. What is that feat that went unmatched?
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If your restaurant sat in an alley underneath a parking garage, you would not have a prime location to attract customers. But if you’re a listener on KBIZ in Ottumwa, Iowa, you know it’s the perfect place to attract a crowd almost every day of the year…..
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It’s one of the world’s most popular varieties of fruit and we have it because one farmer couldn’t get a nasty spout to go away. It’s a story that will take us to two state fairs before a delicious taste is discovered…..
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Some consider this president to be the cause of the Great Depression. It was probably more a matter of being President at the wrong time in history, but soon you’ll learn the full story about the only president to hail from the Hawkeye State…..
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Today we say hello to our listeners on KWBG in Boone, IA. Folks there should stay alert! There’s a 90 year old man south of Boone riding a 1944 Indian motorcycle–and he’s been known to haul five people at once…..
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Chicago's Union Stockyards circa 1944
Harold Barrett has been farming and feeding cattle as long as he can remember–and that’s about 90 years so far. So how has the operation changed in those nine decades? For starters, he doesn’t have to take the train to sell the cattle anymore…..
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Some people put a lot of time into carving a jack-o-lantern. But if you want to use one of Don Young’s pumpkins, you might need a chainsaw and a lot of time…..
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