Here's History

About Here's History

St. Louis Regional history comes alive in this joint production by KDHX and the Missouri Historical Society. Stories of our past are connected with the present in these well researched and entertaining short presentations about the people, places, and events that have shaped who we are and who we are becoming.

Publisher

MHS

Category

history · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

3 Dec 2021

Latest episode

15 Jan 2024

Latest episodes

90 episodes in the feed.

1. 

   15 Jan 2024

   Virginia Irwin

   During World War 2, opportunities for female reporters were scare, to say the least, as was respect for them. One intrepid reporter named Virginia Irwin, however, would not let that stop her. She decided to go after her ultimate story, which took her behind Russian lines, and put her in danger.  She broke a few rules along the way, but ultimately prevailed, and she even earned the respect of the legendary publisher, Joseph Pulitzer.  Just press play to hear the whole story. ----- Click on search links to explore episodes with related content: Katie Moon, Women's History, Military, Journalism, People of Note, ------ Podcast Transcript:  I’m Katie Moon, Exhibits Manager at the Missouri Historical Society, and Here’s History on eighty-eight-one, K-D-H-X. ——— Post-Dispatch staff writer Virginia Irwin dreamed of a bigger life, witnessing significant events, and reporting world news as it happened. By 1943, she was desperate to get a first-hand view of the war in Europe, but the newspaper refused her requests to make her an official correspondent, because she was a woman. Instead, she took a leave of absence to volunteer for the Red Cross in England, where she continued to send articles to the paper, and eventually they began printing them. Her human-interest stories struck a chord with readers and became quite popular. ——— By July of 1944, Virginia had maneuvered her way to France, literally to the front lines of battle, and most definitely to a place where she wasn’t supposed to be. But despite her disregard for rules and regulations, the Post continued to publish her stories, with her editor, Joseph Pulitzer encouraging her to continue. ——— By April of 1945, Virginia had her sights set on the ultimate story—reporting from inside Berlin as the Russians attempted to seize control over the city that had become the center of operations for the Nazis. ——— She was supposed to get official permission from the Army to travel, but instead, she convinced an Army sergeant to drive her and another correspondent to Berlin in the middle of the night. Although they started out with a map, once they made it behind Russian lines, the map was useless,and they guessed at their route. They finally got to the city on April 27th, the first Americans to arrive and witness the battle between the Russians and Germans for control of the city. ——— After 2 days, they returned to base camp, and were promptly suspended for their actions. Because of her suspension, Virginia’s stories weren’t submitted to the Post Dispatch until several days later, and finally published by the Post-Dispatch on May 8, and her risky trip made the front page. ——— Stripped of her credentials, she was sent home, seemingly in disgrace, only to discover upon her return that her reporting was hailed by the both the public and her boss, Joseph Pulitzer. In fact, he was so impressed that he paid her an extra year’s salary. ——— Here’s History is a joint production of K-D-H-X and the Missouri Historical Society. I’m Katie Moon, and this is eighty-eight-one, K-D-H-X, St. Louis.

2. 

   8 Jan 2024

   River Queen

   The River Queen had a storied history even before she arrived in St. Louis in 1964, including having been featured in several movies, most famously in Gone With The Wind. She was built in 1923 and named The Cape Girardeau, and after several name changes over the years, she was brought to St. Louis as a tourist attraction. It was a glowing success, but one that would not last, as under mysterious circumstances, the River Queen would soon find itself on the bottom of the Mississippi. Press play to hear the whole story. ------ Click on search links to explore episodes with related content: Adam Kloppe, Mississippi River, Business, Disaster, Riverboats, Transportation, ------ Podcast Transcript: I’m Adam Kloppe, public historian with the Missouri Historical Society, and Here’s History on eighty-eight one, KDHX. ------ When the steamboat River Queen arrived in St. Louis in June of 1964, her owners, John Groffel and Arthur Krato, had big dreams. Ever since they had first purchased the stern wheel steamer at auction in 1961, they had hoped that the boat would bring them big dollars as a nostalgic tourist attraction. But in just three short years, those dreams would end up at the bottom of the river. ------ But before we get to the sinking, a little history. The River Queen was built in 1923, but when she was constructed she had a different name—the Cape Girardeau, and she operated mostly carrying passengers and freight on the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers. Then, in 1935, she was sold, and got a different name—the Gordon C. Greene and she became a tourist boat—and movie star, appearing in three films, most notably, 1939’s Gone With the Wind. ------ But by 1951, the Gordon C. Greene was sold again, and over the next decade she’d undergo several name changes. In 1961, now going by the name the River Queen, the steamer was sold to John Groffel and Arthur Krato, who had plans to fix her up and turn her into a nostalgia-themed restaurant, museum, and gift shop. At first, they moored the River Queen in Hannibal, hoping to draw tourist crowds. ------ They found early success, but they also knew an even bigger tourist market was just 100 miles downriver. So, in June of 1964, they had the River Queen towed to St. Louis. They moored her near the Eads Bridge, and advertisements called out to tourists by promising that the River Queen would give them a nostalgic taste of nineteenth century steamboat life. Tourists could get lunch or dinner in her 185-seat dining room, and her kitchen offered everything from shrimp to catfish to steak. ------- For the next few years, everything seemed to be going well. The River Queen was bringing in money and the restaurant was well-regarded. But disaster struck in the early morning hours of December 2, 1967. That morning, the restaurant manager noticed the boat listing in the water. Groffel and Krato arrived shortly thereafter and could only watch as the waters rose over the second deck. The River Queen was sunk. To this day, no one knows why. The ship was scrapped, but parts of her steel hull can still be seen on the riverfront when the water is low. Instead of nostalgia for the past, her rusted hull offers us a reminder of how dangerous and powerful the river remains. ------ Here’s History is a joint production of KDHX and the Missouri Historical Society. I’m Adam Kloppe, and this is eighty-eight one, KDHX St. Louis. ------

3. 

   1 Jan 2024

   WC Handy

   If there is one song that is most closely identified with St. Louis, it would be "St. Louis Blues," by WC Handy.  It's been recorded over 1600 times and is, after all, the namesake of a certain hockey team.  Just press play to hear the whole story. ------ Click on search links to explore episodes with related content: Amanda Clark, Music, Black History, Arts, Entertainment, and Culture, People of Note, ------ Podcast Transcript:  I’m Amanda Clark, manager of the See STL Tours program at the Missouri History Museum, and Here’s History, on eighty-eight one, KDHX. —— In the fall of 1892, a young Black musician from Alabama found himself struggling to survive in St. Louis. He spent cold nights beneath the Eads Bridge, sleeping on the cobblestoned levee and spent his days looking for whatever work or food he could find. WC Handy was only in St. Louis for a few months, but the sights and sounds he experienced here would later inspire one of the most famous blues songs of all time, the St. Louis Blues. Describing his time in St. Louis Handy said, ““the nearest thing to ‘a break’ in those days happened when I stood on Eads Bridge, threw my lice-infested shirt in the river, and then received the price of a meal and bed from an observer who thought the shirt-doffing scene was a prelude to jumping.” ——— While living and working along the St. Louis riverfront, Handy, already a professional musician, would bear witness to the musical expressions of African Americans that worked on the steamboats coming and going each day. He described hearing “shabby guitarists picking out a tune called “East St. Louis” - with lots of one-line verses and they would sing it all night.” ——— 21 years later, Handy would draw upon these memories to write what would become one of his masterpieces. The ambitious song combined ragtime syncopation with a melody more closely related to spiritual traditions. He also added in sections with a tango beat – which was pretty taboo for the time. It describes a woman Handy actually met in St. Louis, lamenting her lost love, a man who treated her badly and then left her for a wealthier woman. ——— This song has been recorded over 1600 times and played by musicians and in venues around the world. It was one of the first blues songs to succeed as a pop song and remains a standard for jazz and blues musicians today. ——— Of course, there are many in St. Louis today that say the song’s biggest influence is found in the name of our beloved hockey team, the St. Louis Blues. ——— Here’s history is a joint production of the Missouri History Museum and KDHX. I’m Amanda Clark and this is 88.1 KDHX St. Louis.

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.0 / 5

4 ratings