History

Murray State is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a centennial exhibit at Wrather West Kentucky Museum on campus.

Brent and Jason recount the story of 19th century Kentucky artist Joel Hart, his marble sculpture Woman Triumphant and how it was destroyed. The History Sponsors are ads for a 1954 Method To Cure Bedwetting and Munsingwear's Horizontal-Fly Knit Briefs, with even more from Producer Appreciation Month. Share comments here or on the Apple Podcasts app, iTunes or NPROne. Old Kentucky Tales is produced by sound engineer Todd Birdsong at Paducah School of Art and Design on the campus of West Kentucky Community and Technical College.

Jason and Brent discuss the backstory of the invention of chewing gum as Dr. Colgan's Taffy Tolu Gum. The History Sponsors are ads for Vacuums For Kids and Hardney and Landhoffer's Ladies Restaurant, with more from Producer Appreciation Month. Share comments here or on the Apple Podcasts app, iTunes or NPROne. Old Kentucky Tales is produced by sound engineer Todd Birdsong at Paducah School of Art and Design on the campus of West Kentucky Community and Technical College.

Theodore Roosevelt Mason Howard isn’t a name that’s included in every history book, but the Murray native was on the frontlines seeking justice and equality during the civil rights movement. The western Kentucky man would play a key role in the aftermath of the lynching of Emmett Till, telling countless people about the corruption and racism rampant in the South at the time.

Carter G. Woodson was a historian, author and journalist, known to many as the “Father of Black History Month.” And Kentucky is a part of his story. Woodson was the

Brent and Jason (plus Todd, again) dive into the illustrious firsthand account of the 1862 Battle of Perryville, Kentucky. Told from the perspective of a common soldier with gruesome-ish details, the recollection has its moments of uncertainty, exhaustion, levity and cooperation. The Fake History Sponsors are ads for Mother's Friend Makes Childbirth Easy and Dr. Vanderveer's Genuine Schiedam Schnapps. And they 'celebrate' Producer Appreciation Month. Share comments here or on the Apple Podcasts app, iTunes or NPROne. Old Kentucky Tales is produced by sound engineer Todd Birdsong at Paducah School of Art and Design on the campus of West Kentucky Community and Technical College.

Bill Dillard was Kentucky's first Black sheriff, elected twice in Christian County before he became caught up in an FBI drug investigation.

Jason and Brent (plus Todd) discuss how people reacted to the Bubonic Plague in the mid-1300s, otherwise known as the Black Death, contrasting that with the 2020 pandemic.

Brent and Jason investigate the 1806 duel between a young Andrew Jackson and accomplished duelist Charles Dickinson. Their complex feud led to a tense, bloody duel just over the border from Tennessee, the details of which are compelling and decisive. They are joined by political consultant Daniel Hurt.

Brent and Jason discuss the the World War II story of wives and mothers working in a munitions factory in Kentucky and how that pivotal role they played for the war effort would change how many Americans saw work opportunities they never imagined.