Forever Ago

Synthesizers are revolutionary instruments. These electronic devices use knobs, buttons and sliders to make different sounds — and you can hear them in all sorts of music, from pop to hip-hop. But that wasn’t always the case. Join Joy and co-host Lilike as they explore the history of the synthesizer and learn one album transformed it from an experimental instrument to an essential hitmaker. We’ll...

Libraries are popular with everyone, but they're especially beloved by kids and their families. They’re places where you can listen to stories, check out books, play with toys -- all for free! What's not to love? But, it wasn't so long ago that kids weren't welcome at all. In this episode, Joy and her cohost Lillike meet a very special wooden doll named Nicholas Knickerbocker, who helps tell the s...

Climate change can feel like an overwhelming problem, so it’s important to shine a light on environmental success stories. One such tale? How the world came together to save the ozone!  Join Joy and co-host Asa as they whisk listeners from the birth of ozone-depleting chemicals, to the scientific discovery that these chemicals were destroying our atmosphere, to the stunning act of international co...

Babies who are born too early often get extra care in the hospital at the NICU, or Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. But the NICU didn’t always exist – and it took doctors a long time to figure out how to care for these babies.  Join Joy, co-host Betty and their pal Ruby Guthrie to hear how one person saved thousands of premature babies by putting them on display at an amusement park in New York City....

Today, athletes like Simone Biles and  Katie Ledecky are Olympic rockstars. But did you know that when the Olympics started, women weren’t even allowed to compete? And when they did join the games, female athletes struggled to get the same recognition as men. Join Joy, co-host Elysse and couch coach “Dubs” as they explore the surprising and triumphant history of how female athletes became Olympic...

In this episode, we examine the real history behind one of the most celebrated holidays: Thanksgiving. It’s a pretty big deal in the U.S., with all the food and big gatherings and special traditions. But why do we celebrate Thanksgiving like we do? Join Joy and co-host Asa as they explore the history of Thanksgiving. Did the Pilgrims and Native Americans actually sit down for dinner together? Why...

Superman isn’t just any old superhero -- he was the very first costumed superhero! He paved the way for Spiderman, Wonder Woman, Batman and all the other caped, masked and spandexed superheroes. In this episode, join Joy, her cohost Aaliyah, and special guest Molly Bloom to hear how his origin story was written by two teens from Cleveland in the 1930s, inspired by their experiences as children of...

Are you ready to explore the before?  Forever Ago is a history podcast for the whole family, and it's coming back on November 8th, 2023!  Joy Dolo and her cohosts have all kinds of fascinating stories for you. Tune in to learn all kinds of new stuff, play games like First Things First and hear from listeners like you! New episodes drop Wednesday starting November 8th. See omnystudio.com/listener f...

Do you know the birthday song? We bet you do! People all over the world sing a version of “Happy Birthday to You.” It’s even been played in OUTER SPACE! Way less well-known, though, is the story behind the song, and the sisters who wrote it! Listen in to hear Elysse tell Joy the story, so she can get inspiration for her own quest to write a solar-system famous song.  Plus, an all new birthday them...

Electric cars may seem like the latest technology, but they were actually first invented in the late 1880s! So what happened to the electric car? And why aren’t all cars electric today? Buckle your seatbelts and get ready for the ride of a lifetime as Joy and cohost Lilike learn about how the electric car came to be and what the future might hold. Plus, an all new First Things First featuring seat...

Uh oh, Joy has a big problem: too many fun things to do every weekend and not enough time to do them all. In this episode, she and cohost Asa are on a mission to make the weekend longer! But where did the weekend come from? And why is it two days, instead of one or five? Turns out, it all started when factories began opening up in the 1800s. Tag along with Joy and Asa as they learn how workers pus...

Head down to the ranch with Joy and co-host Aaliyah as they share the stories of three incredible Black cowboys. These cowboys tamed wild horses, arrested bandits and became legends in their own time! The stories of Black people in the Wild West have often been erased from history books, but some people are trying to change that. Plus, a new game of First Things First featuring mechanical bulls, c...

This week, Joy and co-host Lilike are at a Pride celebration! These celebrations have taken place since 1969, but the rainbow flag is a more recent invention! Tag along to check out all the amazing parade floats, learn about the queer community’s fight for civil rights, and discover how the Pride flag was first created! Plus, a new game of First Things First featuring some of our favorite emojis!...

You know Joy Dolo as your favorite ever host of Forever Ago, but she's also a debater on our sister podcast Smash Boom Best. And we're really excited to let you know that on Sunday, July 23rd she'll be performing in Smash Boom Best LIVE at the Parkway Theater in Minneapolis. She'll be duking it out with actor and comedian Brant Miller in not one, but TWO smash boom smackdowns of epic proportions –...

Hey, Smarty Pal, want more Forever Ago? Check out this sneak peek of Joy playing a brand new game she just invented that bears no resemblance to any other game. Listen as Joy pulls intriguing, silly, stupendous, sounds from her pocket and see if you can guess when the sounds came from and what made them! See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Joy and co-host Asa learn about the year without a summer, and how it led to some amazing inventions! 1816 was a very strange year. In many parts of the world warm summer weather never came, and crops froze.  Scientists now know these were the effects of a volcanic eruption, but back then, people had no idea what was happening. Still, this tragedy kicked off a lot of innovation, from new works of...

Beep boop ZAP! Did you know that the microwave oven was invented by accident? From space-age luxury item to everyday appliance, microwaves have come a long way in the 76 years they’ve been around. Join Joy and cohost Aaliyah for the history of the gadget that made it possible for us to heat our breakfast burritos or mac and cheese bowls in mere seconds. Plus, your hosts bust some microwave myths a...

We’re so excited to be back for season THREE of Forever Ago! Join Joy, Elysse, and some talking playground equipment as they spring through time to explore playgrounds of the past, present and future. You’ll hear how playgrounds started popping up thanks to the industrial revolution. You’ll visit 1960’s London to hang out with the godmother of Adventure Play, and meet a group of students working t...

Season 3 of Forever Ago is starting soon! Forever Ago is a history podcast for the whole family, where we explore the before! This season, we’ve got all kinds of surprising stories for you. Tune in to learn some awesome facts, and play games like First Things First, and hear from listeners like you! New episodes drop Wednesday starting May 17th. But if you just can’t wait, you can check out a bonu...

Hey Forever Friends! A quick note: our new season starts on May 17th, and we can’t wait to share it with you! Until then, we’re excited to share this episode of Million Bazillion. It’s a show our pals ask and answer all kinds of questions around money. Check it out and enjoy!  In this episode, listeners Henry and Nathanial wanted to know why workers don’t get paid the same. Million Bazillion co-ho...

Hi! It’s Joy Dolo here. Forever Ago will be back in your feed with new episodes in May! But to tide you over until then, I wanted to share this episode with you that I made with my friends at Brains On. You’ll get to meet some incredible scientists, play the mystery sound game and listen to me contemplate whether tacos are sandwiches! It’s so much fun. Thanks, Friends! Enjoy the show! It's just a...

Tag along with Joy, Amira and a magical bobblehead with the gift of gab on a road-trip while they explore the history of cornrow hair braiding! We’ll hear how cornrow braids made the leap from ancient tradition to the halls of Congress – and get acquainted with Madam C.J. Walker, the first Black female self-made millionaire who made her fortune with hair and flair!  Plus, a special appearance from...

Get ready for an out-of-this-world episode! Joy and co-host Elsa are trapped in a black hole with a baby elephant and a mountain of old junk!  They’ll explore the history of a super secret astronaut testing program for women called the “Fellow Lady Astronaut Trainees.” This group of bold, highly-trained pilots spent years making a case for why women are just as qualified to become astronauts as me...

They say the pen is mightier than the sword, but how did it get that way? Join Joy and co-host Buddy as they head to the U-PEN college reunion (a whole university for pens!) and meet pen pals from throughout history, made of everything from feathers to steel. And on First Things First, we’re putting these stupendous school supplies in order: Crayola crayons, whiteboards, and rubber erasers! See om...

There’s stuff from ancient Egypt in museums all over the world, from jewelry and statues to mummified bodies. But it turns out a lot of that stuff was stolen. Joy and co-host Hania learn how Europeans took control of so many important artifacts from ancient Egypt. Plus, they teach a video game character about the disturbing history of unwrapping parties, where Victorian people in the 1800s would u...