Nebraska History Podcast

This year, America is commemorating and celebrating its 250th anniversary. In today’s podcast, we travel back 150 years to America’s 100th anniversary celebration and Nebraska’s impressive appearance in the Centennial Exhibition through the 1976 Nebraska History Magazine article, “ Nebraska in the Centennial Exhibition at Philadelphia, 1876 ,” written by Anne P Diffendal.

Between 1804 and 1806, explorers Lewis and Clark were sent out to determine what the United States had bought with the Louisiana Purchase. In this episode, we’ll follow their story along the Missouri River, where they got their first look at the region’s wildlife, terrain, and their encounter with the indigenous people of this area. Follow their travels through the 2000 Nebraska History Magazine a...

The arrival of television in the Nebraska Panhandle in the 1950s sparked an unexpected showdown between state and local officials, an influential Wyoming broadcaster, and the National Park Service. Today, we learn more about the controversy through the 1996 Nebraska History Magazine Article, " Scotts Bluff National Monument and the Coming of Television to the Nebraska Panhandle ," writte...

Rediscover the remarkable true story of Second Lieutenant Elbert S. Wood, Jr, a young navigator whose final mission over Schweinfurt in 1943 became one of the most devastating air battles of World War II. We retrace his final flight, the crash, and the long journey home through the 1995 Nebraska History Magazine article, “ Or Go Down in Flame: A Navigator’s Death of Schweinfurt, ” written by his b...

Nebraska is the birth state of one U.S. President. In this episode, we revisit the remarkable story of President Gerald Ford, born Leslie King, Jr., in a grand Omaha mansion and shaped by a turbulent family history. We explore how a twist of fate carried him from a wealthy but troubled Omaha legacy to a loving adoptive family through the 1987 Nebraska History Magazine article, " President Ger...

Today, we ride back into the real history of Nebraska’s open‑range cowboys; hard‑working, underpaid young men who helped shape the frontier long before Hollywood myths took hold. In this episode, we explore their lives on horseback, the dangers they faced, and the communities they built through the 2013 Nebraska History Magazine article, “ A Peculiar Set of Men: Nebraska Cowboys of the Open Range...

When travelers on the Oregon, Mormon, and California Trails passed through the panhandle of Nebraska, Chimney Rock was the most documented landmark on the journey. However, two other iconic landmarks helped guide travelers westward, Courthouse and Jail Rock. Today, we explore these two formations and how they captured the imaginations of pioneers through the 1962 Nebraska History Magazine article,...

In the spring of 1890, a group of determined young Black waiters defied the odds, stepped onto a Lincoln ballfield, and briefly reshaped baseball on the Great Plains. Their talent, grit, and improbable rise caught the attention of early historian Solomon White, who later honored them as the first Black professional team in the West and praised their place in the game’s evolution. On this episode,...

In 1928, when aviation was still wild and new, Nebraskan Ethel Tillotson chased her dream of becoming the first woman pilot in the state. Today, we learn about her bold story through the 1982 Nebraska History Magazine article, “ Nebraska’s First Aviatrix: Ethel Ives Tillotson, ” written by Darlene Ritter.

March 1st is statehood day in Nebraska, and in 2026, the state will celebrate 159 years as a state of the union. This bonus episode of the podcast takes a brief look at the history behind the Nebraska state motto through the 2010 Nebraska History Magazine article, “ Equality Before the Law: Thoughts on the Origin of Nebraska’s State Motto ,” written by James E. Potter.

Through the pages of the Omaha Star, Mildred Brown didn’t just report the news, she ignited a movement of boycotts and collective activism that predated the national stage. In this episode, we explore her work with the De Porres Club and their crusade through the 2010 Nebraska History Magazine article, “ Mildred Brown and the De Porres Club: Collective Activism in Omaha, Nebraska’s Near North Side...

The Homestead Act promised free land, but the reality was a complex web of railroad bills, land grants, and legal hurdles. In this episode, we explore the laws and grit that built the Cornhusker state through the 1972 Nebraska History Magazine article, ‘ Homesteading in Nebraska, 1862 through 1872 ,’ written by William H. Beezley.

In July 1862, a noisy, smoke-belching machine known as the ‘Prairie Motor’ rolled into Nebraska City. Though its journey lasted only three miles before a fateful breakdown, its legacy would reshape the trails of the American West. On today’s episode, we discover the story behind this ten-ton vehicle from the 1998 Nebraska History Magazine article, “ Nebraska City’s Steam Wagon, ” written by Willia...

On April 15, 1912, the world watched in shock as the 'unsinkable' Titanic disappeared into the North Atlantic. Most of us know the global headlines, but there’s a much more personal side to the story for Nebraska. Today, we’re diving into lesser-known Nebraska connections to the disaster as written in the 1997 Nebraska History Magazine article, “ Nebraska Connections to a Titanic Disaster,...

Senator George Norris was a man deeply rooted in the rural values of small-town America. As a congressman and senator from Nebraska, he leveraged his perspective to challenge corporate monopolies and became one of the most effective legislators in American history. Today, we explore his beliefs and character in this 1989 Nebraska History Magazine article titled “ George W. Norris: A Reflective Vie...

Grace Abbott was a reformer who fought to end child labor, battled for immigration rights, and helped architect the Social Security Act. In today's episode, we learn more about the Nebraskan who became a champion to many through the 1975 Nebraska History Magazine article, " Grace Abbott of Nebraska, " written by Lela B. Costin.

In the Golden Age of Hollywood, few names shone brighterthan Robert Taylor—the man critics called 'the man with the perfect face.' But long before he became a legend of the silver screen, he was a young man named Spangler Arlington Brugh, growing up in Gage County. In today’s episode, we chronicle his early life through the 1994 Nebraska History Magazine article, “Robert Taylor of Beatrice...

In 1872, Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody, and othersattempted to organize a grand buffalo hunt. The event came with various challenges and was ultimately deemed a failure. Today, we look back at the story and correspondence between the men organizing the event through the 2005 Nebraska History Magazine article, “Wild Bill Hickok, Buffalo Bill Cody, and the Grand Buffalo Hunt at Niagara Falls,”...

Between 1882 and 1894, U.S. soldiers fired lead bullets bythe ton at the Department of the Platte’s target ranges, first located near Fort Omaha and later near Bellevue. In this episode, we learn of their story and how a system of target practice helped produce an “army of marksmen” in this 2016Nebraska History Magazine article, “ Uncle Sam’s Sharpshooters ”, written by James E. Potter.

In the late 1800s to early 1900s, a large number of Czech immigrants found a new home in Nebraska. In this episode, we learn more about the Czech struggle for independence, explore their cultural life, and the persistent challenge of assimilation on the prairie through the 1993 Nebraska History Magazine article, " Czech-Americans: The Love of Liberty ," written by Joseph G. Svoboda.

Hear the captivating history of Lieutenant Zebulon Pike's 1806 journey into what is now Nebraska and Kansas. Sent to solicit the allegiance of the Pawnee, Pike was instructed to persuade them to lower the Spanish flag, leading to a tense standoff as he continued his westward journey. Discover the story that later would give rise to the description of Nebraska's landscape as the "Great...

In 1902, there were only a few automobiles, and they were viewed as luxuries for the wealthy. But year after year, more vehicles hit the road. In this episode, we revisit early 20th-century Omaha and explore how well the automobile was accepted into society and the expectations people had of drivers, as described in the 1980 Nebraska History Magazine article, " The Devil Wagon Comes to Omaha:...

In 1820, Major Stephen H. Long described the Nebraska landscape as the Great American Desert, characterized by wide-open prairies and very little to no tree cover. Years later, efforts to change that landscape took hold thanks to key contributors to Nebraska's history. In this episode, we learn about the early efforts to encourage widespread tree cultivation in Nebraska in this 1972 Nebraska H...

Nebraska’s Memorial Stadium is one of the nation’s iconic college football venues. Its construction almost didn’t happen due to the severe economic challenges of the time. In this episode, we find out how a tribute to the state’s World War I veterans became a reality through the 1998 Nebraska History Magazine article, “ Give Till it Hurts: Financing Memorial Stadium, ” written by Michelle Fagan.

In 1897, numerous reports of an unusual phenomenon in the sky described what some thought to be a UFO. A ship with multiple lights, sometimes said to have wings, was spotted at night, beginning in Nebraska and spreading across the United States. What was it? This episode searches for the answer through the 1979 Nebraska History Magazine article, “This Mysterious Light Called an Airship,” by Roger...