A People's History of Kansas City

About

The podcast about the everyday heroes, renegades and visionaries who shaped Kansas City and the region. If these stories aren't told, they're in danger of fading into the past. Made by Suzanne Hogan, Mackenzie Martin and KCUR Studios.

Carving Kansas City out from limestone
Bluffs up to 120 feet tall once hugged the Missouri River by Kansas City —…
How women made the U.S. a soccer powerhouse
With the Current’s trailblazing stadium, women’s soccer staked its claim as a…
Reclaiming the right to jaywalk
Kansas City, Missouri, became the first major city in the country to repeal its…
When jaywalking became a crime
Kansas City was not only the birthplace of the term “jaywalking,” it also…
Leila’s Hair Museum lives on
Since 1956, Leila Cohoon had amassed the world’s largest collection of hair art…
Lamar Hunt and the dream of U.S. soccer
As the United States prepares for the 2026 World Cup, it's hard to remember…
Are tornado urban legends like the ‘Tonganoxie Split’ real?
For decades, urban legends have held that tornadoes seem to “split” around…
This mural defies fascists
Artist Luis Quintanilla fled Spain to escape fascism and civil war, but most of…
A mystery in Marion: Who was behind the newspaper raid?
On a Friday morning in rural Kansas, the publisher of a tiny local newspaper…
PHKC Live! Test your Missouri history knowledge with us
A People’s History of Kansas City is hitting the streets near you for several…
Bob Dole, the ADA, and the power of collective activism
Signed 35 years ago this month, the Americans with Disabilities Act was the…
The immigrants who made us a soccer city
Kansas City is preparing to welcome soccer fans from all around the world for…
A publishing house for lesbians, by lesbians
As the gay rights movement began picking up steam in the 1970s, Barbara Grier…
Can Kansas City repair what Highway 71 destroyed?
Bruce R. Watkins Drive is an iconic, 10-mile stretch of U.S. Highway 71 that…
Rebuilding Kansas City's relationship with its public schools
Kansas City is asking voters to buy into its public school system for the first…
Why Kansas City’s football team became the Chiefs
As Kansas City celebrates the Chiefs’ third consecutive Super Bowl appearance,…
How popcorn and movie theaters met
Popcorn and movie theaters are inseparable today. But a century ago, cinemas…
Searching for Nora Holt’s stolen music
Nora Holt was the first Black person in the United States to earn a master’s…
Want a hit song? Give Dana Suesse 12 minutes
Kansas City composer Dana Suesse was behind some of the most popular American…
How a Kansas City 'shoot-out' created the modern GOP
In 1976, Kansas City, Missouri, was the unlikely host of a drama-filled…

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Episodes