PODCAST · society
Back Then with Tracy Briggs
by Forum Communications Co.
Midwest memories of the good old days and a few cool people we’ve met along the way.Find more stories by Tracy Briggs here: https://www.inforum.com/tracy-briggs
Episodes
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Pass the superhero cape, I want to be an archivist
As one local archivist retires, I take a look at just how important historians are to our community. See more from Tracy Briggs on our website: https://www.inforum.com/tracy-briggs
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This Valentine's Day, local couples prove that love can be found in the quirkiest ways
Area couples detail the ways they met their significant others, from Captain America to MTV to a squirt gun. See more from Tracy Briggs on our website: https://www.inforum.com/tracy-briggs
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How Muhammad Ali once knocked out by a North Dakota blizzard
Opponents couldn't always clobber "The Greatest" of all time, but 55 years ago, a Fargo snowbank did. See this and the rest of Tracy Briggs' Back Then stories on our website: https://www.inforum.com/tracy-briggs
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'With age comes wisdom.' An embarrassingly easy dish for potlucks
Columnist Tracy Briggs trades laborious dishes to making easy inspired-by-her-sweet-tooth desserts for gatherings. Lazy? You decide. See more from Tracy Briggs here: https://www.inforum.com/tracy-briggs
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Golf outing in Bismarck launched Minnesota singer to fame in 'Lawrence Welk Show'
Tom Netherton starred in the hit television show in the '70s, became a popular Christian performer in the '80s, and made national headlines with Kathie Lee Gifford in the '90s. Visit our website to see photos and read more stories from Tracy Briggs: https://www.inforum.com/tracy-briggs
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A second serving of King Leo's 🍔
After Tracy Briggs' column on the popular hamburger joint that operated in Fargo from 1961 to 1979, her inbox was flooded with comments and stories, including priceless ones from "Prince Leo." Read Tracy's original column, along with the rest of her work, at https://www.inforum.com/tracy-briggs
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Long live King Leo's!
Even with 15 cent burgers and 12 cent fries, Fargo fast food pioneer King Leo's raked in the cash in the '60s and '70s thanks to a loyal fanbase and a fun-loving crew.
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During a month of tragic headlines, Fargo's skating nuns put a smile on everyone's faces
News readers might just have been craving some good news. Perhaps that's why Forum journalist Cal Olson grabbed his photo gear and set out to snap a few pics that would undoubtedly put a smile on people's faces. He found himself at the Presentation Sisters Convent at 1310 Broadway in Fargo to…
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A life at Le Mans that started on the prairies of North Dakota
The story of how Bob Blake became a world-renowned builder of race cars for Jaguar while holding onto his Midwestern personality.
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My dad played Santa. My kids were his toughest audience
Around this time every year, my hospital administrator dad would put away his suit and tie and put on the Santa gear, with very mixed results.
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The day Fargo's grandest hotel became a deadly ice palace
Fire tore through the Earle Hotel on Dec. 13, 1951, killing three, making news around the world, and turning a one-armed man into a hero.
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One of America's most popular cakes was made possible by a Minnesota man and a Jewish women's club
The partnership was formed nearly 75 years ago so the women could recreate a taste of the old country. What they did changed baking forever.
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These twins helped make history in Valley City then went on to lead parallel yet unique lives
We asked your help in finding some of the "Famous Valley City Twins of 1935" and you delivered.
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'Leave it to Beaver' star Hugh Beaumont once owned a Christmas tree farm in Minnesota
As many of you head to the Christmas tree lot to pick out that perfect pine, what would you think if one of America's favorite TV dads, Ward Cleaver, sold it to you? Yes. That Ward Cleaver, as in June's husband and Wally and Beaver's dad. Sounds likes a fever dream (like Greg Brady taking your...
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What covering Kennedy's assassination was like for Forum journalists in 1963
The assassination of President John F. Kennedy was a cataclysmic moment for American journalists, and the reporters and editors of the Fargo Forum, as it was known in 1963, were no different. In a special episode of Back Then, Tracy Briggs reads an account of the moment the assassination made its...
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Sure, bison roamed the plains here, but what about the school bus-sized sea lizards with angry eyebrows?
North Dakota high schools looking to replace outdated school nicknames are in luck. Thanks to science, the following mascots are now as representative of our state as bison, buffaloes, roughriders or vikings. How do these sound to you? The Fighting Jǫrmungandrs? The Walhallaensis Warriors? The...
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His parents mailed him to Valley City, then he met the Pope
Readers solve the mystery identity of the Fargo toddler who traveled via U.S. Mail. It turns out that might have been one of the least interesting things about him.
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Do you know these people at a 1957 party on the prairie?
This photo was found tucked in a book at the Fargo Public Library. But who are these people?
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Fifty years before a UFO flew over a Bison football game, Barnesville had its own run-in. Or did they?
Some witnesses claimed they saw politicians looking down from a 'mystery airship' while others said they were Martians coming to buy ladies' clothes. What exactly was going on in Barnesville?
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People used to send their kids through the mail. No, really.
In 1913, when the U.S. Postal Service introduced parcel post service, customers took advantage by shipping their children.
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The story of a North Dakota man who survived one of WWII's darkest days and months in a POW camp
Oct. 14, 1943, became known as 'Black Thursday' with devastating losses at the hands of the Nazis. Arthur Linrud of Velva, North Dakota, survived. Today his family seeks to remember those who didn't.
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This North Dakota duck hunting doc made housecalls and did your farm chores
Simon Wenzel Melzer was one of a kind, a seemingly brilliant physician who gave all to his patients, but saved a few shots for the fowl.
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Why I told my excuses to 'sit down and shut up'
What finally got me to take that long-awaited "someday" trip, haggis and all.
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80 years ago thousands flocked to downtown Fargo to see a captured Japanese submarine
These days if you take a stroll down Broadway just south of Northern Pacific Avenue toward the railroad tracks, you'll pass banks, restaurants, and a place to get your dog groomed. But 80 years ago you could see and maybe even touch evidence of the enemy. On Sept. 21, 1943, at the height of World...
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A movie 'star' once came to Fargo to live in the famous Herbst Department Store window
Edna Kirby just might have been Kim Kardashian before Kim Kardashian was Kim Kardashian. Kirby was a movie actress in the 1920s but became more famous for letting people just watch her live her life. Was she the world's first reality star? Maybe, but whatever you call her, we know for sure that…
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Local couple embodies the mid-century past with historic home on south Fargo's Ninth Street
Greg Carlson and Katie Smith embrace the mid-century style of the orignal owners, Blaine and Virginia Amidon.
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Meet the man who delivered 15,000 babies in Fargo
Dr. Blaine Amidon, one of the area's longest-serving OBGYNs, left an indelible mark on the community and not just in the delivery room.
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Why WDAY and KVLY swapped networks 40 years ago
Viewers' heads might have been spinning when WDAY became ABC and KVLY (then KTHI) became NBC on Aug. 22, 1983, but broadcasting in North Dakota would never be the same.
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After 96 years, a North Dakota man still holds record for longest beard
After 62 years of growth, Hans Langseth's beard was measured at 17.6 feet long - a Guinness World Record for "The Longest Natural Beard Locks ever (male)" which still stands today.
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Why is a former Moorhead High basketball player featured in the movie 'Oppenheimer?'
Warren Magnuson was the Spud team captain and later hobnobbed with U.S. presidents, dated movie stars and quietly became one of the most powerful men in the country.
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Not only did WWII veterans defeat Hitler, they gave us access to the chocolate chip cookie
August 4th is National Chocolate Chip Cookie Day, a day to honor the nation's No. #1 homebaked cookie. But how was GI Joe responsible for its popularity?
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At 100, Gate City Bank seeks to 'live the dream' with a cookie on top
Gate City was founded 100 years ago this summer. Employees today say after more than a century, you'd be surprised at what hasn't changed.
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'Come on Barbie, let's go party' in my Barbie-themed guest room
It might not be a Dreamhouse, but my guest room features my favorite childhood Barbies and other vintage favorites.
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Do you put ketchup on your hot dog? One sausage expert says 'stop it!'
The ketchup debate rages on this National Hot Dog Day over tastes, traditions, and what is just none of your doggone business.
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How a boxing match between champ Jack Dempsey and a popular Minnesotan nearly destroyed a tiny Montana town
On July 4, 1923 — 100 years ago — 3,000 people swarmed The Forum building to get the as-it-happens news of the fight, but the aftermath of the brawl was far more interesting.
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The mysteries surrounding the Batmobile's visit to Fargo have been solved (mostly)
Last month Forum Communications looked into whether the Batmobile was impounded by Fargo Police in 1968 and whether one certain child might know the answer. See more from Tracy Briggs at https://www.inforum.com/tracy-briggs.
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NDSU hangout was little talked about victim of infamous Fargo tornado
It was the place to go for students to grab a bite between classes, but the deadly 1957 tornado tried to put an end to that.
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Thanks for being our pal, Penny!
Penny Andrist of Penny and Pals has retired after more than 30 years as a children's entertainer. She left her mark on my kids and so many more.
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Fargo fans circling the bases to get the superstar candy bar that 'tastes like childhood'
Reggie candy bars were all the rage when Mr. October ruled the baseball diamond in the late 1970s. Now, after more than 40 years they're back and chocolate-loving baseball fans are on board.
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Do you have memories of riding a rural school bus? I'm a little jealous.
We can all second-guess our school days, but a recent bus ride in Mayville makes me wonder how things could have been different
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Holy windshield wipers! Did Fargo Police really once impound Hollywood's Batmobile?
The famous TV car was in Fargo in the fall of 1968 for a publicity tour that might have ended in an arrest and court appearance. See more from Tracy Briggs at http://www.inforum.com/tracy-briggs
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Why did 'The Music Man' blame a North Dakotan for corrupting River City youth?
Harold Hill actors from Robert Preston to Matthew Broderick to Hugh Jackman have sung about how this man raised in Grand Forks was the route of all the 'trouble' with a capital 'T.'
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I hate math. So why was this math teacher one of my very favorites?
During Teacher Appreciation Week, here are the "Back Then Teaching Awards" for outstanding achievement in all things great (and groovy).
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A Moorhead homeowner asks 'who are these people that fell from my bedroom closet?'
Lena Rock was moving into her new place when she found this photo of a smiling couple. She'd love to learn more about them. Read more from Tracy Briggs at https://www.inforum.com/tracy-briggs
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5 things that might surprise you about the local YWCA's Women of the Year
As the event marks its 50th anniversary, take a closer look at its intriguing past. Read more from Tracy Briggs at https://www.inforum.com/tracy-briggs.
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I can't keep saying 'goodbye' to Taco John's
As another Taco John's closes its doors, what am I supposed to do with my cravings (and memories)? Read and hear more from Tracy Briggs at https://www.inforum.com/tracy-briggs
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Do you know any of the famous Valley City twins of '35?
In 1935, Valley City, North Dakota attracted attention as a hot spot for multiple births. One small school boasted nine sets of twins, six pairs in the same grade. See more from Tracy Briggs at https://www.inforum.com/tracy-briggs.
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Do you think their hair is too long? Adults in '66 said 'yes' and kicked the 'hippies' out of school
In 1966, Fargo North High administrators told seven students to leave school until they could get a proper haircut. The boys had another idea. Read more from Tracy Briggs at https://www.inforum.com/tracy-briggs
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Four reasons the Midwest is fascinated by gangsters
Over the last three weeks, Inforum published "The Capones of North Dakota," a look at the famous gangster connections to the upper Midwest. After the stories ran, you surprised us. See more from Tracy Briggs at https://www.inforum.com/tracy-briggs
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Frequently Asked Questions
How many episodes does Back Then with Tracy Briggs have?
Back Then with Tracy Briggs currently has 107 episodes available on PodParley. New episodes are automatically indexed when they're published to the podcast feed.
What is Back Then with Tracy Briggs about?
Midwest memories of the good old days and a few cool people we’ve met along the way.Find more stories by Tracy Briggs here: https://www.inforum.com/tracy-briggs
How often does Back Then with Tracy Briggs release new episodes?
Back Then with Tracy Briggs publishes regularly with 107 episodes available. Check the episode list for the typical release schedule.
Where can I listen to Back Then with Tracy Briggs?
You can listen to Back Then with Tracy Briggs on PodParley by clicking any episode. We provide an embedded audio player for direct listening, and you can also subscribe via your preferred podcast app using the RSS feed.
Who hosts Back Then with Tracy Briggs?
Back Then with Tracy Briggs is created and hosted by Forum Communications Co..
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