How Curious

In 1975, as Saigon fell and tens of thousands of Vietnamese fled, a family in the small western Oklahoma town of Clinton opened their doors - and their community - to help resettle around 250 refugees.In this episode of How Curious, Rachel Hopkin visits the store still run by one of those original arrivals and hears firsthand accounts of the extraordinary welcome, the culture shocks, and the hard work of starting over, in what's been described as one of the most successful group resettlement efforts in the United States.

What happens when an Oklahoma picnic basket flies across a car floor on Route 66? You get Chicken in the Rough — Oklahoma’s original franchised menu item.

Discover the remarkable Kate Barnard — the fiery “Good Angel of Oklahoma.” Before women could vote, she became the state’s first woman elected to statewide office, fiercely battling child labor, prison cruelty, mistreatment of the mentally ill, and corruption involving Native American lands.Small in stature but unstoppable in spirit, this trailblazing reformer’s passionate fight for the vulnerable made her a national sensation.A story of courage and conviction from Oklahoma’s Progressive Era. Don’t miss this episode of How Curious.Connie Cronley's biography of Kate Barnard is titled "A Life on Fire: Oklahoma's Kate Barnard" and is published by the University of Oklahoma Press.

In 1945, the U.S. government chose Searcy Field in Stillwater, Oklahoma, for a unique experiment: selling 475 surplus World War II combat aircraft in one giant field sale rather than scrapping them.This episode of How Curious tells the remarkable story of how a Hollywood stunt pilot became the winning bidder — and what he did with the planes afterward!

This year, the Medieval Fair of Norman celebrated its 50th iteration. What began as a small event of the University of Oklahoma's Norman campus has carved a niche into the city's life over the past five decades. Now located at Reaves Park south of the campus, it features a blend of education, entertainment, and commerce, with scores of vendors present for the event. How Curious host Rachel Hopkin visits the Fair to find out what goes on there and what makes it so popular.

This month’s How Curious episode covers the dazzling history of Miami, Oklahoma’s Coleman Theatre Beautiful — from its whirlwind 1929 construction to its vaudeville heyday, near‑loss, and remarkable community-led restoration. Join Rachel Hopkin as she explores the people, performances, and passions that kept this beloved Route 66 treasure alive.

WildCare Oklahoma in Noble is one of the nation’s largest wildlife rehabilitation centers. In this month’s How Curious, host Rachel Hopkin visits WildCare to find out how it got started, how it operates and how it manages to do the work it does, rehabbing thousands of injured or orphaned animals every year so that they can get back to their wild lives.

In this episode, How Curious host Rachel Hopkin visits the Moore-Lindsay Historical House Museum in Norman, Oklahoma. The first glimmerings of Norman as a named place began with a government survey team, then grew as it became a stop on the railroad. Then came the 1889 land run which turned Norman into a city virtually overnight. Ten years later, the Moore-Lindsay House was built. Rachel explores what the house - plus what is known about its early residents - tell us about life in the young city well over a century ago.

This month's How Curious dives into the story of what happened when Oklahoma City became the location of a bold experiment concerning sonic booms — a moment when science collided with everyday life. Through historical detail and voices from those who lived it, this episode looks at why the city became a testing ground, the surprising ripple effects on homes and businesses, and the larger questions it raised about progress and public trust.

This month’s How Curious episode has a Halloween theme as our intrepid host Rachel Hopkin dares to venture into one of Oklahoma’s reputedly most haunted properties.

In this month's How Curious, host Rachel Hopkin visits the sumptuous Marland Mansion in Ponca City, Oklahoma, and finds out the story behind its creation.

Animal shelters and rescues across Oklahoma are regularly transporting thousands of adoptable animals in need of homes out of state. In this episode, host Rachel Hopkin learns more about why Oklahoma has an overpopulation of cats and dogs and what is being done to alleviate it.

For a brief period from 1929-1930, the small town of Waynoka, Oklahoma, became the center of a pioneering coast-to-coast air transport service for the ultra-wealthy.

If you’re a regular listener, you’ll know that How Curious is typically a documentary strand that explores interesting Oklahoma stories. But we’ve had a number of listeners asking how How Curious is made. So this month, KGOU managing editor, Logan Layden, turns the tables on How Curious host/producer Rachel Hopkin to find out a little about her production process as well as what’s in the works currently.

The Prairie House - which stands a few miles outside of Norman, OK - was the creation of architect Herb Greene and was completed in 1961. It's been variously likened to a bird, a bison, a steeple, a shed, a boat, a haystack, among other things. It's also been hailed as “an excellent example of organic architecture”, an embodiment of the American School of Architecture, and a masterpiece. It's been in private hands and largely hidden for many years, but now it's in the process of being restored. How Curious host Rachel Hopkin went to find out more.

In this month’s How Curious, host Rachel Hopkin looks into how, when, and why the parking meter was invented here in Oklahoma City back in the 1930s. In the course of her investigation she learns about the polymath behind it, inventive reactions to its installation such as tying a horse to the meter post and paying for the metered spot for a game of bridge, and some beautiful women in golden bikinis.

Every year, the Asthma and Allergies Foundation of America puts out an Allergy Capital report which ranks the top 100 large US cities if you suffer from pollen-based seasonal allergies. Oklahoma City and Tulsa regularly make the top ten. In this episode, Rachel Hopkin looks into what makes the Sooner State so challenging for the seasonal allergy afflicted.

Nestled in the heart of Bricktown is a remarkable tribute to some of the most innovative and influential figures -- and instruments -- in music history. Join How Curious host and producer Rachel Hopkin in her exploration of the world-class American Banjo Museum.

This month's How Curious explores how the work of two African American property developers and entrepreneurs proved ground-breaking both within Oklahoma City and beyond on both a literal and metaphorical level.

A few months after How Curious host/producer Rachel Hopkin moved to Oklahoma, she was given a barite rose rock by two of her dear neighbors. It came in a box with a short text attached which stated that to hold it was “literally like holding a quarter billion years of history in the palm of your hand.” That gift provided the impetus for this episode, in which Rachel finds out more about this geological bloom and why it's unique to just one part of the Sooner state.

It's almost impossible to imagine life without the shopping cart today. However, it was invented less than a hundred years ago. Rachel Hopkin explores how it came about, its pervasive impact, and the role that the Oklahoma inventor/entrepreneur/philanthropist Sylvan Goldman played in its success.

How Curious host/producer Rachel Hopkin the world's largest institution that’s solely dedicated to revealing and exploring the form and function of the skeletal system and which is based right here in OKC.

Seventy years ago, a landmark psychological study that has been described as a real life Lord of the Flies took place in an Oklahoma state park. But although the Robbers Cave Experiment, like the novel, focused on a bunch of schoolboys, it offered a very different perspective on human nature.

Which Oklahoman Got a Hippopotamus for Christmas? Today’s story features a local girl with a belter of a voice, several hippopotamuses, some zoo history, and a hit song.

Which of Oklahoma's cities was designated "America's Model City" in 1951? And how did the diminutive Shetland pony help that city to grow?

Many settlers in Oklahoma are of German descent but had ancestors who lived as Germans in Russia for a century or more. Who are these “other Germans?”

Did you know that the Tulsa Oktoberfest played an important role in fueling the craze for the Chicken Dance? Find out how in this episode of How Curious.

Does a massive man-hunting octopus inhabit Oklahoma’s lakes? Rachel Hopkin looks into one of the Sooner State’s unique legendary monsters, the Oklahoma Octopus.

In 1913 a young Oklahoma came to be known as “The Richest Black Girl in America” after oil was found on her land. How Curious explores Sarah Rector’s extraordinary life.

For decades, stories have circulated about a violent Chicago gangster living in rural Norman, Okla. In this How Curious episode, Rachel Hopkin, digs for the truth behind the rumors.

The Texas Longhorn is typically associated with, er, Texas. But KGOU heard a rumor that when the breed was on the verge of extinction a century ago, it was a group of Oklahomans that saved the bovine.

How Curious explores a momentous scientific breakthrough which took place in Oklahoma in the early 1920s and which continues to have worldwide consequences today

This episode features an Oklahoma-based musical mega-impresario, some of country music’s biggest stars, and a tour of the former USSR.

Exploring the fascinating history and lore of pigeons, plus the incredible variety of breeds

While there used to be several hundred lesbian bars across the US just a few decades back, only 24 remain. New York and Oklahoma tie for the lead with three lesbian bars each, but those two states are very different places, so why do they have this in common?

In the late 1920s, a young Oklahoman composer named Albert E. Brumley created a song that would go on to become one most popular pieces of gospel music of all time.

The small town of Shattuck lies close to Oklahoma’s border with Texas, and at its center stands the Shattuck Windmill Museum. We learn about the vital role that windmills played across the high plains region, as well as about the role this Museum plays in Shattuck life.

The Morgan Horse is the earliest surviving breed of American horse. But it's from Vermont. So why is it so important to Oklahoma?

For years, CB radio users heard a male voice incessantly repeating these words: "I got my nightgown on, I got my pretty red panties on, and I’m ready to go to bed." Who was behind the message and why?

Kendall’s Restaurant in downtown Noble, Okla., is famous for chicken-fried steaks, cinnamon rolls, and GHOSTS. Rachel Hopkin explores some strange goings-on under its roof.

Outlaws like Bill Doolin, Bert Casey and Richard “Little Dick” West have gone down in Oklahoma history as accomplished outlaws. But who is the worst outlaw that became famous in Oklahoma?

Before H.P. Lovecraft was considered one of the most influential writers of the 20th century, known for his cosmic brand of horror, he made a living ghostwriting for other authors. But was one of these stories inspired by a mound in Oklahoma?

Gold has attracted various groups to Oklahoma, ranging from Spanish explorers, notorious outlaws like Jesse James and miners during the state's short-lived gold rush. But is gold and treasure buried in Oklahoma?

Oklahoma was the last state in the nation to legalize tattooing in 2006. Before then, some residents traveled to surrounding states to get tattooed or set up shop. But why did Oklahoma ban the practice in the early ‘60s?

Belle Isle Lake in Oklahoma City was built in early statehood to generate electricity for the trolley system, becoming a premier destination for swimming and boating. But was the lake responsible for reviving one of the most iconic horror actors of the 20th century?

Bass Reeves, one of the first Black deputy U.S. marshals west of the Mississippi River, is considered among the most prolific law enforcement officers in American history. But was the character The Lone Ranger based on Reeves?