Cool Things in the Collection, Kansas Museum of History

For many, The Wizard of Oz is a timeless story about a girl from Kansas. For others, it's an old-fashioned tale that needs to be more inclusive. This episode considers album covers from The Wiz, a disco-era adaptation of L. Frank Baum's classic.

During his lifetime, many considered George Armstrong Custer an inept braggart. This was proven by his complete failure at Little Big Horn, yet heroic images of him soon appeared in every American bar and saloon. Join us for a discussion of a classic image of Custer's last stand.

Five hundred years ago a rich Spaniard led an army onto the North American plains, searching for a mythical city of gold. According to legend, someone on Francisco Vazquez de Coronado's expedition dropped this sword in present-day Kansas.

Instantaneous and digital is the preferred method of communication for modern legislative bodies. In the mid-20th century, though, the Kansas Legislature used a more utilitarian method: two wooden mail carts.

The difference between a beautician and a mortician is less than you might think. This episode considers white gloves worn by an African American funeral home director whose mother's beautician beginnings grew into a family-run mortuary.

During World War I, soldiers stood knee-deep in mud on French battlefields while one Kansas serviceman patrolled the coast of California. Hear about the Navy uniform worn by Effingham native Joe Price.

Barbering was big business a century ago. It required the right equipment. This segment considers a 1920s salesman sample of a barber chair that was a cut above the rest.

Modern hunting apparel is emblazoned with bright orange, but this mid-20th century vest isn't brightly colored. We wonder if it was open season on hunters 50 years ago.

Drive-ins were a cultural milestone in the 1950s. Once food was delivered directly to an automobile, American eating habits were never the same. This episode considers a pair of giant menu boards from Bobo's Drive-In, a Topeka favorite.

Nothing says summer like ice cream. In the 1870s, the Scott Brothers of Topeka built an ice cream empire that lasted a century.

The commander of Fort Hays wore this army dress jacket during the 1870s. His years of Kansas service were the culmination of a long and distinguished career.

Bikinis were the bombshell of 1960s fashion--iconic swimwear named for an atomic explosion in the Pacific Ocean. A Kansas woman wore this version while relaxing poolside.

Tornadoes have threatened residents of the Great Plains for centuries, but until the late 1800s most Americans had never seen one. That changed when a Kansas farmer captured the first known photograph of a tornado in 1884.

The second floor of Kansas' capitol features a pantheon of our state's heroes in stone. In this segment we consider four small busts related to this massive installation.

Some folks take up gardening in retirement. Not so Elizabeth Layton, who spent her golden years painting as a way of dealing with depression. Hear how this little old lady from Wellsville, Kansas, rocked the art world.

Some clothes are well-suited for traveling. A young man smuggled his daughter from Virginia to Kansas using this shawl.

Every family is a little dysfunctional. Some families are downright criminal. Join curators as they discuss fragments torn from members of the infamous Dalton gang after a foiled heist then go behind the scenes to examine Prohibition-era beer steins.

Belgium was in a bad place during World War I. German invaders ate its food, and an Allied blockade prevented more from arriving. Kansas farmers came to the rescue with homegrown flour shipped in these sacks.

Every group has its origin story. In Kansas, the legend is that Russian immigrants brought seeds from the home country (in bottles like this) and created the Wheat State.

African American soldiers were rare during the Civil War, and black officers almost non-existent. Thirty years later, Major John Brown from Topeka led soldiers to Cuba during the Spanish-American War using this saber.

Some farmers hoped Kansas could bloom with cotton, bringing the South to its knees during the Civil War. Cotton in Kansas? That's why we have a cotton gin in our collections.

Apples are the fruit of legend, from the Garden of Eden to the Trojan War. They've got a place in Kansas history, too. We consider bottles of apple cider pressed at the Louisburg Cider Mill in eastern Kansas.

Construction of the Kansas statehouse can be considered a miracle of manpower. In the 1880s a young Swedish immigrant was at the center of this massive building project. Learn how he used these tools to construct the people's house before building his own.

Kansas history holds many harrowing storm stories, none more tragic than that of 10-year-old Dean Thomas. His untimely death eventually led to a donation of his childhood belongings, including these overalls.

The Abernathy brothers started small, at times relying on coffin sales, but quickly built a furniture empire on the Plains. This segment considers several pieces of furniture made by Abernathy Brothers of Leavenworth.

The Wicked Witch of the West has been freaking out kids for over a century, since the appearance of L. Frank Baum's book, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. Join us for a discussion of this fictional villain, while we also consider a wicked modern drawing.

An African American man in rural Kansas amazed family and friends with his ability to make these sculptures inside bottles, employing an art form known as bottle whimsy.

Developed in Europe during the 1920s, television quickly spread around the world. Its first appearance in Delia, Kansas, was in 1949 when the Rosser family purchased this Admiral home entertainment system.

Dressing like Santa Claus has been a tradition for fathers and department store workers for many years, but babies didn't take up the practice until the mid-20th century.

A decade before the end of segregation, a kind woman and a little girl broke through racial barriers in Topeka. This handmade African American doll symbolizes a bond between whites and blacks in the Mudtown neighborhood during the 1940s.

The fad in the 1960s was for friends to autograph stuffed animals. This stuffed dog is covered with the signatures of its owner's classmates, as well as the autograph of one very famous coach.

Panama hats symbolized power in the first half of the 20th century. This expensive headgear was the mark of a well-traveled man. Today's episode considers a Panama hat worn by President Harry Truman.

Imagine a world in which the living commune with the dead. Most people today find that a bizarre concept, but 100 years ago it was a fun pasttime for the Wichita family who used this Ouija board.

J.P. Morgan was a powerful man who held vast wealth and controlled finance and transportation around the United States. Should one man be so powerful? Political cartoonist Albert Reid didn't think so, and expressed his distaste in this antitrust cartoon.

Politics was a rough business in the 1930s. Kansas governor Alf Landon knew the stakes were high, so he traveled with this lead lectern during the 1936 presidential campaign.

You scream, we all scream for ice cream! Hear how farm kids at Kansas State University brought this tasty frozen dessert to the masses when we consider this ice cream box from the K-State dairy.

Ladies, are you tired of spending hours at the gym instead of watching TV or napping? Then, the Walton Belt Vibrator is the machine for you! Today we consider a 1960s exerciser that will make you long for the good old days.

One of the most popular syndicated comic strips in the mid-20th century was Walt Kelly's Pogo. It offered a satirical take on society and politics. This original strip from 1954 introduced readers to a mythical Kansas bird, the Jayhawk.

This summer our nation is taking its 23rd census of the population. These days the forms arrive in the mail, but a century ago census takers went door to door. This satchel was used by one of them in Kansas.

At least three Kansas families have enjoyed this tandem bicycle. They all rode in the southern part of the state, where the land is flat but the wind is strong. Riding into a Kansas headwind makes any cyclist appreciate healthy lungs and sturdy legs.

There are many symbols for the United States. Perhaps the strongest national personification is the character known around the world as Uncle Sam. This military recruiting poster has been widely reproduced and caricatured since World War I.

Carry Nation makes the top ten on every famous Kansans list for her trademark smashing of illegal saloons. An admirer sent the reformer this heavy hammer to use in her prohibition crusade.

In honor of Memorial Day, we consider a service flag that was proudly displayed by a Kansas family during World War I. Their son was serving his country over there.

Baseball has long been known as America's pastime, but like many of our country's institutions, it has a history of racial segregation. Today we consider a program from a 1950s game between two Negro Leagues teams.

Gun collectors covet this rare and beautiful 18th century Pennsylvania-made rifle. How did it end up in Kansas? We'd like to know the answer to that question, too.

Thousands of buildings were looted of their contents during the Civil War. This quilt from a ransacked South Carolina home has only recently been reunited with its history.

We have a dummy in the museum! Not your run-of-the-mill department store mannequin, this figure was a silent partner in training hospital staff and emergency workers during the 1960s.

Mining has been big business in southeastern Kansas almost since our state was founded. These mineral samples from the town of Treece speak to the area's mining heritage, as well as its less savory legacy.

Most of us had a favorite piece of clothing from childhood. Hear about a dress from the turn of the last century, worn by a girl who would later become a prolific artist.

Securing the right to vote was a major milestone for women in America. As we approach Women's History Month, we consider a controversial painting in our collections that commented on the rights of 19th century women in politics and society. Its title is American Woman and Her Political Peers.