A People's History of Kansas City

The White Castle chain began in 1921 in Wichita, Kansas, where its ingenious small burgers kicked off a national craze and inspired imitators of all shapes and sizes. But over a century later, White Castle has entirely vanished from its home state. And the story of how it introduced America to the hamburger and the concept of fast food has largely been overshadowed by its restaurant rivals.

KCUR Studios has a new investigative podcast. Overlooked tells the story of former police detective Roger Golubski, who put an innocent man in prison and is accused of sexually assaulting numerous Black women in Kansas City, Kansas. For decades, it was an open secret. How could this have happened for so long, and what does justice look like for his alleged victims? Hear chapter one now, and stay tuned for a new episode next week.

Independence, Missouri, was the door to America's westward expansion in the 19th century. At its center stood Hiram Young, a formerly enslaved man who carved out a fortune, lost most of it, and whose influence on the region is beginning to spread.

Join the KCUR podcast team that makes "A People's History of Kansas City" live at the Gem Theater on Thursday, Sept. 1 for a behind-the-scenes look at their award-winning episode, "Kansas City's Barbecue King." There will be BBQ trivia, a special guest and some never-before-heard information about Henry Perry. Tickets available at kcur.org/events.

As Kansas City's first Black-owned housing co-op, Parade Park helped residents pursue the American Dream of owning a home and building a community. But after 60 years, it's uncertain if it can survive foreclosure and redevelopment.

This isn't the first time Missouri has banned abortions. Residents may have heard ghoulish tales of “Doc Annie” Smith, a physician who looms large in Missouri's mythology for performing illegal abortions in the early 1900s. Today, the truth about her work has largely disappeared.

Chillicothe, Missouri, has an unusual claim to fame: It's the town where sliced bread first debuted back in 1928. But despite being less than a century old, the origin of this revolutionary pantry staple was almost lost to history.

For three decades, Julia Lee reigned over Kansas City jazz clubs singing risqué songs “her mother taught her not to sing.” But beyond the lyrical wordplay of hits like "Snatch and Grab It," Lee was a trailblazer for Black female musicians, and forged a career on her own terms.

Years before the Stonewall uprising, Drew Shafer started Kansas City's first gay rights organization and published the first LGBTQ magazine in the Midwest. At one point, his Kansas City home was even the “information distribution center” for the entire gay rights movement.

Black-owned broadcasters have faced a difficult path in the United States, from Jim Crow-era discrimination to racist practices within the FCC. But in Kansas City, radio pioneer Andrew Skip Carter broke through — founding the country's oldest Black owned radio company and inspiring new generations of talent.

Over the last century, the Country Club Plaza has survived natural disasters, social unrest and challenging economic climates. But how can we reckon the place we love with the controversial vision of its creator, J.C. Nichols?

Fed up with harassment and housing discrimination, lesbians in 1990s Kansas City dreamed of a place where they could "walk hand in hand, freely down the streets." So they created Womontown. The self-sufficient community encompassed 12 city blocks and attracted women from all over the U.S.

No Midwestern cookout is complete without a delicious chili or dip simmering in a Crock-Pot. But when the device was first unveiled by a Kansas City company in 1971, it promised something more: freedom. Plus, a preview of our upcoming season in May.

George Floyd's murder sparked a long overdue reckoning of racial injustice in 2020. But no one experienced the movement in quite the same way. To take the pulse of what changed in Kansas City, we talked to protesters and police on the front lines, and the officials and advocates working behind the scenes on reform.

Walt Disney gets most of the credit for creating Mickey Mouse. But few know the real story: Kansas City animator Ub Iwerks, Disney's best friend, was the first to bring the iconic character to life. Then Mickey's success almost tore them apart for good.

The history of the Missouria people and how a prolific Otoe-Missouria storyteller helped preserve a fading language.

In the early 1900s, Sarah Lloyd Green was notorious for sticking it to the man as a feminist, suffragette and labor organizer in Kansas City. Her story isn't well known, but she was a champion for Black and white laundry workers and even started a waitress union.

The story of Cathay Williams, a pioneer in the fight against race and gender discrimination. Growing up enslaved in Independence, Missouri, she disguised herself as a man in order to become a legendary Buffalo Soldier.

The story behind the Black entrepreneur in the 1900s who made Kansas City barbecue a national treasure. Before Arthur Bryant and Ollie Gates, there was Henry Perry.

People from Kansas City know that our city's name can be confusing to outsiders, because there is more than one Kansas City. But how close were we to being called something else?

Season 2 of A People's History of Kansas City is finally here, and we're starting from the beginning of Kansas City's History.

An important message from the team behind A People's History of Kansas City.

A historian says Kansas City "blew it" in the 1918 flu pandemic. How a corrupt political system and the end of World War I led to a bungled response and an overwhelming loss of life.

The real life story of an amazingly intelligent dog who captured people's imagination in Depression-era Missouri.

A cosmetologist becomes obsessed with the Victorian tradition of hair art, and amasses the world's largest collection in Independence, Missouri. Each of these art pieces is woven with human hair, often in memory of loved ones and friends. Leila's Hair Museum has revived the art and launched a 21st century tradition of hair jewelry.

The story of the pugnacious Kansas sheriff and attorney general Vern Miller, whose antics seemed to be a throwback to the Wild West era but left a surprising legacy. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play | Stitcher

The oldest continuously-operating Latino services center in the United States is right here in Kansas City. 101 years ago, the Guadalupe Center was established to "Americanize" Mexicans who had moved here to work on the railroads. But over the course of a century, Latinos transformed the organization, and Kansas City.

Many early, unique dialects of German are preserved in communities in small towns in Missouri and Kansas. But they're endangered. Meet a handful of linguistic diehards in Cole Camp, Missouri, and hear about their valiant efforts to save their immigrant history.

The prestigious, historically black high school in Kansas City is becoming more integrated. Hear how Lincoln's alumni, students and faculty are trying to make sure the school's legacy as an incubator for black excellence is not forgotten.

Three sisters barricaded themselves in a Wyandot cemetery in downtown Kansas City, Kansas, in the early 1900s, in order to save it from destruction. Hear how the Wyandot came to settle in Kansas, and how one of those sisters, Lyda Conley, took the battle over the cemetery all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.

KCUR's Suzanne Hogan brings you tales of 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. The first episode drops February 6. Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Play