A look at the early days of the Great American Pastime in Minnesota, from its beginnings post-Civil War up to the arrival of the Minnesota Twins.

Immigrants are an important part of the Minnesota story. This episode looks at immigration through what people brought with them to their new home. What was useful, what held memories, what shows why they had to leave?

Prisoner of war camps during the Civil War were often more dangerous than the battlefield. Watch to learn more about the system of prisoner exchanges and how circumstances deteriorated as the war dragged on. Andersonville is particularly noted, as many Minnesota soldiers spent time there. Learn More: Civil War Daybook Civil War Collections Minnesota and the Civil War Exhibit

This episode features Victorian valentines from the Minnesota Historical Society's collections, dating from 1840 to 1900. While the designs are vintage, the feelings expressed are timeless. Produced by Lizzie Ehrenhalt For more valentines, see Collections Online.

As Minnesotans, we love to talk about the weather. Talk about it, obsess over it, live in it, love it. Or love hating it, at least. Since the Saint Paul Winter Carnival and Crashed Ice start soon, we thought this a good time to look at a variety of winter weather from images and film in our Collection, including an Easter snowball fight, winter swimming, -20 degrees, and blizzards. Enjoy the misery of others and maybe watch it again come July! Produced by Sondra Reierson

View a selection of holiday greeting cards from the Minnesota Historical Society's extensive collection. These are dated between 1878 - 1967. Enjoy!

The Minnesota Historical Society holds the Walter F. Mondale Papers and has one of the nationrsquo;s premier collections of government, politics, and public affairs materials. Watch to learn more about the collections and how to use these fabulous materials. Learn More: Walter F. Mondale Collection Government, Politics, and Public Affairs Attend an Evening with Mondale and the Public Affairs Collection

View footwear highlights from the Minnesota Historical Society's Collection featuring styles from the 18th century, through the 1920s, into the 1960s, and beyond. Created by Lizzie Ehrenhalt Learn More: More shoes! in Collections Online Materials about shoes in the Library Collection

On September 30, 2012 a memorial for Minnesota's fallen firefighters will be dedicated on the State Capitol grounds.nbsp; This podcast highlights both the memorial and the Minnesota Historical Societyrsquo;s collections related to firefighting in Minnesota. Sondra Reierson, Collections Assistant Learn More: Seenbsp;Collections Online to view photographs and artifacts related to firefighting in Minnesota Seenbsp;History Center Library website to search for books and manuscript collections Visit the History Center Library, where staff can show you how to request materials and view film footage For details about the memorial and the dedication ceremony, visitnbsp;http://www.mnfireservicefoundation.org/ ornbsp;http://www.facebook.com/MinnesotaFireServiceFoundation

In 1919 the Eighteenth Amendment was passed, banning the sale, manufacture, and transportation of alcohol in the United States.nbsp; Just a year before the law went into effect, Minnesota could boast 37 breweries producing over a million barrels of fermented liquors and distributing them to over 3,000 retail liquor dealers.nbsp; In Minnesota, as in the nation as a whole, Prohibition was hardly established through consensus. At the turn of the 20th Century, about 70% of Minnesotarsquo;s population was either first or second generation American, so ethnic attitudes toward alcohol were very influential.nbsp; Much of the statersquo;s population favored moderation rather than total abstinence, but each group had some kind of temperance tradition. The national temperance movement had been gaining steam in the United States since the 1870s, spurred by the growth of temperance organizations such as the Womenrsquo;s Christian Temperance Union, or WCTU, the Anti-Saloon League, and the Prohibition Party. The Minnesota Prohibition Party first entered a State gubernatorial race in 1869 and saw a surge in popularity in the 1880s, when Minnesota began enacting licensing fees for saloons as a way to encourage temperance.nbsp; The Party began gaining real momentum after the turn of the twentieth century, winning its first seats in the Minnesota House in 1906.nbsp; By 1915 a ldquo;county optionrdquo; bill was passed by the Minnesota legislature, allowing entire counties tonbsp; vote themselves dry. World War I also facilitated prohibitionistsrsquo; goals. Wartime rationing led to the Food and Fuel Control Act, passed in August, 1917, which prohibited the use of foodstuffs in the manufacture of liquor across the country.nbsp; And anti-German hysteria fueled by the Great War was channeled against German brewers, including Minnesotarsquo;s own Schellrsquo;s, Hammrsquo;s, Yoerg, and Schmidt.nbsp; The Anti-Saloon league went so far as to declare that ldquo;German brewers [...] have rendered thousands of men inefficient and are thus crippling the Republic in its war against Prussian militarism.rdquo; The War Time Prohibition Act was passed in 1918 in order to save grain for the war effort.nbsp; Meanwhile, in December 1917, a constitutional amendment resolution was passed and sent to the States for ratification.nbsp; Minnesotarsquo;s 1918 referendum on the amendment failed narrowly but on January 17th, 1919, the Minnesota Legislature ratified the federal Prohibition Amendment, making Minnesota the 39th State to ratify the Eighteenth Amendment, which went into effect on January 17, 1920. Congress passed the National Prohibition Act to enforce the 18th Amendment.nbsp; The law was sponsored by Minnesotarsquo;s Republican Congressman from Granite Falls, Andrew Volstead.nbsp; Volstead was not a radical prohibitionist but sponsored the Act because, as Chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, he was expected to do so.nbsp; The Volstead Act, while established the legal definition of intoxicating liquor and the penalties for producing it, was poorly enforced. The ban on alcohol not only lacked popular consensus, but was difficult to enforce because of the public demand for illegal alcohol, which made criminals of producers and consumers.nbsp; The nation would soon face the unintended consequences of prohibition: bootlegging, gambling,nbsp;prostitution, organized crime, and corruption. While prohibition was in effect, Minnesotarsquo;s capitol city became a haven for gangsters such as John Dillinger, Babyface Nelson, Alvin Karpis, and the Barker gang.nbsp; See the podcast ldquo;St. Paul: Gangster Havenrdquo; for details. By 1933, widespread disrespect for the law led to the passage of the 21st Amendment, which remains the only constitutional amendment approved for the explicit purpose of repealing another amendment.nbsp; Prohibition officially ended December 15, 1933, to the delight of many Minnesotans, who waited in long...