A new year is here, and at NHPR, we wanted to celebrate with poetry. We asked: What does a new beginning mean to you? Many of you shared your original poems with us.
It’s that time of the year, when we have a chance to enjoy the great outdoors, relax and appreciate all that’s good in Minnesota so what better time to look back at all the interesting “firsts” that have originated here over the years?
When we looked back in time for this month’s cover story, we were surprised at how many really significant inventions and innovations have come from Minnesota, from the concrete grain elevator and the refrigeration systems used by trucking companies to open-heart surgery, the blood pump, the black-box flight data recorder and auto safety belts. We found much more than the implantable pacemaker, Post-it notes and other firsts we typically hear about. We also came across others that didn’t make the top 50, but were impressive nonetheless.