Tributaries: Recent Episodes
memphismuseums
Investigating where science and history converge to shape our world. A production of Museum To-Go from the Pink Palace Museum.
November is Indigenous Heritage Month, and to celebrate the rich Indigenous heritage of the Mid-South, we're revisiting one of our favorite episodes of the show from 2020, a conversation with Louella Weaver, collections manager at the Museum of Science and History about Mississippian Ceramics. She explains how ceramics can show the vibrant lives and cultures of these Indigenous peoples, from advanced craftsmanship to complex religious systems. Episode first aired 9/16/2020
Happy Halloween, from the Museum of Science and History! In honor of All Hallows Eve, we talked to Taylor Hopkins about the superstitions and customs surrounding death and dying in the Victorian Era. These traditions, from stopping clocks to selfies with the dead, may seem strange, but they have shaped the way we think about funerals and mourning, and are the origins of phrases such as "saved by the bell." Music by Purple Planet, Peter Zastoupil, and Sully Allen.
This spooky season, to get in the Halloween mood, we talk to Lisa McGeorge about hehr experience caring for some scary (and some not-so-scary) nocturnal animals! Music thanks to Sully Allen, Boon, and Peter Zastoupil. This image of a Binturong thanks to 4028mdk09.
Dr. Arch Johnston has spent decades fighting invasive plant species in Lichterman Nature Center, from privet to kudzu to wisteria. With Dr. Johnston's help, we take a closer look at these species, from their purposeful introduction to the reasons they so thoroughly outcompete native species. We also discuss how to remove and control these plants so that you can help defend your neighborhood against these alien invaders. Hosted by Dr. Dawn Manning, Luke Ramsey, and Rachel Dickerson. Produced by Katie Quinlan. Music by Purple Planet and Sully Allen.
One of the most iconic artifacts in the collection of the Museum of Science and History is a taxidermied polar bear donated by Dr. Howard Misner in 1975. In this episode, we take a closer look into the biology and ecology of polar bears and talk to Dr. Misner himself about the epic hunt for the bear. This story helps us learn about the history of hunting, how it has changed, and how threats to polar bears have changed over the past century. This episode is hosted by Jestein Gibson and Luke Ramsey, produced by Luke Ramsey, edited by Nur Abdalla and Steve Masler, and features music from Sully Allen and Spence Bailey.
While squirrels are ubiquitous and even a pest in cities today, that wasn't always the case. In many cities, like Memphis, squirrels were actually introduced in urban areas on purpose, often along the push to beautify cities with features such as parks near the end of the 1800's. Court Square is a park that plays an important role in Memphis's history, as it was included in the original planning of the city and has been through many changes, from the creation of the fountain at its center to the introduction of animals like squirrels and even monkeys. In this episode, we talk to former Shelby County historian Jimmy Ogle about the story of Court Square, as well as the story of the animals that have been (successfully and unsuccessfully) introduced to Memphis's urban center. The image for this episode is taken from a Memphis newspaper in 1918 which was celebrating that "Every one who has ever been to Memphis remembers Court Square and its squirrels. The little animal kingdom in the heart of the business district has made the city famous."
Produced by Katie Quinlan, music by Sully Allen and Purple Planet.
Purple Martins, along with many bird species, are now passing through Memphis on the Mississippi Flyway on the way to their spring and summer nesting sites. Lichterman Nature Center hosts a large colony of these birds, and to celebrate their return the region, we revisit an episode from last fall that features a conversation with one of Lichterman's teacher naturalists, Mart Schmidt.
This March marks the 50th anniversary of the Supreme Court's ruling on the fate of Overton Park, which the Tennessee Department of Transportation planned to pave for a section of I-40. We talk to Charlie Newman, one of the lawyers who represented the Citizens to Preserve Overton Park in the Supreme Court about the case and the decades-long battle that followed. Music by Boon, Drop Ceiling, and Sully Allen. Image courtesy of Thomas R Machnitzki.
Doris Bradshaw is a leader and pioneer in the Environmental Justice Movement in Memphis and America as a whole. Her work educating the public about contamination from the Memphis Defense Depot began a decades-long career standing up for communities facing environmental racism and classism.
Music by Drop Ceiling, Sully Allen, Lance Conrad, and Boon. Photo thanks to the Women of Achievement Awards.
Mastodons like the one on display at the Museum of Science and History roamed our region for thousands of years. The story of their extinction and discovery takes us on an adventure from Thomas Jefferson to the last great ice age.
Written by Louella Weaver, edited by Caroline Carrico, produced by Katie Quinlan and Luke Ramsey, with music from Drop Ceiling, Lance Conrad, and Sully Allen. This illustration of a mastodon is by Heinrich Harder.
Investigating the connection between birds and dinosaurs by taking a closer look at some of the adaptations that make a bird a bird, as well meeting some of the strange transitional creatures that lived along the way. This is a continuation of a conversation with Daniel Ksepka, an avian paleontologist at the Bruce Museum. Pictured is a Microraptor, as illustrated by Durbed. Music by Boon, Drop Ceiling, and Sully Allen.
In preparation for the museum's new Dinosaurs in Motion exhibit, we wanted to learn a little more about the dinosaurs from the Mesozoic Era and those alive today: birds. We talk to paleontologist Daniel Ksepka and ten-year-old Afah Takwi about the connection between the T-Rex, the Hummingbird, and all the strange creatures in between. Pictured here is the dinosaur Yi Qi, as illustrated by Emily Willoughby. Music by Drop Ceiling, Boon, and Sully Allen.
Every holiday season, penguins abound, both in the Museum of Science and History's Enchanted Forest exhibit and in holiday decorations worldwide. So this year, we wanted to learn a little bit more about these unique birds and how they became the creatures we know today. We talk to Daniel Ksepka, a paleontologist who studies the evolution of birds, about today's penguins as well as their ancient relatives, such as the giant Anthropornis. Special thanks to Discoll for this image, as well as Boon, Sully Allen, and Purple Planet for the music in this episode.
Sixty five years ago, WHER, the first all-female radio station in America, went live from Memphis, TN. This Thanksgiving, we're giving thanks for this pioneering group of female DJ's and our fellow Memphis museum, the Museum of Rock and Soul, by presenting an episode from their podcast, Memphis Musicology, hosted by Ezra Wheeler. Ezra and the production team at the OAM Network use archival recordings to transport us back in time to the WHER studio to hear the story unfold.
Happy Halloween from the Museum of Science and History at the Pink Palace! To celebrate the spooky season, Tributaries host Katie Quinlan tells us some of the haunting stories from Memphis's past, from Ernestine and Hazels's to Elmwood, Yellow Fever to Treasure Hunters. Music and Sound Production from Boon, Katie Quinlan, and Luke Ramsey.
Audubon's Birds of America is one of the most valuable books ever and shaped how museums and scientists do illustration and taxidermy today. In this episode, we celebrate the life of the naturalist and illustrator, from his birth in Haiti to his fame as one of America's most iconic frontiersmen, painting birds across America, like this now extinct Carolina Parakeet. Music and sound production by Michael Vignola, Bobby Cole, Boon, Sully Allen, Jacob Weaver, and Luke Ramsey.
Step back in time with collections manager Louella Weaver to learn more about prehistoric Indigenous ceramics. These ceramics hold clues to the past, giving us glimpses into the culture of the Mississippian Peoples through examining how these pots were made and what symbols adorn them, including the Underwater Cat Monster, or Great Horned Serpent. Hosted by Luke Ramsey and Jes Gibson, with music and sound production from Boon, Sully Allen, Jacob Weaver, Zapsplat, and Luke Ramsey.
In this episode, we continue to examine how transit shaped the city of Memphis. In the early 1900s, steam powered transportation was replaced by cars, trolleys, buses, and planes. Join hosts Jes Gibson and Harry Clark as they delve into how these modes of transit shaped the city, with help from former county historian Jimmy Ogle. Produced by Katie Quinlan and featuring music by Sully Allen, Boon, Luke Ramsey, and Purple Planet.
Transit and trade have been key to the story of Memphis, from the time of the Mississippian Peoples to today. In this episode, we learn of some of the first types of transit used in the region, the evolution and significance of steam powered travel, and the largest inland maritime disaster in US history, the sinking of the Sultana.
Music and Sound Production by Sully Allen, Boon, Spence Bailey, Zapsplat, and Luke Ramsey
Memphis is called the Bluff City since it’s built on a section of the Chickasaw Bluffs. In this episode, we talk to Dr. Kent Moran about the origin of the bluffs and how they have shaped human society for thousands of years.
Music courtesy of Sully Allen, Boon, Drop Ceiling, Luke Ramsey, and the Library of Congress Archives.
This episode, we unpack the story of Etowah Marble, the stone from which the Pink Palace Mansion is built. We speak with Dr. Julie Johnson of the University of Memphis to understand how marble is formed, and take a look at how this stone is tied up in the history of America, from the Trail of Tears to the creation of modern grocery stores. Music by Sully Allen, Boon, Drop Ceiling, and Caroline Ford. Produced by Luke Ramsey and Katie Quinlan
In this episode, we talk to entomologist John Sohigian about mosquitos and how they spread Yellow Fever, which claimed over 20,000 lives in the Mississippi Delta in 1878. Music by Boon, Drop Ceiling, and Sully Allen.
Step back in time to 1878, to revisit what it was like in Memphis during one of the worst disease outbreaks in history. Learn how Yellow Fever left its mark on the city, and how it still shapes our lives today. Featuring interviews with Kim Bearden (Elmwood Cemetery) and Taylor Hopkins (Mallory-Neely House) Hosted by Pink Palace curator Jes Gibson and educator Luke Ramsey Music and sound production by Luke Ramsey and Boon