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Forever Ago

Forever Ago

Brains On presents Forever Ago®, a history show for the whole family! Every episode looks into the surprising and fascinating history of things we think are ordinary, but they’re not -- like ice cream flavors, video games, baths and more. We make learning about the past fun while teaching listeners to think critically about history.

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1 min•
20 Sep

Join us for the first-ever Forever Ago live show!

Hi friends! We’ve been busy at Forever Ago headquarters. Joy’s organizing her chaos closet, we’re making a bunch of new episodes of Forever Ago AND we’re getting ready for a super fun live show!Join Joy on November 10th in Minneapolis, MN as she takes the audience on a trek through time, exploring Eureka moments that led to amazing inventions. Find out how a bath became a breakthrough, how a mold-covered dish ended up saving lives and more. There will be games, singing, giant cartoons and a talking bag of frozen peas. Plus, kids will learn how they can have Eureka moments of their own, all while discovering the weird and wonderful history all around us.Get your tickets at foreverago.org/events. Psst, Smarty Pass subscribers! Check your email for your discount code to get 20% off tickets. Don’t have Smarty Pass? Sign up today to get discounted tickets to the show, plus other perks like ad-free podcasts and bonus episodes. Find out more at smartypass.org. And if you can’t make the live show, don’t worry! A brand new episode of Forever Ago is coming out on October 9th — plus lots more this fall! 

Join us for the first-ever Forever Ago live show!
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24 min•
24 Jul

Banjos Pt. 2: Bluegrass, Beyoncé and Beyond

We’re back with part two of our string-tastic story of the banjo! In the last episode, musician Rhiannon Giddens helped tell the origin story of the banjo, an instrument many think of as American. But it actually comes from Africa. Today, we’re focusing on how the banjo went from an instrument played mostly by enslaved people to one of the most popular instruments in the United States. The reason for this was a popular form of entertainment in the mid to late 1800s called minstrel shows. Later on, the banjo helped create the genre known as bluegrass. Now it's having a resurgence thanks to artists like Beyoncé.Featured expert: Rhiannon Giddens is a Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning singer and instrumentalist. You can check out her website here!

Banjos Pt. 2: Bluegrass, Beyoncé and Beyond
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24 min•
17 Jul

Banjos Pt. 1: From Gourds to Grammys

Today’s episode has a lot of pluck! It’s all about the banjo. For over 100 years, the banjo has been associated with country and bluegrass music, two genres that over-index with white musicians. But, with the help of Rhiannon Giddens, we find out that this uniquely American instrument traveled from Africa. The banjo’s story is so rich, it can’t be contained in just one episode, so we decided to make two! We’re also going to string you along for an extra week to think about your answers to First Things First. The question comes in this episode, and the answer comes out in the next. No peeking!Featured expert: Rhiannon Giddens is a Grammy Award and Pulitzer Prize-winning singer and instrumentalist. You can check out her website here!Resources: REDLINING IN COUNTRY MUSIC: Representation in the Country Music Industry (2000-2020)

Banjos Pt. 1: From Gourds to Grammys
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26 min•
10 Jul

The flower hunters: how tropical orchids fueled a craze

Uh oh! Joy picked up a free plant from a Buy Nothing group that can speak sign language and perform tricks. The bad news? It’s creating a jungle inside the Forever Ago studio! Join Joy and co-host Cora as they get to know their new “totally normal” plant friend and explore the history of another truly amazing plant: the orchid! Orchids are some of the most stunning flowering plants on the planet. Their blossoms come in almost every color of the rainbow and tons of different shapes, from little ballerinas to smiling monkey faces. And around 200 years ago, orchids caused a wild craze in England – full of danger, tough guys, and lots and lots of money. All that, plus a new First Things First that’s truly unbeLEAFable! 

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