A People's History of Kansas City

The podcast about 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. Made by Suzanne Hogan and Mackenzie Martin.

A People's History of Kansas City is a history podcast hosted by KCUR Studios, with 66 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

KCUR Studios hosts A People's History of Kansas City, a history show with 66 episodes published.

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  A People's History of Kansas City

  America's favorite popsicle: the Bomb Pop

  Jun 25, 202628 min

  Invented in Kansas City in 1955, the Bomb Pop is the ultimate shorthand for nostalgic Americana — a throwback to the simple days of ice cream trucks, July 4th fireworks and humid summer nights. But Mackenzie Martin reports that during the Cold War, some parents revolted over the symbolism of selling a red-white-and-blue frozen weapon of war to children. This episode of A People's History of Kansas City was reported, produced, and mixed by Mackenzie Martin with editing by Suzanne Hogan and Gabe Rosenberg.

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  A People's History of Kansas City

  Why Kansas City won the World Cup

  May 27, 202639 min

  Kansas City’s efforts to host the World Cup go back all the way to 1988. Now the tournament is finally here, after four years of preparations that not only reshaped the metro’s infrastructure, but also solidified its identity as a true soccer city. How did we land such a big event, and are we ready? Suzanne Hogan brings us the fourth installment of our mini-series on Kansas City’s soccer history. This episode of A People's History of Kansas City was reported, produced, and mixed by Suzanne Hogan with editing by Mackenzie Martin and Gabe Rosenberg. This is the final installment of a series leading up to the 2026 World Cup in collaboration with the Great Game Lab at Arizona State University, which explores how sport connects the us to the rest of the world, and the Us@250 Initiative at New America. Read and listen to the first installment, "The immigrants who made us a soccer city," the second installment, "Lamar Hunt and the dream of U.S. soccer," and the third instsallment, "How women made the U.S. a soccer powerhouse." If you know about a local champion of soccer in Kansas City who helped bring the city to this extraordinary moment, email us at peopleshistorykc@kcur.org

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  A People's History of Kansas City

  Carving Kansas City out from limestone

  Apr 29, 202638 min

  Bluffs up to 120 feet tall once hugged the Missouri River by Kansas City — making it difficult to traverse the landscape and expand the growing town. So in the mid-1800s, a Catholic priest named Father Bernard Donnelly recruited hundreds of Irish immigrants for a dangerous but critical task: sculpting the city's streets from mountains of rock and mud. KCUR's Jacob Smollen reports. This episode of A People's History of Kansas City was reported, produced, and mixed by Jacob Smollen with editing by Suzanne Hogan, Mackenzie Martin and Gabe Rosenberg.

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  A People's History of Kansas City

  How women made the U.S. a soccer powerhouse

  Mar 25, 202642 min

  With the Current’s trailblazing stadium, women’s soccer staked its claim as a vital part of Kansas City’s local identity. The women’s game is a central reason why this city will host the 2026 FIFA World Cup, and why the United States gets taken seriously in soccer at all. But after more than a century of prejudice, unequal funding and outright bans, fans don't take this dominance for granted. KCUR’s Suzanne Hogan brings us the third installment of our mini-series on Kansas City’s soccer history. This episode of A People's History of Kansas City was reported, produced, and mixed by Suzanne Hogan with editing by Mackenzie Martin and Gabe Rosenberg. This is the third installment of a series leading up to the 2026 World Cup in collaboration with the Great Game Lab at Arizona State University, which explores how sport connects the us to the rest of the world, and the Us@250 Initiative at New America. Read and listen to the first installment, "The immigrants who made us a soccer city," and the second installment, "Lamar Hunt and the dream of U.S. soccer." If you know about a local champion of soccer in Kansas City who helped bring the city to this extraordinary moment, email us at peopleshistorykc@kcur.org

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  A People's History of Kansas City

  Reclaiming the right to jaywalk

  Feb 17, 202627 min

  Kansas City, Missouri, became the first major city in the country to repeal its anti-jaywalking ordinance, after research found that tickets were being disproportionately issued to Black men. It’s a full-circle moment, because Kansas City was also the first city to criminalize jaywalking more than a century earlier. Mackenzie Martin reports in the second of our two-part series. This episode of A People's History of Kansas City was reported, produced, and mixed by Mackenzie Martin with editing by Suzanne Hogan and Gabe Rosenberg.

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