The Big Why

In 1916, four years before women nationwide won the right to vote, Montanans elected Jeannette Rankin to Congress. She served two nonconsecutive terms, retiring in 1943. Rankin was the first woman in the country – and...

Jew Mountain sits in rugged country on the BItterroot National Forest east of Painted Rocks Reservoir. One listener was curious about how the mountain got its name. The search for an answer revealed some family ties, a...

Have you had any unexpected bird sightings this winter? Maybe you saw birds in unexpected places or times. Or maybe birds you expected never showed up. You're not alone. Bird researchers – and an observant listener –...

"Harmonic rippling pattern" might seem like a description of the soothing sounds from a white-noise generator lulling you to sleep. That's close. But in this case, the noise machine is your car and the rippling pattern...

Pencils down! Does that phrase bring back some anxiety-inducing memories? What if, like in your bad dreams, it's an exam you haven't studied for? A listener wants to know why student test scores have stopped rising. The...

Elk are a familiar sight in much of Montana now, but that hasn't always been the case. By the early 1900s, unregulated hunting had led to massive declines in wildlife nationwide. But In Yellowstone, elk populations were...

If you’ve been to a taproom, you know that at most breweries across the state there’s a three pint limit and they stop serving at 8 p.m. One listener wants to know why. We've got answers. Pull up a stool, crack open a...

How do cabbage and spices become ingredients for community building? In Korea, the answer is kimjang, the fall tradition of making and sharing kimchi. This week on The Big Why, we visit a farm in the Bitterroot Valley...

In Montana, abortion access has been at times illegal, legal, and stuck in limbo. Providers have weathered bombings and arson, advocates and opponents have battled it out in court, and citizens have passed a...

A flag's primary purpose is to be recognized from a distance. That means few colors, no lettering and a clear distinction from other flags. Ideally, it should be simple enough for a child to draw it from memory. So, how...

This week on The Big Why, we’re exploring Montana’s 56 counties. A listener from Billings wants to know how they got their shapes. Finding the answer led MTPR's Austin Amestoy down a rabbit hole where he found a saga of...

This week: A second edition of "The Little Why," where we tackle questions from our younger listeners. Saddle up, grab the reins and ride along with us as we learn about wild horses in Montana.

The word "wildfire" often conjures dramatic images of walls of flame, charred landscapes and one particularly famous photo of elk in a river, surrounded by flames. So, how do wildlife fare during these big fires? This...

This week on The Big Why: A listener is curious about recyclables that don’t get recycled in Montana. Namely, why is plastic recycling so limited? "We're all encouraged to recycle. But when it comes right down to it...

Montana’s frontier days were stuffed with gold, greed and political corruption — and all three played a part in drawing the state’s western boundary with Idaho. A listener wants to know how that squiggly line came to...