Special Collections

When Minnesota was a new state, thousands of settlers arrived, many of them from Europe. But in recent decades, the state has attracted large numbers of Hmong and Somali refugees.

On Aug. 1, 2007, the Interstate 35W bridge in Minneapolis collapsed into the Mississippi River during evening rush hour, killing 13 people and injuring more than 140. 

In 1961, Minnesota gained its first professional sports team when the Washington Senators moved to Metropolitan Stadium in Bloomington and became the Minnesota Twins.The team enjoyed relatively quick success, winning the American League pennant in 1965 behind the hitting of Tony Oliva and Harmon

In 1996 MPR News saw big changes coming to the world of digital technology, and figured listeners could use a daily guide to the new, rapidly changing landscape.

The Great Minnesota Get-Together, as the fair is also known, has been held every year with a few exceptions since 1859, the year after Minnesota became a state.

Minnesota Public Radio was founded in 1967 by Bill Kling and Colman Barry, president of St. John's University in Collegeville, Minn. After the first station, KSJR 90.1-FM, went on the air, Kling began building a statewide network.