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Tracing The Path is a 20th Century history podcast dedicated to exploring the connections between the defining stories of the twentieth century. Each episode follows surprising connections across time—linking world wars, political movements, cultural revolutions, iconic companies, unforgettable products and groundbreaking inventions. We uncover the forgotten figures behind history’s turning points, reveal how technology and popular culture reshaped society, and highlight the stories that textbooks overlook. Whether you’re passionate about modern history, fascinated by world events, or looking for a history podcast that brings the 20th century alive through storytelling, Tracing The Path is your guide to understanding the past that shaped our present.I'm Dan R Morris. I grew up with the greatest storytellers of the 20th century like Paul Harvey, Charles Kuralt, Charles Osgood and Garrison Keillor. And I absolutely loved the amazing stories they told about the people, places, companies, products and events of the 20th Century. Tracing the Path uncovers the hidden connections you would never know about the most iconic pop culture happenings of the 1900s. What you thought you knew, prepare to be amazed. And check out TracingThePath.com for the associated transcript, trivia/discussion questions, and glossary of key terms for every episode. We're proud to be the most listened to "Audio Hour" at assisted living and nursing homes around the world.

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The Conversation: The Popeye Ripple Effect

2026/10/28

In this "after the episode" conversation we're looking at some of the Wow! moments from the Popeye story. Did you know Superman couldn't fly in the first comic? We're talking about the amazing invention of the Rotoscope, Bluto vs Brutus, Captain Cook's tattoo discovery, story games vs points, Cab Calloway and much more.

The Popeye Ripple Effect

2026/09/30

The best selling video game of all time didn't come about by accident. There's an entire history that starts with playing cards and tattoos and corn cob pipes. The story crosses paths with the Ultrahand, Dennis the Menace, Thimble Theatre, Olive Oyl, Nintendo, Popeye, Fleischer Studios, William Randolph Hearst, Chester Illinois and Namco.

The Conversation: 1/2 Cup of American History

2026/09/21

We're looking at some of the wow moments from the last episode, and in discussing it we got a chance to connect Fannie Farmer, the 1896 Boston Cooking School Cookbook's definition of a Cup, Peavey, Junior League Cookbooks, Boone & Erickson Morning Show on WCCO Radio, the East Bank & West Bank at the University of MN, and of course St. Anthony Falls.

1/2 Cup of American History

2026/08/31

What can a recipe tell us about American history? A lot more than what’s for dinner. In this episode of Tracing the Path, we follow the American recipe from handwritten collections and community cookbooks to corporate test kitchens, radio programs, recipe contests, and the cards tucked inside kitchen boxes. Along the way, we’ll discover how recipes helped sell bananas, why suffragists published cookbooks, how a pincushion promotion helped create Betty Crocker, how Tupperware transformed the American kitchen, and how a second-place cake at the Pillsbury Bake-Off turned an obscure baking pan into an American icon. Because a recipe doesn’t just tell you how to make something. Look closely enough, and it can tell you what Americans were buying, what technology they had, how companies marketed to them, how women were identified, and even what was happening in the country at the time. It turns out you can teach a surprising amount of American history with just 1/2 cup.

The Conversation: Pepsi Cracked the Iron Curtain

2026/08/04

Today we're looking at some of the wow! moments from the Pepsi episode. Specifically we're going deeper on the Pepsi Refresh Superbowl campaign, Pepsi's Navy, the Marriott Loan and the time capsule that is a Pepsi Can Collection.

When Pepsi Cracked the Iron Curtain

2026/07/31

The Cold War wasn't fought only with missiles. It was also fought with supermarkets, television cameras, vodka, and a simple paper cup filled with Pepsi. This month, Tracing The Path follows the surprising chain of events that led an American soft drink behind the Iron Curtain—and a Russian vodka into American liquor stores. Along the way you'll discover the forgotten friendship between Russia and the United States, the invention of videotape by Ampex, the famous Kitchen Debate between Richard Nixon and Nikita Khrushchev, the 1959 American National Exhibition in Moscow, and the remarkable business deal that briefly made Pepsi the owner of the world's seventh-largest navy. It's the story of how commerce, technology, and ordinary consumer products accomplished what politics often could not. And why, decades later, Vladimir Putin chose to reverse nearly all of it.

The Hero at the Edge of the Map

2026/06/30

No matter what hero story you read or hear, the location it takes place will be in total alignment with the era it was written. And it has changed over time because society always pushes the hero to face the unknown at the edge of the map. In today's episode we cross paths with Homer, Daniel LaRusso, John Steinbeck, Edgar Rice Burroughs, George Lucas, HG Wells, Joseph Campbell, Shrek and Galileo.

One Step Leads to Another

2026/05/30

Today's episode is Part 3 of our Origin Story Series about the start of Tracing The Path. Today's story touches on Russia's Yuri Andropov, Mark Twain, Bram Stoker, Nicolae Ceaușescu the Austro Hungarian Empire, the University of Nebraska, Auschwitz, the Sound of Music and the concept of manifestation.

The Conversation: Yeltsin's Grocery Revolution

2026/05/02

In today's episode we discussion the evolution of grocery stores, as discussed in Episode 78. Life in Romania, automatic sliding doors, Walgreens lighting, Rachel's dads inventions and the plight of A&P.

Yeltsin's Grocery Revolution

2026/04/30

When Boris Yeltsin came to the United States in 1989 to speak, visit with the President and see the Statue of Liberty, his entire outlook on the world changed in one :20 minute moment. But it wasn't NYC or Miami or President Bush. It was Randall's Grocery Store in Webster Texas. This is the story of the history of that moment. In this episode we cross paths with Marjorie Merriwether Post, IBM, Spectra-Physics, Wrigley's Gum, James J. Hill, Clarence Saudners, Williams Leslie Maxson, Boris Yeltsin and Grape Nuts.

The Conversation: World's Best Music

2026/04/01

Are those really the world's most famous tunes? Rachel and I discuss the "easter eggs" of the show, whether they are songs and more ludicrousness. Foreigner, Twinkle Twinkle, Happy Birthday . . . what do you think?

The World's Most Famous Music

2026/03/29

Can you believe the world's most famous music is 3,000 years old? Not necessarily from the first note written, but from the idea that created it. In this episode we cross paths with Thomas Edison, Stanley Kubrick, Walt Disney, The Lone Ranger, Richard Strauss, Johannes Brahms, Charles Darwin, The Who, Edvard Grieg, Peer Gynt, Freidrich Schiller and Friedrich Nietzche and many more.

The Conversation: The Real Forrest Gump

2026/03/11

We're taking "the cutting room floor" to a new level. Rachel and I go over all the stories we couldn't fit into "The Real Forrest Gump" story. Enjoy this new series and a full conversation, including Josh Norton: The Emperor of the United States.

The Real Life Forrest Gump

2026/03/01

Before there was a movie, there was a man who lived it. We all know the story of the accidental hero who wandered through history, rubbing elbows with presidents and changing the world by mistake. But what if that story wasn't fiction? In this episode, we trace the impossible footsteps of a figure who defined the 19th century. Follow the journey of a man who: Survived the rugged Oregon Trail during the height of the expansion. Navigated the treacherous Mississippi as a high-stakes steamboat captain. Chased a fortune as a silver and gold miner in the wild West. Crossed the Atlantic Ocean six times, becoming one of the first true global celebrities. Revolutionized modern life by inventing and patenting the everyday bra strap clasp. He wasn't just a witness to history—he was the one writing it. Join us as we peel back the layers of a life so cinematic, it’s hard to believe he was ever real. You might think you know who we’re talking about, but the final destination is a name you’d never expect to find sitting on that bench.

The Gilded Age: First March on Washington D.C.

2026/01/30

In 1894 Jacob Coxey decided to take thousands of unemployed and March on Washington. Well, that was just the prequel to 1964 March for Civil Rights. But it's how A. Philip Randolph was indoctrinated to the idea. And crazily this store involves both Mark Twain and Jack London, in addition to Pullman Porters, the Ferris Wheel, Eugene V Debs, the May Day Riots, Frederick Douglass, and even the Statue of Liberty.

Podcast reviews

Read Tracing The Path: The Connected 20th Century podcast reviews

5 out of 5

17 reviews

★★★★★

Front Porch Ideas 2024/01/20

Each Episode Amazes

Dan’s storytelling and research skills are simply put amazing. We’ve listened to nearly every podcast and marvel at the ways in which Dan reveals how ...

★★★★★

Cody z Nowego ddldd 2023/09/04

Story Telling at its Finest

This podcast is well-researched and tells the stories that comprise what it means to be human. Triumph. Perseverance. Tragedy. Inhumanity. Opportuni...

★★★★★

Klmey2 2023/07/26

I’ve been watching you on Cathy’s channel!

Decided to check out your 1st podcast and it’s about Oregon Trail!!! I was born and raised in St Paul, MN since 77 (you do the math 😅) and my favorit...

★★★★★

Kael, Omaha 2021/12/18

Everything is connected

I would love to have this job! But so glad Dan R. Morris does. Just finished the latest on Charlie Brown’s Christmas. What a trip through time and spa...

★★★★★

NewbyDood 2021/11/14

Weaving Together What We Never Thought Possible

Dan R Morris takes to time to weave history together in a way I've never heard. No man is an island; and Tracing the Path proves the theory by connect...

★★★★★

T&H Morris 2019/09/03

Wonderful!

Dan, you have an amazing gift of story telling! So perfect for my morning jog today. I’ll never think about Curious George the same way again! Keep u...

★★★★★

Rachel Finding Joy 2019/09/02

Be inspired

In a world of so many new things that we take for granted it's inspiring and motivating to hear how what we love came to be. Great!

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