Have you ever had a question about the Derby City that you just can't answer? That's where Curious Louisville comes in. Listeners submit their questions, the public votes on which questions to investigate, and 89.3 WFPL finds the answers.
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Interstate 65 has re-opened in Louisville, and it might be the end of an era for a certain notorious underpass. The Can Opener's emergence as a cult hero was a bright spot in an otherwise stressful couple of months for Louisville drivers, and we all had a lot of questions. Like, why is it so much lower than the average trailer? Why can't they raise it, or lower the road? And why, oh why do so many trucks get stuck under it, despite the number of warning signs? On this special edition of Curious Louisville, LPM's Giselle Rhoden and Laura Ellis try to unlock the many mysteries of the Louisville
Unless you’ve traveled through the area, you might not know there’s something very special about Springdale Road in northeast Louisville: over a hundred brightly-colored, signs with romantic messages. They range from homemade from scraps of wood to professionally printed on metal. Locals call it “Lovers Lane.” Dance instructor Lora Ruttan drives down Springdale all the time, wondering how this tradition started and what love stories might be behind the signs. On this episode of Curious Louisville, we go all the way back to the beginning.
Did you know that one team from the University of Louisville has been part of every NCAA men’s basketball Final Four since 1969? You won’t see them on the court, but look on the sidelines and you’ll spot a team of hardworking statisticians who learned from the best. David Isaacs was part of that team in ‘69. His son, Jesse Isaacs, knew he “had something to do with” basketball stats and the creation of a rulebook. He asked Curious Louisville to find out more about this little gem of Louisville history, and LPM’s Justin Hicks has the story.
The city of Louisville has a fleet of around 50 salt trucks, and when it snows, each can carry 10 tons of snow at a time to scatter on our roads and expressways. When the snow melts, most of us never have to think about that salt again. But Annie McCanless, a retired social studies teacher in the Crescent Hill neighborhood wondered, "Does the salt put on the street to melt the snow end up in the Ohio River? How does it affect the fish and water fowl?" On this episode of Curious Louisville, we find out.
Have you ever used the "places" feature in the Wikipedia app? It shows you interesting sites near your location. Michelle Kadikian, who lives in Old Louisville, used that feature while at home, and found fragments of information about a Civil War encampment called Taylor Barracks. There's not a lot of information about these buildings in the history books, but reaching them was a matter of life or death for thousands of formerly enslaved men. On this episode, we'll find out why.
When Sarah and Lowe Sutherland bought their house back in 2007, a friend of a friend told her a titillating story: "I was a paper boy on your street back in that during the war, and when I was delivering the papers, I saw that they arrested a German spy in the house that you just bought." The Sutherlands have wondered since then, is it true? LPM's Joe Sonka takes the case, on this episode of Curious Louisville.
It sits alongside a brick building in Louisville’s NuLu neighborhood. It’s a metal box, about the size of a dresser, or maybe a deep freezer, but a little taller. And it makes a beeping sound. Sort of an alarm, but so quiet you can't hear it until you're close to the box. It's been described as "quietly having a meltdown." Local lore says it's been beeping this way for years, and no one knows why. On this episode, a curious community member named Ben Falstrom joins LPM's Giselle Rhoden to find out more. Thanks to Mary Basso for submitting this question, and to BIGFAKE for creating the beeping
At the corner of Brook and Oak Streets in Old Louisville sits a building that started out as the duPont Manual Training High School, back in 1892. When Dan Trabue moved to the neighborhood around 25 years ago, he noticed something curious near the building's roofline: six round medallions, each with a face staring out over the neighborhood. "I was curious who they were and I couldn't really see them that well," Dan says. "I asked around a little bit and looked online, didn't find anything, and I've tried a couple times and then eventually gave up." Until he sent his question to Curious Louisvi
"Whose voice is that on the the walk sign at Douglass Loop and Bardstown Road? I go through that area quite a bit, and at some point I noticed that there was a voice, and that the voice didn't sound like they were from Louisville." That's what Dan Pike and many other people have been curious about over the years. So he sent his message to Curious Louisville, and LPM's Giselle Rhoden was up for the challenge. Have a burning question about our community? Visit curiouslouisville.org to share it, and we may help you answer yours next!
You may have seen it while driving down Lexington road, away from downtown, just before Headliners Music Hall. A retaining wall in the side of the hill... with a door in the middle. What's behind it? It's a question we get a lot at Curious Louisville. On this episode, Ashlie Stevens takes us behind the door. More Info
For fourteen years, Robert Miles has seen cars in ditches, in neighbor’s yards and in his own fencing that borders the boundary of the horse farm his family owns. He lives off Todds Point Road in Shelby County. “It’s horrific, you’re taking your life in your hands every time you go through,” Miles said of a particular curve in the road. Todds Point is an idyllic rural road going through horse country. But it’s narrow, and doesn’t have white outer edge lines that could help drivers stay on the road. Miles asked Curious Louisville: “Why do some roads have white outer lines and others don’t? What
The metric system never really caught on here in the USA ...except along one particular stretch of I-265.
Real cardinals don't... but Louie does.
Omar Khayyam was an 11th-century Persian poet, astronomer, mathematician, and all-around genius. But why is there a street named after him here in Louisville?
They never lived here, so why do they have a monument in Cave Hill Cemetery? Ashlie Stevens finds the answer, for listener Chuck Rogalinski.
Is it art? Is it crime? Whatever it is, it's part of your morning commute. Question from Joe Sullivan, reporting by Ryan Van Velzer.
Because the food is delicious! (But there's more to the story.)
Louisville is a city of neighborhoods. For a lot of people, where they live is a big part of their identity. And Curious Louisville listener Evan Patrick wondered about how one neighborhood developed an identity of its own. WFPL’s Ashlie Stevens looked into the answer.
Did The Champ really toss his medal into the river?
It was supposed to be Louisville’s answer to the St. Louis arch. But things didn't go as planned.
The Clark Memorial Bridge is being painted yellow. Curious Louisville listener Allan Steinberg wanted to know why, so Amina Elahi went looking for an explanation.
In a park off of River Road, nearly hidden by scrubby grass is a mystery: an about 50-foot wide stone circle marking long-ago infrastructure. This ring intrigued Curious Louisville listener Jim Turner, and he asked Curious Louisville: “I heard it was a wading pool administered by the Louisville Water Company in the late 1800's. Is that true?” WFPL's Erica Peterson went looking for the answers.
Shippingport Island -- in the middle of the Ohio River -- is gated off and a little mysterious. What's on it?
“A lot of people wonder if there’s someone in the house that actually operates the bridge."
What happens to Louisville’s recycling? In this installment of Curious Louisville, WFPL’s Energy & Environment Reporter Ryan Van Velzer visits the largest recycling center in Louisville to answer one of our most commonly asked questions.
