A government bureaucrat builds a website that saves a billion gallons in gas. The minuscule Irish invention that enables the industrial revolution. An innovation for doctor’s gloves kicks off women’s liberation. An ill wind leads to America being stuck with the gallon forever.

On this episode, we present a series of small “nudges” (but not actual nudges) that have had profound impacts for the environment… or maybe not the environment, maybe just generally.

Head to our website and vote on your favorite!

A cold front marching through the region pushes scattered showers and a few thunderstorms eastward across Wisconsin through Monday morning and into the afternoon. Rain chances return from the south overnight and spill into a wet Tuesday.

Dense fog is expected early Wednesday morning, reducing visibility to less than one-quarter of a mile at times. Spotty sunshine will break through with mainly dry conditions. A pleasant warming trend will follow with temperatures reaching the mid-50s by Friday.

A major November snow system has dumped tremendous snow in Colorado. The same system brings mainly rain to Minnesota this weekend.

Cloudy skies are expected, with intermittent showers and drizzle from this afternoon through Sunday morning. Temperatures will remain at or above seasonal averages.

We’ll have another day of cool sunshine Tuesday. The next system will develop rain showers for Wednesday. Temperatures will be warming up by Friday and Saturday. 

President Robert J. Zimmer and Northwestern president discuss safe spaces and discourse on campus

In Q&A, Asst. Prof. Kathleen Belew discusses research on white power movements

Prof. Howard Nusbaum explains audio phenomenon

Behavioral economist Sendhil Mullainathan to join Booth faculty as University Professor

Prof. Aziz Huq discusses legal implications of Trump's demand to investigate FBI or DOJ

Prof. W.J.T. Mitchell writes book on cultural depictions of dinosaurs

Asst. Clinical Prof. Claudia Flores discusses report on abuse of immigrant children

In performance at the Walker, the singer-dancer-composer will explore the 'mystery and beauty' of the original primal instrument.

Rosanne Cash's latest album, "She Remembers Everything," cuts a path through gun violence, sexism and the relentless march of time. "There's no point in hedging my bets about what I write about anymore," she says.

The singer-songwriter's latest album, "Black Cowboys," chronicles the role played by African-Americans in settling the West after the Civil War. The album has been nominated for a Grammy.

In 2017, the Fyre Music Festival was billed as an exclusive event in the Bahamas. The reality was very different. Director Chris Smith tells the behind-the-scenes story in a new Netflix documentary.

The breakout song from Disney's "Frozen" has inspired many marginalized groups -- but its message of rejecting stigma holds special resonance for disabled people and their families.

The mayor of Cremona, Italy, blocked traffic during five weeks of recording and asked residents to please keep quiet so master musicians could play four instruments -- note by note -- for posterity.

Born 100 years ago today, Nat King Cole topped the charts year after year, sold more than 50 million records, pushed jazz piano in a new direction and paved the way for later generations of performers.

Dick Dale, whose pounding, blaringly loud power-chord instrumentals on songs like "Miserlou" and "Let's Go Trippin'" earned him the title "King of the Surf Guitar," has died at age 81.

Researchers exposed cheese to different genres of music for 24 hours a day over six months to find out that hip-hop might create the tastiest cheese.

Nipsey Hussle, a respected rapper who earned a Grammy nomination this year for his major-label debut, was fatally shot outside his clothing store, authorities said.

The world-renowned cellist brought his Bach Project to the sister cities of Laredo, Texas, and Nuevo Laredo, Mexico, on Saturday.

Chief organist Olivier Latry shares recordings of music played on Notre Dame Cathedral's famed organ — and looks ahead to the church's extensive renovation process after the fire on April 15.

The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra is facing a loss of corporate funding and will stop sponsoring a contemporary chamber music series and pre-concert discussions starting next season.

Fifteen years ago, Sam Miltich was a teenager on top of the world. He taught himself how to play jazz guitar growing up in the woods outside Grand Rapids. And he got so good that at 18 he played in Europe and New York. Then, four years later, something happened that made it hard for Miltich to comprehend living, much less making a living playing jazz.

Nearing 80, the solo artist has a new album out. Decades after she brought a gospel score to the civil rights movement with The Staple Singers, she remains hopeful in her enduring mission for change.

The magic of Robyn's millennial anthem is its bait and switch: It's a fun, energetic dance song about being lonely and heartbroken. And yet, the minute you hear it, you instantly feel less alone.

The Cinema Cop used scenes from "Breaking Bad" to add up the time Walter White would spend in prison if he were ever charged for his crimes.

Lord Vinheteiro performed a piano composition highlighting the musical evolution of Polish composer Frédéric Chopin from ages 7 through 39.

The Wiser Way explained the overarching concept of cognitive distortion, an "all or nothing" way of thinking and how to break its cycle.

Mark Cannataro created an adorably chilling mashup that places Super Mario Bros. into the halls of The Overlook Hotel from 'The Shining'.

Abe Kugielsky shot footage of Hasidic people trying to cross the street in Williamsburg during the 2024 New York City Marathon.

A Chilean firefighter captured amazing yet terrifying POV footage of a highly destructive house fire on his GoPro.

French artist JR gave a wonderfully detailed tour of the L’Observatoire Suite he designed for the Venice Simplon Orient Express.

Natalie Darwitz and Krissy Wendell of Minnesota are now both members of the Hockey Hall of Fame, as part of the 2024 inductees in the player category on Monday night.

Lucas Bellamy had been in jail for three days in July 2022 when he died of an infection after suffering a perforated intestine. A lawsuit filed in January said jail staff were deliberately indifferent to his son's obviously-worsening symptoms.

The Minnesota Twins will promote Derek Falvey to president of baseball and business operations and Jeremy Zoll to general manager as part of a front office succession plan initiated by current club president Dave St. Peter’s move into a strategic adviser role. 

Wrestler Gable Steveson, who won a gold medal at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, is coming out of retirement. Steveson will compete for the University of Minnesota for a fifth and final season. 

Paul Tosto applauded, supported, defended, and created a fair amount of the material that found its way onto these pages, and he did so without getting or needing attention. At least until today.

NewsCut was born from an idea that started with a hurricane. We knew he'd be great -- as long as no one called him a blogger.

Here's what it's like to fly with Bob Collins in a plane he built.

Collins vowed to not write a goodbye post. We're not sure if's staying true to that, so here comes old friend Tom Weber "to sing a little on behalf of a friend who’s made immeasurable contributions to MPR and Minnesota."

Being a member of the MPR News staff for a little over a year, and located outside of the St. Paul office, I’ve only had the privilege to observe the NewsCut magic as many readers have, with interactions through emails and reading Bob Collins’ words. But the one time I got to meet Bob in…

It’s an unmistakable sound. One that elicits memories, sights and scents of events long ago. It recalls the joy of youth, the possibility of a spring evening. But it can also incite insomnia and the blind rage that accompanies it.

Black and Latino voters moved toward Republican Donald Trump in this year's presidential election, and some of the biggest shifts were among men under age 45, and that helped expand his margin over Democrat Kamala Harris. 

County officials say a damaged or uncleared memory card did not fully collect and transmit results from some mail-in ballots to the Minnesota Secretary of State's office on election night. That led to the state website displaying inaccurate unofficial results for Sherburne County.

Donald Trump is naming longtime adviser Stephen Miller, an immigration hard-liner, to be the deputy chief of policy in his new administration. The announcement was first reported by CNN on Monday.