AZ: The History of Arizona podcast

Episodes 257: Refrigeration Cooling Has Transformed Phoenix

The 1950s was a period of explosive growth and development for Arizona, especially for Phoenix, which not only rapidly expanded its population, but city boundaries and economy. But the unsung hero of this development was the one thing that makes the desert a tolerable place to live - air conditioning.

Episode 256: A Very Old Dream

The Central Arizona Project became a reality within our lifetimes and today delivers water to Maricopa and Pinal counties. But the genesis for such an idea actually goes back nearly a century. And the real fight to get the thing built would start in the latter end of the 1940s, as Carl Hayden made it his mission to bring Colorado River water to central Arizona.

Episode 255: Right to Work

In 1946, organized labor in Arizona managed a critical victory against Phelps Dodge in Clifton-Morenci. Oddly enough, that same year, unions would be dealt an existential loss as voters enshrined right to work in the state constitution.

Episode 254: The Card-Room Putsch

Starting in 1942, Phoenix’s leading businessmen and citizens decided that something had to be done about local government. Their efforts over the next seven years would completely revamp how the state capital was governed, and also help kick off the political career of one of the most famous of all Arizonans.

Episode 253: I Was a Radical

Following the end of the war, Black, Mexican and Amerindian veterans returned home to find that, despite being treated as fully American during their service, the nation tried to treat them as second-class citizens. It didn’t take too long for these veterans to decide they were not going to tolerate that.