A new ongoing feature series from New Hampshire Public Radio will explore some of the unique moments in time, inventions and accomplishments that first were created, launched or happened in the Granite State.
“New Hampshire Firsts” will explore many of the ‘firsts’ the state can lay claim to, including the first free libraries in the country, the first state constitution, and the first women’s strike.
“New Hampshire may be best-known for its ‘first in the nation’ primary status, but dig a little deeper and there are all kinds of fascinating events, accomplishments and natural phenomena that developed here,” said Erika Janik, Executive Producer of the NH Firsts series for NHPR. “I’m a recent transplant to the Granite State, and it’s been fun for me to learn more about my new surroundings by tracing some of these cultural quirks or historical firsts. We hope the stories will delight both longtime and newer residents, as there are certainly many achievements to take pride in.”
Some of the fun facts the series will potentially explore include: the first paintball game took place in New Hampshire (Henniker, 1981); New Hampshire was the first U.S. state to plant potatoes (Londonderry, 1719); and the state can boast the first American in space (Alan Shepard, born in Derry, 1923 and sent into space, 1961).
NH Firsts will run during NHPR’s “Word of Mouth” program Saturday mornings at 11 on NHPR. The series will run every week, and can also be accessed online here.
The series continues NHPR’s commitment to gathering and sharing New Hampshire-related stories and content. Also via Word of Mouth, the ongoing feature “Only in NH” lets listeners and online readers submit questions about the quirks or observations they’ve made about living in New Hampshire.
Another series – Radio Field Trips – launched this spring during Morning Edition. The feature takes listeners out on the road, connecting with community members and traveling to events and places that may surprise even the most seasoned Granite State road-tripper. And this past January, NHPR’s newsroom launched a series called The Balance, exploring the cost of living in New Hampshire and the benefits and tradeoffs of settling down in the state.
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About NHPR
Since 1981, NHPR has shaped the media landscape in the Granite State and beyond. Our mission is “Expanding minds, sparking connections, building stronger communities.” NHPR is broadcast from 14 different sites, making it by far New Hampshire’s largest (and only) statewide radio news service. Every week, NHPR is the choice of more than 177,000 listeners as a primary source of in-depth and intelligent news coverage, with thousands more viewing NHPR.org and NHPR social media sites. Each day, New Hampshire Public Radio delivers several hours of local news reported by its award-winning news team. Locally-produced programs include The Exchange, Word of Mouth, The Folk Show, Outside/In, Civics 101, and numerous podcasts. NHPR is the exclusive outlet for NPR News in the Granite State and broadcasts national weekly programs such as The Moth Radio Hour, Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!, and This American Life.
