Curious Cbus

Black history in central Ohio is not confined to museum exhibits or distant landmarks. It’s woven into houses on quiet streets, classrooms on a busy campus and buildings that residents pass every day without a second thought.

In the years leading up to World War II, supporters of Adolf Hitler’s rise in Germany created an organization in the United States known as the German American Bund. Chapters formed across the country, including several in Ohio.

For nearly five decades, a glowing “Happy Holidays” message has appeared each winter on Nationwide’s downtown Columbus skyscraper, becoming a familiar seasonal sight for residents and visitors.

Ohio’s landscape is richly layered with Indigenous histories of trails and waterways, of ancient earthworks, and of resilient place names.

For 35 years, Dr. Timothy Moore of Grandview Heights amassed a collection of hundreds of items, including tricks and relics from magic greats like Harry Houdini.

At times when school levies and property tax relief are hot-button political issues, a persistent myth about Ohio Lottery profits and education tends to resurface. One listener asked WOSU’s "Curious Cbus," “Wasn’t the state lottery supposed to replace property taxes as a method of school financing?”

The "monolith" on Ohio Department of Transportation property looks like a small Washington Monument wearing a tin hat. It's part of a system that improves GPS accuracy.

El Salvador’s new consulate in Columbus, opened in June, is set to provide services to over 17,000 Salvadorans living in Ohio and Michigan. Guatemala has a consulate in the Eastland Area.

It’s been one year since a ransomware attack breached the city of Columbus’ cyber defenses leaking hundreds of thousands of people’s personal information to the dark web.

Central Ohio once had a thriving auto racing scene, sparking curiosity from a Curious Cbus viewer about Columbus’ rich motorsports history. Legendary racer and 1986 Indianapolis 500 winner Bobby Rahal shares how Columbus became home to vibrant grassroots racing, the Columbus 500 and helped launch national talent.