You Again: John Banvard and the Moving Panorama

Louisville lays claim to many unique inventions:  chewing gum, the happy birthday song, and the cheeseburger, among others. But in a new occasional series called “You Again,” WFPL's Devin Katayama and Gabe Bullard look at another innovation that came out of our city.

The blockbuster motion picture was born in the 1840s, right here in Louisville, when John Banvard’s enormous hand-painted and hand-cranked moving panorama of the Mississippi River debuted on Third street, between Main and Market, at a place called the Apollo Saloon.  Listen above for the whole story.

(Another version of this story was printed in “The Paper.” )