What's high-strung with pale skin and a world famous twang? Yes, it could be Al Gore. But actually, it's the Banjo! And how did such a curious instrument find its way out of the southern U.S. and into the ears of the entire world? (still meaning the banjo) Well, believe it or not, the inconvenient truth about this mainstay of American music parallels the history of the Nation itself. The basic design (a round chamber, covered by stretched skin plus a long neck and strings) traces back to the 13th century. By 1781, it was known in the southern colonies of America as a favorite instrument of the African slaves. Thomas Jefferson even wrote about the “banjars” on his plantation, likely built from gourds and four strings. Before long, musicians started making them with groundhog skins, and that endearing twang really started catching on. Just before the Civil War, a plucky Virginian named Joel Sweeney is said to have added the fifth string, earning him the title of The Banjo King. Everywhere his touring minstrel show went, people wanted more. When the distinctive sound arrived in the Midwest, Mark Twain called it, “a glad and stunning surprise.” Wyoming cowboys, California gold miners, and Texas circus goers agreed. So much, in fact, that by the turn of the Century, professional banjo entertainers were on the radio. More contemporary pickers like Uncle Dave Macon, Earl Scruggs, and Béla Fleck have carried the banjo into additional genres like bluegrass, country, jazz, and even classical.

Illuminating Moments in American History
From the accidental invention of the microwave to the love story of rubber gloves, these 68 shorts chronicle the history of unexpected American innovation.

Produced, written, and directed by Nathan Marsh. Art and Animation by Joel West and Isaac Windham. Sound by Scott Sprague. Narration by Carol Munse.