History Alive is a program of first-person portrayals of historical figures by presenters who have conducted scholarly research on their character. Sarah Colley was touring with a theater company when she created the down home character of Minnie Pearl to help promote performances. Her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry in 1940 was a success and eased fears that her satire of rural ways might not be appreciated by country audiences. People instead embraced Minnie and she became a legend in country entertainment.