Accessibility links
Diversions Irrestible and odd stories from news, culture, sports, and literature. Subscribe to the Diversions RSS feed.

Diversions

Delicious Drinks For A Hot Summer Day

For many, Memorial Day weekend is the unofficial kickoff to enjoying great summer food. But after breaking out the grill and the tasty new recipes, you might also want to consider serving up the right beverage. Guest host Allison Keyes turns to wine enthusiast Callie Crossley, who runs the blog The Crushed Grape Report. Crossley shares the recipes for her favorite chilled beverages.

Delicious Drinks For A Hot Summer Day

Listen · 3:56
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/127217858/127217843" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Marking The Centennial Of Esperanto Creator's Visit

This weekend, advocates of the Esperanto language will meet in Washington, D.C., to mark the 1910 visit of the language's creator, L.L. Zamenhof. A hundred years ago, Esperanto was taken very seriously by important people in the nation's capital.

Marking The Centennial Of Esperanto Creator's Visit

Listen · 2:44
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/127118219/127119999" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Study: Depressed People Eat More Chocolate

Researchers say depressed people are more likely to eat a lot of chocolate than those without symptoms. According to the research, people who were depressed ate an average of 8.4 servings of chocolate per month, compared with 5.4 servings among those who were not.

Study: Depressed People Eat More Chocolate

Listen · 0:30
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/126299245/126299244" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Must-See Science: Videos From Science Friday

Studying Leaves With Physics And Fluorescent Dye

Leaves have an intricate web of veins that transport nutrients and water and provide structural support. But what determines the pattern of venation? Physicists Marcelo Magnasco and Eleni Katifori investigated this question using sophisticated algorithms and a little glow-in-the-dark dye.

Studying Leaves With Physics And Fluorescent Dye

Listen · 4:59
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/123651140/123651125" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
His Life Is All Wrapped Up

Adal Rifai sits in his friend Louie Saunders' apartment in Chicago, after wrapping Saunders' belongings while he was out of town. It took 16 people, 35 rolls of wrapping paper and eight hours to finish the job. John H. White/AP/Chicago Sun-Times hide caption

toggle caption
John H. White/AP/Chicago Sun-Times

His Life Is All Wrapped Up

This Christmas, Louie Saunders has hundreds of wrapped-up gifts. But they aren't exactly new. Friends from his improv troupe wrapped every single item in his apartment. His clothes, the bath mat — even a beer in his fridge. The elaborate prank required 35 rolls of wrapping paper and 16 comedians turned wrappers.

His Life Is All Wrapped Up

Listen · 0:29
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/121902260/121902259" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Planet Money Burger Story Takes The Cake

The people have spoken: According to NPR's online poll, the winner of Planet Money's 2nd annual "Iron Reporter" competition is Alex Blumberg, with a story about the guy behind the burger chain Five Guys' efforts to break into worldwide shopping malls. Here, his story.

Planet Money Burger Story Takes The Cake

Listen · 6:52
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/121880233/121880213" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
For Sale: 'Lost In Space' Robot Replicas

Mike Joyce has sold 53 robot replicas at $25,000 apiece. Mike Joyce/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Mike Joyce/NPR

For Sale: 'Lost In Space' Robot Replicas

As a child, Mike Joyce dreamed of two things: being an astronaut and owning his own robot from the show Lost in Space. Now, he makes and sells them at $25,000 a pop. Building the robot started as a hobby, and then selling these replica robots became a business. He's sold 53 so far.

For Sale: 'Lost In Space' Robot Replicas

Listen · 2:05
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/121837948/121853098" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Must-See Science: Videos From Science Friday

Paralyzing Worms With Light

Feed nematode worms a particular light-sensitive chemical and after the meal, the worms become paralyzed when exposed to UV light. Remarkably, the effects can be reversed under visible light, Neil Branda and colleagues report in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

Paralyzing Worms With Light

Listen · 3:21
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/121092283/121092273" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Groom Interrupts Wedding To Tweet

A recent wedding in Maryland was proceeding in the traditional way until it was time to kiss the bride. Then groom reached into his pocket for his cell phone to update both his Twitter and Facebook accounts — announcing his marriage. Tweeting completed, the minister concluded: "It's now official on Facebook. It's official in my book. You may kiss your bride."

Groom Interrupts Wedding To Tweet

Listen · 0:29
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/121081374/121081395" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Ig Nobel Prizes Salute Silly Science

The winners of this year's Ig Nobel Prizes include the inventor of underwear that doubles as an emergency gas mask, researchers who created diamonds from tequila, and more. The Igs honor research that "first, makes you laugh, then, makes you think," according to Marc Abrahams, the master of ceremonies and the editor of Annals of Improbable Research.

Ig Nobel Prizes Salute Silly Science

Listen · 47:12
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/120890870/120890752" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Goolsbee Is D.C.'s Funniest Celebrity

White House economic adviser Austan Goolsbee took home the top prize in the annual "D.C.'s Funniest Celebrity" contest last night. It was the 16th year for the contest.

Goolsbee Is D.C.'s Funniest Celebrity

Listen · 2:19
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/113405223/113410000" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Dad Catches Foul Ball; Daughter, 3, Tosses It Back

Part of the thrill of going to a baseball game is the chance to catch a foul ball, which Steven Monforto did at a Philadelphia Phillies game Tuesday night. But when he handed the ball to his 3-year-old daughter, she promptly tossed it back onto the field. Monforto reached down and hugged the girl — and the Phillies gave HIM another ball.

Dad Catches Foul Ball; Daughter, 3, Tosses It Back

Listen · 0:28
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/112910553/112910531" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wizard Wannabes: 'Potter' Park To Open In Spring

"Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" isn't a new J.K. Rowling book or film. It's a ride — or, rather, it will be when the "Wizarding World of Harry Potter," a section of Universal's Islands of Adventure theme park, opens in Orlando, Fla., next spring.

Wizard Wannabes: 'Potter' Park To Open In Spring

Listen · 4:14
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/112864636/112872627" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Must-See Science: Videos From Science Friday

Golfing In Space, Astronaut Included

The New York Hall of Science in Queens opened an unusual mini golf park this summer. Every hole illustrates a different scientific principle. Charles Camarda, a NASA engineer and former astronaut, agreed to play a round and explain some basic space science as he putted.

Golfing In Space, Astronaut Included

Listen · 4:03
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/112557412/112557395" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

From Dull To Droll: A Comic Makeover

Comic Judy Carter took it upon herself to find the most serious person she could and teach him to be funny. Her target: Capt. John Heinzel, who trains naval officers and cadets on the history of the Civil Engineer Corps.

From Dull To Droll: A Comic Makeover

Listen · 7:50
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/112526795/112502136" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Kayaking To A Different View Of The Rio Grande

Eric Ellman, executive director of Los Caminos del Rio, offers kayak trips down the Rio Grande. He's trying to change the way people see the river. His yellow lab, Buster, is a frequent companion. Peter Breslow/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Peter Breslow/NPR

Kayaking To A Different View Of The Rio Grande

The Rio Grande is far more than a border between the United States and Mexico, and it's more than a barrier to illegal immigrants and drug smugglers. To one man who lives in the borderlands, the river is a kayaker's paradise.

Kayaking To A Different View Of The Rio Grande

Listen · 5:43
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/106993934/111527046" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Browse archive or search npr.org