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Friday

Books

People ... People Who Eat People

In her book Dinner With a Cannibal, writer Carole Travis-Henikoff documents the long — and often hidden — history of cannibalism in humans. Travis-Henikoff notes that cannibalism wasn't always taboo, whether it be eating loved ones out of respect or eating enemies out of disdain.

People ... People Who Eat People

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Technology

Happy Birthday, Internet

On Oct. 29, 1969, around 10:30 P.M., a message from one computer was sent over a modified phone line to another computer hundreds of miles away. Some say the Internet was born that day. UCLA computer scientist Leonard Kleinrock, who was there, gives his account.

Happy Birthday, Internet

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Thursday

'Lo' And Behold: A Communication Revolution

Charley Kline (left), working at UCLA, sent the first transmission over ARPANET to Bill Duvall at the Stanford Research Institute. Guy Raz/NPR hide caption

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Guy Raz/NPR

The Net At 40

'Lo' And Behold: A Communication Revolution

The Internet began with a whimper, not a bang. And not everyone agrees on when that whimper occurred. But 40 years ago Thursday, the first communication over a computer network called ARPANET was sent — a message that said simply "lo."

'Lo' And Behold: A Communication Revolution

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Sunday

Author Interviews

Booker Prizewinner Mantel Tells The Story Of Henry VIII

Liane Hansen talks with author Hilary Mantel, this year's winner of the Man Booker Prize for Fiction. Her novel, Wolf Hall, tells the story of the reign of England's King Henry VIII and the subsequent ushering in of the Reformation — all through the eyes Thomas Cromwell, the king's adviser for almost a decade.

Booker Prizewinner Mantel Tells The Story Of Henry VIII

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Saturday

Mystery Endures: Remains Found Not Those Of Artist

Everett Ruess, a legendary Utah explorer, writer and artist, has been missing for 75 years. Earlier this year, it seemed the cold case had been solved when human remains found in the Utah desert apparently tested positive as his. But doubts lingered, and now the mystery of the missing artist lives again.

Mystery Endures: Remains Found Not Those Of Artist

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Strange News

Final Dispatches Show U.K. Ambassadors' Snarky Side

British ambassadors have long had a tradition of unleashing vicious torrents of insults about their foreign posts — in official documents bound for 10 Downing St. These letters, uncovered by the BBC for a documentary radio series, reveal the candid side of British diplomacy.

Final Dispatches Show U.K. Ambassadors' Snarky Side

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Friday

Remembering The Great Depression's Sunny Side
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Economy

Remembering The Great Depression's Sunny Side

The Great Depression wasn't just bread lines and soup kitchens. Some people actually made out pretty well during that era, which left its unforgettable stamp on American food, music and culture.

Remembering The Great Depression's Sunny Side

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Thursday

Sweet Honey In The Rock Returns With 'Grace'

Members of Sweet Honey in the Rock perform with The Alvin Ailey Dance Theater in Hope Boykin's Go in Grace. Paul Kolnik hide caption

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Paul Kolnik

Studio Sessions

Sweet Honey In The Rock Returns With 'Grace'

The Grammy Award-winning a cappella group returns to NPR to perform songs from Go in Grace, its new collaboration with the Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater.

Sweet Honey In The Rock Returns With 'Grace'

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Monday

World

Lessons Learned In Vietnam Applied To Afghanistan

President Obama says Afghanistan is not Vietnam, but some are arguing that we're facing a "Vietnam moment" there. Steve Coll, author of Ghost Wars, and Neil Sheehan, author of A Bright Shining Lie, talk about the parallels between the two wars, and the path ahead.

Lessons Learned In Vietnam Applied To Afghanistan

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Saturday

Analysis

Author Interviews

One Battle Ensured U.S. Return To Iraq, Author Says

On a single day in Feb. 1991, an American Army squadron defeated an elite Iraqi brigade almost twice as large in what is now regarded as the largest U.S. Army tank battle since World War II. To history buffs, the "Battle of 73 Easting" is legendary. To the man who led the squadron, the battle was a omen of things to come.

One Battle Ensured U.S. Return To Iraq, Author Says

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Wednesday

Politics

Historian Wrestles With 'The Clinton Tapes'

Taylor Branch's book, The Clinton Tapes, documents dozens of private interviews with the former president. Political Junkie Ken Rudin joins Branch to talk about the Clinton years, and stories heating up in political circles.

Historian Wrestles With 'The Clinton Tapes'

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Tuesday

Founding Fathers Faced Health Care Revolt, Too

In an article for the Boston Globe, "A Pox on You," Andrew Wehrman reveals that the current national debate on health care is nothing new. The founding fathers debated their own health care regulations — and faced a revolt — some 200 years ago.

Founding Fathers Faced Health Care Revolt, Too

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Saturday

Author Interviews

Delayed Justice A Salve For Mississippi's Wounds?

Forty-five years ago, the bodies of two young black men turned up, brutally mangled, in a tributary of the Mississippi River. In a new book, author Harry MacLean explores the trial of reputed Klansman James Ford Seale for the murders decades later — and Mississippi's continued struggle with its racial history.

Delayed Justice A Salve For Mississippi's Wounds?

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Living The Life Of The 'American Jouster'

Modern jousters often adopt the names and colors of actual Renaissance knights. Ripper Moore, a 14-year veteran of the circuit, jousts as Sir Henry Clifford, Second Earl of Cumberland, and wears his coat of arms. Courtesy Jacki Lyden hide caption

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Courtesy Jacki Lyden

Performing Arts

Living The Life Of The 'American Jouster'

What valorous sentiment lurks in the heart of the American jouster? What drives our modern-day knights to bash each other with heavy wooden lances? In 100 pounds of armor? On a 2,000-pound horse, moving something like 20 mph?

Living The Life Of The 'American Jouster'

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