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Thursday

ZOMBIES

Released in 1932, White Zombie was the first film in the zombie genre. LMPC/Getty Images hide caption

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LMPC/Getty Images

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ZOMBIES

Zombies have become a global phenomenon — there have been at least ten zombie movies so far this year. Which made us wonder, where did this fascination for the undead come from? This week, how one of our favorite monsters is a window into Haiti's history and the horrors of slavery.

ZOMBIES

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Saturday

Opinion: How Will We Remember Migrants Who Suffer, Strive And Risk Their Lives?

Police and forensic officers investigate a truck and refrigerated trailer where 39 bodies were discovered in Thurrock, England. Leon Neal/Getty Images hide caption

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Opinion

Simon Says

Opinion: How Will We Remember Migrants Who Suffer, Strive And Risk Their Lives?

NPR's Scott Simon ruminates about news of 39 people found dead in a trailer in Essex, U.K., and why people would risk their lives for that journey.

Opinion: How Will We Remember Migrants Who Suffer, Strive And Risk Their Lives?

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Thursday

The Dark Side Of The Moon

A 46-foot, 14-ton captured German V-2 rocket is launched during a test firing at White Sands Proving Grounds, near Las Cruces, New Mexico, in May 1946. The long-range liquid-fuel rocket was developed by German engineer Wernher von Braun, who in September 1945 came to the U.S. as a technical adviser to the United States Army's missile program. ASSOCIATED PRESS hide caption

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ASSOCIATED PRESS

Throughline

The Dark Side Of The Moon

50 years ago the world watched as man first landed on the moon, an incredible accomplishment by the engineers and scientists of NASA. But what if some of those same engineers and scientists had a secret history that the U.S. government tried to hide? This week, the story of how the U.S. space program was made possible by former Nazis.

The Dark Side Of The Moon

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Wednesday

In Puerto Rico, The Days Of Legal Cockfighting Are Numbered

From left, José Yadiel Torres, 10, Lizmary Rivera, 29, José Torres, 38, and twins Janniela and Jamiléth Torres, 9, pose for a family portrait in their house in Utuado. The rooster, the family's most prized bird, is named Matatoro. Erika P. Rodrí­guez for NPR hide caption

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Erika P. Rodrí­guez for NPR

Code Switch

In Puerto Rico, The Days Of Legal Cockfighting Are Numbered

A congressional ban on the sport was a victory for animal rights activists, but on the island, many say that cockfighting is part of their culture — and they're willing to take the sport underground.

Sunday

A Reporter's Story About Slavery Leads To A Shocking Discovery About Her Roots

A team from USA TODAY met with village leaders in Kalandula, Angola, while on a trip this summer to chronicle Wanda Tucker's trip to Angola, where she believes her ancestors once lived. From left: Jarrad Henderson, Deborah Barfield Berry; village leaders, including Antonio Manuel Domingos; Kelley Benham French and Nichelle Smith. Courtesy of Deborah Barfield Berry hide caption

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Courtesy of Deborah Barfield Berry

A Reporter's Story About Slavery Leads To A Shocking Discovery About Her Roots

Reporter Deborah Barfield Berry was part of a team tasked with telling the story of 1619, the year the first slaves arrived in America. Ultimately, Berry's reporting took her on a very personal trip.

A Reporter's Story About Slavery Leads To A Shocking Discovery About Her Roots

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Thursday

A Borrowed Time

The official handover ceremony that marked Britain's return of Hong Kong to China. The event marked the end of 156 years of British colonial rule over the territory. PAUL LAKATOS/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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PAUL LAKATOS/AFP/Getty Images

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A Borrowed Time

Over the past six months, demonstrations in Hong Kong have increasingly become more violent and more determined. What started out as a protest against a proposed extradition law has now become a call for China to recognize Hong Kong's semi-autonomy. But what is at the root of this tumultuous relationship between Hong Kong and China? This week, how Hong Kong became one of the most important, and most contested, cities in the world.

A Borrowed Time

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Wednesday

McConnell Prepares Senate For Trump Impeachment Trial As Inquiry Escalates

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., speaks with the media Wednesday after the Senate Policy Luncheon on Capitol Hill. McConnell said a Trump impeachment trial could begin by Thanksgiving. Jose Luis Magana/AP hide caption

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Jose Luis Magana/AP

Trump Impeachment Inquiry

McConnell Prepares Senate For Trump Impeachment Trial As Inquiry Escalates

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell said a Trump impeachment trial could begin by Thanksgiving. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi insisted the timeline was pegged to the investigation, not a date.

Monday

National

The Movement For Indigenous Peoples' Day

In the U.S., Columbus Day is a federal holiday in honor of the Italian navigator Christopher Columbus—and it's a day of Italian-American celebration. But not everyone is on board with celebrating Columbus. His colonization led to the bloodshed of Indigenous people and while he did arrive to the Americas, he never set foot in North America. Over the past few decades, there has been a growing movement to officially replace the holiday with a day of recognition for Indigenous people. Latino USA explores the movement to change the holiday, and pays a visit to one of the latest states to make Indigenous Peoples' Day official: Maine.

The Movement For Indigenous Peoples’ Day

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Thursday

The Commentator

Raphael's 'The School of Athens'. On the far left is Ibn Rushd, commonly known as Averroes, in a green robe and yellow turban. Universal History Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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The Commentator

Today the foundations of philosophy are seen as a straight line from Western antiquity, built on thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle. But, between the 8th century and 14th century, the West was greatly overshadowed by the Islamic world and philosophy was in very different hands. This week, how one Medieval Islamic philosopher put his pen to paper and shaped the modern world.

The Commentator

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Sunday

The Story Of José Feliciano's World Series Guitar

José Feliciano performs in the late 1960s. RCA Records/Getty Images hide caption

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Music

The Story Of José Feliciano's World Series Guitar

NPR's Michel Martin speaks to comedian Aasif Mandvi, host of the Lost at The Smithsonian podcast, about the history behind the guitar Jose Feliciano used to perform at the 1968 World Series.

The Story Of José Feliciano's World Series Guitar

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Friday

Diahann Carroll, Groundbreaking Television And Broadway Star, Dead At 84

This 1972 file image shows singer and actress Diahann Carroll. Carroll passed away Friday at her home in Los Angeles after a long bout with cancer. She was 84. Jean-Jacques Levy/AP hide caption

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Jean-Jacques Levy/AP

Obituaries

Diahann Carroll, Groundbreaking Television And Broadway Star, Dead At 84

Carroll is remembered as the first black actress to depict a non-stereotypical character on television on NBC's Julia, which debuted in 1968. She was also a Tony winner and Oscar nominee.

Before He Animated For Disney, He Sketched Cartoons In An Internment Camp

Willie Ito at his home studio in Los Angeles in the late 1970s. Courtesy of Willie Ito hide caption

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Courtesy of Willie Ito

StoryCorps

Before He Animated For Disney, He Sketched Cartoons In An Internment Camp

As a child, Willie Ito spent nearly three years in a Japanese American internment camp. At StoryCorps, he tells his son how he went from doodling on Sears catalogs to animating for Walt Disney.

Before He Animated For Disney, He Sketched Cartoons In An Internment Camp

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Thursday

High Crimes And Misdemeanors

The impeachment trial of President Andrew Johnson in the Senate on March 13, 1868. The House approved 11 articles of impeachment against Andrew Johnson. After a 74-day Senate trial, the Senate acquitted Johnson on three of the articles by a one-vote margin each and decided not to vote on the remaining articles. Library of Congress/Getty Images hide caption

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High Crimes And Misdemeanors

When Andrew Johnson became president in 1865, the United States was in the middle of one of its most volatile chapters. The country was divided after fighting a bloody civil war and had just experienced the first presidential assassination. We look at how these factors led to the first presidential impeachment in American history.

High Crimes And Misdemeanors

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Wednesday

Gandhi Is Deeply Revered, But His Attitudes On Race And Sex Are Under Scrutiny

Indian spiritual and political leader Mohandas Gandhi circa 1935. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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World

Gandhi Is Deeply Revered, But His Attitudes On Race And Sex Are Under Scrutiny

He has been called racist, sexist and not manly enough. But the spiritual and political leader — who would have turned 150 on Wednesday — is deeply revered in India and around the world.

Gandhi Is Deeply Revered, But His Attitudes On Race And Sex Are Under Scrutiny

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