Accessibility links
History History

History

Friday

Travis Jones: How Can White People Be Better Allies To People Of Color?

Travis Jones on the TED stage. TEDx Charlotte hide caption

toggle caption
TEDx Charlotte

TED Radio Hour

Travis Jones: How Can White People Be Better Allies To People Of Color?

Travis Jones examines the "codes of whiteness" that keep many people from engaging in conversations on race. He says white people need to take a more active role in confronting racism.

Travis Jones: How Can White People Be Better Allies To People Of Color?

Listen · 8:46
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/707193758/707708851" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

The Phoebus Cartel

Prior to 1924, the average lifespan of a light bulb was around 2,500 hours. But in December 1924, a global organization known as the Phoebus Cartel hatched a secret plan to increase sales by bringing the average bulb's lifespan down to just 1,000 hours. This began one of the first known examples of planned obsolescence. Al Barry/Three Lions/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Al Barry/Three Lions/Getty Images

Throughline

The Phoebus Cartel

Have you ever wondered why your smartphone or toaster oven doesn't seem to last very long, even though technology is becoming better and better? This week, in a special collaboration with Planet Money, we bring you the history of planned obsolescence – the idea that products are designed to break.

The Phoebus Cartel

Listen · 32:46
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/707188193/1200557339" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Thursday

'Time Is Running Out': Museum Curator In Florida Races To Preserve Holocaust Items

Peter Tarjan of Miami and his cat Jodi. Tarjan's grandparents and parents died in the Holocaust. The Holocaust Memorial Museum recently hired a full-time curator in South Florida to collect objects from Holocaust survivors to preserve history. Caitie Switalski/WRLN hide caption

toggle caption
Caitie Switalski/WRLN

'Time Is Running Out': Museum Curator In Florida Races To Preserve Holocaust Items

WLRN

Since Holocaust survivors are getting older and their stories are fading away, the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum is putting curators in regions where survivors live to preserve their memories.

'Time Is Running Out': Museum Curator In Florida Races To Preserve Holocaust Items

Listen · 4:28
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/688886161/705395204" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
The Border

Two armed American border guards deter a group of undocumented immigrants from attempting to cross a river from Mexico into the United States (1948). Keystone/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Keystone/Getty Images

Throughline

The Border

In February, President Trump declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border. Last year, he ordered thousands of National Guard troops to the border. Is this the first time an American president has responded with this level of force? In this week's episode, the history of militarization at the U.S.-Mexico border.

The Border

Listen · 14:07
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/704762322/1200557343" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

Friday

Thursday

'The Trial Of Lizzie Borden' Adds Fodder To The Murder Case's Mystery

Lizzie Borden is seen in this contemporary drawing at her trial with defense lawyer George D. Robinson. Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty Images

Review

Book Reviews

'The Trial Of Lizzie Borden' Adds Fodder To The Murder Case's Mystery

Who killed the Bordens more than 100 years ago remains unsolved. Like a lawyer, author Cara Robertson lays the facts and evidence before us, occasionally pointing towards the biases of the day.

The Moth

New Russian President Vladimir Putin takes the presidential oath on the Constitution of the Russian Federation in Moscow's Kremlin Palace on May 7, 2000. Former president Boris Yeltsin looks on during the inauguration ceremony after having resigned on December 31, 1999. AFP/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
AFP/Getty Images

Throughline

The Moth

Vladimir Putin has been running Russia since 2000 when he was first elected as President. How did a former KGB officer make his way up to the top seat — was it political prowess or was he just the recipient of a lot of good fortune? In this episode, we dive into the life of Vladimir Putin and try to understand how he became Russia's new "tsar."

The Moth

Listen · 32:57
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/702377680/1200557347" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

Unreal Sex

Kate Devlin, who studies human-computer interactions, says we're on the cusp of a sexual revolution driven by robotics and artificial intelligence. Angela Hsieh/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Angela Hsieh/NPR

Hidden Brain

Unreal Sex

From stone statues to silicone works of art, we have long sought solace and sex from inanimate objects. Time and technology have perfected the artificial lover: today we have life-size silicone love dolls so finely crafted they feel like works of art. Now, with the help of robotics and artificial intelligence, these dolls are becoming even more like humans. This week we talk with researcher Kate Devlin about the history of the artificial lover, and consider what love and sex look like in the age of robots.

Unreal Sex

Listen · 28:54
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/701632247/702385285" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Sunday

Archaeologists Find Trove Of Maya Artifacts Dating Back 1,000 Years

Archaeologist Ana Celis checks out an artifact. Courtesy of Karla Ortega hide caption

toggle caption
Courtesy of Karla Ortega

The Americas

Archaeologists Find Trove Of Maya Artifacts Dating Back 1,000 Years

The more than 200 artifacts were discovered in a previously sealed cave beneath the ancient Mexican city Chichén Itzá. Explorers had to crawl for hours to reach the archaeological materials.

Archaeologists Find Trove Of Maya Artifacts Dating Back 1,000 Years

Listen · 5:14
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/702017075/702069819" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">

Thursday

American Shadows

A man stands before the American Flag. Hokyoung Kim for NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Hokyoung Kim for NPR

Throughline

American Shadows

Conspiracy theories are a feature of today's news and politics. But they've really been a part of American life since its founding. In this episode, we'll explore how conspiracy theories helped to create the U.S. and how they became the currency of political opportunists.

American Shadows

Listen · 41:08
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/694463513/1200557351" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Amy Hunter: In What Ways Does Privilege Determine How "Lucky" We Are?

Amy Hunter on the TED stage. Laurie Waters hide caption

toggle caption
Laurie Waters

TED Radio Hour

Amy Hunter: In What Ways Does Privilege Determine How "Lucky" We Are?

How do zip codes indicate luck? Amy Hunter examines how where we live determines the resources and opportunities we receive—and how society is designed to keep some people from being "lucky."

Amy Hunter: In What Ways Does Privilege Determine How "Lucky" We Are?

Listen · 9:54
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/697808691/699112130" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript