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Friday

Remembering The Race To The South Pole

In 1911, two groups of explorers set out to be first to reach the South Pole. One claimed victory, and the other perished on the return trip. Ross MacPhee of the American Museum of Natural History and polar explorer John Huston discuss these scientific pioneers.

Remembering The Race To The South Pole

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Tuesday

The Americas

Marielitos' Stories, 30 Years After The Boatlift

In April of 1980, Cuban leader Fidel Castro declared the Port of Mariel open, permitting Cubans to freely depart for the U.S. In the next six months, an estimated 125,000 Cubans arrived in a massive wave on American shores. "Marielitos" remember their journeys on the 30th anniversary of the Mariel Boatlift.

Marielitos' Stories, 30 Years After The Boatlift

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Monday

Sunday

National Museum Home To Black Heroes And Foes

Maj. Peter L. Robinson served in WWI and taught in Washington, D.C., schools for 40 years. Some of his WWI possessions have been collected by the National Museum of African American History and Culture, opening in 2015. Courtesy Smithsonian Institution hide caption

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Courtesy Smithsonian Institution

Race

National Museum Home To Black Heroes And Foes

There's still nearly five years to go before the National Museum of African American History and Culture opens its doors in Washington, D.C. Founding Director Lonnie Bunch shares some of his most recent finds. This time, we learn about some hard-working men from black history — one a hero, and the other a slave trader.

A Slave Trader's Buttons; The Tin Man's Costume; Bo Diddley's Hat

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Saturday

Fun And Intrigue With The Periodic Table
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Books

Fun And Intrigue With The Periodic Table

Most people wouldn't describe the periodic table of elements as gripping, but Sam Kean makes it just that in his new book, The Disappearing Spoon.

Fun And Intrigue With The Periodic Table

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Media

Numbers Stations: Mystery Over The Airwaves

In the forgotten reaches of the shortwave band, strange voices read out endless strings of numbers. The voices are coming from mysterious "numbers stations," long thought to be used in international espionage, including the recent Russian spy case.

Numbers Stations: Mystery Over The Airwaves

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Tuesday

The 'Ghosts' Of Rome's Loss At The Battle Of Cannae

The 'Ghosts' Of Rome's Loss At The Battle Of Cannae

Ancient Rome is often thought of as consistently victorious but its defeat at the hands of Carthage in 216 B.C. is one of the most studied and imitated battles of all time. Historian Robert L. O'Connell tells the story of Carthage's unexpected victory in The Ghosts of Cannae.

The 'Ghosts' Of Rome's Loss At The Battle Of Cannae

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Monday

Opinion

Can I Just Tell You?

Why 'To Kill A Mockingbird' Still Speaks To Me

In her weekly commentary, host Michel Martin commemorates the 50th anniversary of the literary classic To Kill a Mockingbird by reflecting on her read of the novel as a child.

Why 'To Kill A Mockingbird' Still Speaks To Me

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Saturday

Spy Swaps: How They Did It In The Cold War

If this week's spy exchange was full of Cold War drama, imagine how it was during the real Cold War. Jeffrey Smith arranged some half dozen prisoner exchanges in the 70s and 80s as a lawyer for the State Department. He tells how he and his East German counterpart evaded surveillance to agree on which prisoners would be freed.

Spy Swaps: How They Did It In The Cold War

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'Mockingbird' Eases Hard Times In Lee's Hometown

Author Harper Lee poses in the Monroeville, Ala., courthouse in 1961, the year To Kill a Mockingbird was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for fiction. The courthouse is now a museum. Donald Uhrbrock/Getty Images hide caption

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Donald Uhrbrock/Getty Images

National

'Mockingbird' Eases Hard Times In Lee's Hometown

Though Harper Lee has always said her book, To Kill a Mockingbird, and its setting are fictional, that won't stop thousands from visiting her hometown of Monroeville, Ala., for the novel's 50th anniversary. It's welcome attention for a town struggling through the recession.

'Mockingbird' Eases Hard Times In Lee's Hometown

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Friday

Science

Where The Word 'Genome' Came From

In 1920, a botanist named Hans Winkler merged the Greek words "genesis" and "soma" to describe a body of genes. On this episode of Science Diction, historian Howard Markel discusses the word "genome" and how it became the most popular way of describing all of our genetic material.

Where The Word 'Genome' Came From

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Wednesday

50 Years On, 'Mockingbird' Still Sings America's Song

To Kill a Mockingbird was adapted into a film in 1962, starring Gregory Peck as Atticus Finch, Mary Badham as Scout and Phillip Alford as Jem. Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images hide caption

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Silver Screen Collection/Getty Images

Books

50 Years On, 'Mockingbird' Still Sings America's Song

When it was published in 1960, Harper Lee's modest novel helped Americans think differently about race. Now, 50 years later, To Kill a Mockingbird still resonates in a much-changed America. NPR's Lynn Neary examines the lasting impact of Scout Finch and her father, Atticus — a lawyer who defends a black man unjustly accused of rape.

50 Years On, 'Mockingbird' Still Sings America's Song

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Tuesday

Nixon Considered Nuclear Option Against N. Korea

The body of aviation electronics technician Richard Edson Sweeney is brought ashore from the USS Tucker on its arrival at a port in Japan on April 20, 1969. The destroyer arrived with the bodies of two members of a 31-man crew who manned a U.S. reconnaissance plane shot down by North Korean jets five days earlier over the Sea of Japan. AP hide caption

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AP

Asia

Nixon Considered Nuclear Option Against N. Korea

When it comes to North Korea, Nixon and Kissinger struggled with a similar "menu of options" as President Obama. But in 1969, one option they pondered was a nuclear attack, according to reports and a former fighter pilot, who says he was assigned to the mission.

Nixon Considered Nuclear Option Against N. Korea

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Sunday

A Reagan Legacy: Amnesty For Illegal Immigrants

"I believe in the idea of amnesty for those who have put down roots and lived here, even though sometime back they may have entered illegally," Ronald Reagan said in 1984. Hulton Archive/Getty Images hide caption

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Hulton Archive/Getty Images

A Reagan Legacy: Amnesty For Illegal Immigrants

As the nation's attention turns back to the fractured debate over immigration, it might be helpful to remember that in 1986, Ronald Reagan signed a sweeping immigration reform bill into law. The bill made nearly 3 million illegal immigrants eligible for amnesty -- a word not usually associated with the father of modern conservatism.

A Reagan Legacy: Amnesty For Illegal Immigrants

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