Throughline
Episodes
How We Vote
22 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Drunken brawls, coercion, and lace curtains. Believe it or not, how regular people vote was not something the founding fathers thought much about, or ...
The Electoral College
15 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What is it, why do we have it, and why hasn't it changed? Born from a rushed, fraught, imperfect process, the origins and evolution of the Electoral ...
(mis)Representative Democracy, A New Series From Throughline
08 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
America has never been a country of one person, one vote. And that's by design. Our system was built by a select few, for a select few. We were never ...
The United States vs. Billie Holiday
08 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Billie Holiday helped shape American popular music with her voice and unique style. But, one song in particular has become her greatest legacy — "St...
The Everlasting Problem
01 Oct 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Health insurance for millions of Americans is dependent on their jobs. But it's not like that everywhere. So, how did the U.S. end up with such a frag...
The Evangelical Vote
24 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
With the death of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, the president is hoping to fill the seat with a more ideologically conservative justice. And evangelical Christ...
James Baldwin's Fire
17 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In a moment when America is undertaking an uncomfortable reckoning with its racial inequality and violence, we wanted to look back at someone who conc...
The Postal Service
10 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The US Postal Service has played a role throughout American history - from the Declaration of Independence to today's mail-in voting. It was conceived...
Reframing History: Mass Incarceration
03 Sep 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The United States imprisons more people than any other country in the world, and a disproportionate number of those prisoners are Black. What are the ...
Reframing History: Bananas
27 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The banana is a staple of the American diet and has been for generations. But how did this exotic tropical fruit become so commonplace? How one Brookl...
Reframing History: The Commentator
20 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today the foundations of philosophy are seen as a straight line from Western antiquity, built on thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle. But, between th...
Reframing History: The Litter Myth
13 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There is more waste in the world today than at any time in history, and the responsibility for keeping the environment clean too often falls on indivi...
America's Caste System
06 Aug 2020
Contributed by Lukas
"Race" is often used as a fundamental way to understand American history. But what if "caste" is the more appropriate lens? In conversation with Pulit...
A.D.A. Now!
30 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
This month marks the 30th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act, which is considered the most important civil rights law since the 1960s....
Lives Of The Great Depression
23 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Great Depression was a revolutionary spark for all kinds of things — health insurance, social safety nets, big government — all of which were...
Borinquén
16 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898 and for much of the next fifty years Puerto Ricans fought fiercely about this status. Should they struggle...
The Long Hot Summer
09 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Starting in 1965, summer after summer, America's cities burned. There was civil unrest in more than 150 cities across the country. So in 1967, Lyndon ...
Mecca Under Siege
02 Jul 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Hajj, the annual Muslim pilgrimage to Mecca, is effectively canceled this year, due to concerns around the spread of the coronavirus. But, for two wee...
There's Something About Mary
25 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When a cook who carried typhoid fever refused to stop working, despite showing no symptoms, the authorities forcibly quarantined her for nearly three ...
Why 2020 Isn't Quite 1968
18 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Protests, racial divisions, political polarization, and a law-and-order president – it's easy to draw comparisons between 2020 and 1968. But, Adam ...
Presidential Power
11 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
What can and can't the president do, and how do we know? When the framers of the U.S. constitution left vague the powers of the executive branch they ...
American Police
04 Jun 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Black Americans being victimized and killed by the police is an epidemic. A truth many Americans are acknowledging since the murder of George Floyd, a...
Hong Kong
28 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Last week, the Chinese government made the latest and perhaps the most serious move yet to crack down on Hong Kong's semi-autonomy. It's just the late...
Conspiracy
21 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Since the beginning of the pandemic, conspiracy theories about the coronavirus have exploded. But conspiracy theories themselves are nothing new - in ...
The Mask
14 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The N95 respirator has become one of the most coveted items in the world, especially by medical professionals. But how did this seemingly simple mask...
Endless War
07 May 2020
Contributed by Lukas
North Korea's famous for being a black box, one of the most secretive and authoritarian countries in the world. It has a nuclear stockpile. A history ...
Meltdown
30 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the early hours of March 28, 1979, a system malfunction began what would become the worst nuclear accident in American history. What ensued punctur...
Aftermath
23 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In 1927, the most destructive river flood in U.S. history inundated seven states, displaced more than half a million people for months, and caused abo...
Buzzkill
16 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the whole of human history, no predator has killed more of us than the lowly mosquito. And this killing spree, which we still struggle in vain to s...
Throughline Presents: Code Switch
09 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The Principal Chief of Cherokee Nation told his people to stay strong during this pandemic, and to remember how much they've endured over a long histo...
A Race To Know
02 Apr 2020
Contributed by Lukas
For nearly as long as there has been a United States there has been a census, it is in some ways how we know ourselves. And in every single census the...
1918 Flu
26 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the midst of the coronavirus pandemic it's tempting to draw comparisons to the most severe pandemic in recent history - the 1918 flu. But as much a...
American Socialist
19 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's been over a century since a self-described socialist was a viable candidate for President of the United States. And that first socialist candidat...
Savarkar And India
12 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the past few weeks Delhi has become the latest place in India convulsed with religious violence as Hindu mobs burned Muslim neighborhoods, mosques ...
Public Universal Friend
05 Mar 2020
Contributed by Lukas
America in the run-up to the Revolutionary War wasn't just a period of dramatic political change, it was also a time of great religious and social ins...
The Invisible Border
27 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Today, the border that divides Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland is "soft", in most places you could almost forget that it's there. But for...
The Stars
20 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Astrology has existed for thousands of years and has roots that span the globe. But is it a science or a religion or just a kind of personality test? ...
Becoming America
13 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When the United States of America was founded, it was only a union of a small number of states. By the beginning of the 20th century, the United State...
She Got Next
06 Feb 2020
Contributed by Lukas
There are more female candidates in this presidential campaign cycle than at any other time in American history. But women were running for the highes...
Vaccination
30 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
It's a longstanding fight in the U.S., whether people can opt out of vaccination if that means jeopardizing the greater public's health. In this episo...
Soleimani's Iran
23 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
When Qassem Soleimani was assassinated by the United States on January 3rd, the Iranian Revolutionary Guard commander suddenly became a household name...
Everybody Knows Somebody
16 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
In the mid-1980's a woman who didn't consider herself a feminist was asked to solve perhaps the biggest problem women face. How she and a small group ...
There Will Be Bananas
09 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
The banana is a staple of the American diet and has been for generations. But how did this exotic tropical fruit become so commonplace? How one Brookl...
Fear of Technology
02 Jan 2020
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial intelligence, gene modification, and self-driving cars are causing fear and uncertainty about how technology is changing our lives. But hum...
Russia's Vladimir Putin
26 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
Planned Obsolescence
19 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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? In a ...
America's Opioid Epidemic
12 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A record number of Americans have died from opioid overdoses in recent years. But how did we get here? And is this the first time Americans have faced...
The Electrical Grid
05 Dec 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Today, electricity in the U.S. is a utility we notice only when it's suddenly unavailable. But over a hundred years ago, electricity in the homes of e...
Conspiracy Theories
28 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
This week we're revisiting one of our favorite episodes about one of our favorite topics: Conspiracy theories. They're a feature of today's news and p...
A Year Of Wonders
21 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
As extreme weather wreaks havoc around the globe we look at a natural disaster more than 200 hundred years ago that had far-reaching effects. This wee...
The Siege of Mecca
14 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
On November 20th, 1979, a group of Islamic militants seized Islam's holiest site — the Masjid al-Haram in Mecca, Saudi Arabia. They took thousands o...
Throughline Presents: Short Wave
09 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
NPR science correspondent Geoff Brumfiel shares the story of Nazi Germany's attempt to build a nuclear reactor — and how evidence of that effort was...
No Friend But The Mountains
07 Nov 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Over the decades the Kurds have been inspired by, allied with, relied upon and betrayed by the United States. This week we explore who the Kurds are, ...
ZOMBIES
31 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 fascinat...
The Dark Side Of The Moon
24 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
A Borrowed Time
17 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Over the past six months, demonstrations in Hong Kong have increasingly become more violent and more determined. What started out as a protest against...
The Commentator
10 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Today the foundations of philosophy are seen as a straight line from Western antiquity, built on thinkers such as Plato and Aristotle. But, between th...
High Crimes And Misdemeanors
03 Oct 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
American Exile
26 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
For centuries, the United States has been a prime destination for migrants hoping for better economic opportunities, fleeing danger in their home coun...
Puerto Rico
19 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Puerto Rico became a U.S. territory in 1898 and for much of the next fifty years Puerto Ricans fought fiercely about this status. Should they struggle...
Three Chords And The Truth
12 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When Lil Nas X released his viral hit "Old Town Road" last year, he sparked a conversation about what country music is and who is welcome in the genre...
The Litter Myth
05 Sep 2019
Contributed by Lukas
There is more waste in the world today than at any time in history, and the responsibility for keeping the environment clean too often falls on indivi...
On The Shoulders Of Giants
29 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When Colin Kaepernick stopped standing for the national anthem at NFL games it sparked a nationwide conversation about patriotism and police brutality...
Strange Fruit
22 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Billie Holiday helped shape American popular music with her voice and unique style. But, her legacy extends way beyond music with one song in particul...
Mass Incarceration
15 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The United States imprisons more people than any other country in the world, and a disproportionate number of those prisoners are Black. What are the ...
Scorched Earth
08 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The term "concentration camp" is most associated with Nazi Germany and the systematic killing of Jews during World War II. But colonial powers used co...
Huey Long Vs. The Media
01 Aug 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Huey Pierce Long: you either loved him, or hated him. He combined progressive economic ideas with an autocratic streak, earning him thousands of adori...
Milliken v. Bradley
25 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After the landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, public schools across the country were supposed to become more integrated, but by the 1970...
Rules Of Engagement
18 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
After Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in June, tensions between the two countries have only gone up. But the US and Iran have been in so...
Four Days In August
11 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The U.S. and Iran have had a tense relationship for decades — but when did that begin? This week, we feature our very first episode about an event f...
American Anthem
04 Jul 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Star-Spangled Banner is the official anthem for the United States, but there are plenty of songs that have become informal American anthems for mi...
Before Stonewall
27 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Fifty years ago, a gay bar in New York City called The Stonewall Inn was raided by police, and what followed were days of rebellion where protesters a...
The X On The Map
20 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In 1965, Jimmie Lee Jackson was an unarmed black civil rights activist who was murdered in Marion, Ala., after a peaceful protest. His murder brought ...
Apocalypse Now
13 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Evangelicals have played an important role in modern day American politics - from supporting President Trump to helping elect Jimmy Carter back in 197...
Mitch McConnell
06 Jun 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Mitch McConnell has been described as "opaque," "drab," and even "dull." He is one of the least popular - and most polarizing - politicians in the cou...
Savarkar's India
30 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Right-wing Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi has won reelection as India's Prime Minister. As the political philosophy of Hindu nationalism gains ground...
A Dream Of Modern China
23 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
China is a world superpower today. But just over a century ago, the country was in complete turmoil — foreign powers had carved up the country, the ...
El Libertador
16 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Venezuela is facing an economic and humanitarian crisis as extreme poverty and violence have forced many to flee the country in recent years. How did ...
White Nationalism
09 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The white nationalist ideas of Madison Grant influenced Congress in the 1920s, leaders in Nazi Germany, and members of the Trump administration. This ...
Outbreak
02 May 2019
Contributed by Lukas
More than 700 measles cases have been recorded in the U.S. in the recent outbreak, the worst being in New York. This past April, Mayor Bill de Blasio ...
Resistance Is Futile
25 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Artificial intelligence, gene modification, and self-driving cars are causing fear and uncertainty about how technology is changing our lives. But hum...
War Of The Worlds
18 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
The Sunni-Shia divide is a conflict that most people have heard about - two sects with Sunni Islam being in the majority and Shia Islam the minority. ...
Nancy Pelosi
11 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
Nancy Pelosi is the highest-ranking woman in American politics. She made her first run for public office at 47 years old and went on to become Speaker...
Opioids In America
04 Apr 2019
Contributed by Lukas
A record number of Americans have died from opioid overdoses in recent years. But how did we get here? And is this the first time Americans have faced...
The Phoebus Cartel
28 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Border
21 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
In February, President Trump declared a national emergency at the US-Mexico border. Last year, he ordered thousands of National Guard troops to the bo...
The Moth
14 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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...
American Shadows
07 Mar 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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, w...
High Crimes And Misdemeanors
28 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
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 ...
The Forgotten War
21 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
President Trump and North Korean Leader Kim Jong Un are preparing to meet for a second nuclear summit. What has fueled the hostility between these two...
On the Shoulders of Giants
14 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
When Colin Kaepernick stopped standing for the national anthem at NFL games it sparked a nationwide conversation about patriotism and police brutality...
Four Days in August
07 Feb 2019
Contributed by Lukas
It's no secret that Iran and the U.S. have a history of animosity toward each other. But when and how did it begin? This week we look back at four day...
Introducing Throughline
30 Jan 2019
Contributed by Lukas
NPR's new history podcast hosted by Ramtin Arablouei and Rund Abdelfatah. New episodes every Thursday starting February 7th.Learn more about sponsor m...