History

A look at the debate over NATO expansion eastward that's at the heart of conflict now

5:19pm February 07, 2022

by Becky Sullivan

Whether NATO should expand to include countries once under Soviet influence — including Ukraine — is a question that has dogged U.S. and Russian officials for 30 years.

A man speaks with a police officer in a patrol vehicle outside the Spelman campus earlier this month after 17 historically Black colleges received bomb threats.

Bomb threats against Black institutions are deeply rooted in U.S. history

4:23pm February 07, 2022

by The Associated Press

"HBCUs are resilient institutions that will persist through all forms of adversity," the Congressional Bipartisan HBCU Caucus said after bomb threats earlier this month.

statement said.

Taffy Abel was the 1924 Olympic USA Flag Bearer in Chamonix, France.

Taffy Abel medaled in the 1924 Olympics. Few knew of his Indigenous heritage

11:28am February 07, 2022

by Troy Oppie

At the 1924 Winter Olympics in Chamonix, France, hockey player Taffy Abel became the first Indigenous athlete to carry the flag at the Olympics — and, days later, to medal.

National

Chicago's oldest house may be getting a new name soon

6:48am February 07, 2022

Built in the 1830s — the Henry B. Clarke House — may change its name to honor Bishop Louis Henry Ford who helped save the home.

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Arts

How denim evolved to become an American wardrobe staple

5:34pm February 05, 2022

NPR's Michel Martin speaks with fashion historian Emma McClendon about the history of jeans and the new documentary Riveted: The History of Jeans on PBS American Experience.

A ski jumper flies overhead on the 60-meter ski jump at the Suicide Hill Ski Bowl in Ishpeming, Mich. on March 7, 2021. The Suicide Hill Ski Bowl is home to 5 ski jumps - one being the infamous 90-meter Suicide Hill Ski Jump.

America's birthplace of organized skiing is in Michigan, here's what it looks like

7:29am February 05, 2022

Michigan photographer Nic Antaya started a documenting Ishpeming Ski Club to understand how it has birthed a handful of Olympic athletes and its culture.

National

First Black University of Alabama student to share a building name with a Klan leader

8:32pm February 04, 2022

by The Associated Press

A University of Alabama building will share the names of a Klan leader and its first Black student

Science

Building a fire in a cave is not easy — early humans figured out how

4:40pm February 04, 2022

Early humans seemed to strike the perfect balance in situating their hearths in the cave, preserving ample sitting and cooking space while avoiding the worst effects of smoke.

People conceal parts of their faces with forms for the 2010 count in Puerto Rico in a U.S. Census Bureau poster about how it keeps information confidential. Records for the once-a-decade tally cannot be released until 72 years after a count's Census Day.

National

The U.S. census's 72-year confidentiality rule has a strange history

1:59pm February 04, 2022

Under federal law, the U.S. government must restrict access to people's records for the once-a-decade tally until 72 years after a count's Census Day. The exact origins of that time span are murky.

Constance Baker Motley is pictured in New York, Sept. 9, 1966.

The life of a 'Civil Rights Queen'

12:00pm February 03, 2022

by Karen Grigsby Bates

Constance Baker Motley's life—as a lawyer, as a politician and the first Black woman appointed to the Federal bench – is outlined in a new biography by author Tomiko Brown-Nagin: Civil Rights Queen.