Racial reckoning turns focus to roadside historical markers
Pennsylvania is reviewing its 2,500 roadside markers, scrutinizing factual errors, inadequate historical context, and racist or otherwise inappropriate references.
History
Desmond Tutu's laugh was contagious. His fight for freedom was deadly serious
Desmond Tutu will be remembered for helping end apartheid. But also for his memorable laugh, an infectious, cackling howl employed in the service of easing tensions in a very tense nation.
NPR's favorite history books of 2021
From NPR's annual list of reading recommendations, Books We Love, we hear four suggestions of history books from 2021.
Encore: A toy monkey that escaped Nazi Germany and reunited a family
The father of NPR's Uri Berliner packed a stuffed monkey when he fled the Nazis as a child. He kept the toy for decades before donating it to a museum, an act that led to a remarkable discovery.
How the Soviet Union's collapse explains the current Russia-Ukraine tension
To understand the friction between Russia and Ukraine, it's important to go back to 1991. Exactly 30 years ago this weekend, the Soviet Union formally dissolved and broke up into 15 separate nations.
Hong Kong university removes Tiananmen massacre statue
A monument at a Hong Kong university that commemorates the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre was removed by workers early Thursday. Workers had erected barricades around the monument late Wednesday.
Researchers say the wreckage of last known slave ship to the U.S. is mostly intact
Researchers studying the wreckage of the Clotilda, which has been buried in mud on the Alabama coast since 1860, say that most of the wooden schooner is still largely in one piece.
'Black Swans' collection showcases rare recordings of early Black classical musicians
NPR's Audie Cornish talks with Saïs Kamalidiin, a Howard University professor, about a new collection showcasing 25 recordings of early Black classical musicians called Black Swans.
50 years ago this week President Nixon signed the National Cancer Act
Five decades ago, the National Cancer Act became law. What did it take for cancer to go from an unmentionable disease to among the most visible and best-funded areas of medicine?
European treasure hunter reunites American veteran with the bracelet he lost in 1945
A U.S. soldier overseas during World War II lost a bracelet inscribed with his sweetheart's name. A treasure hunter discovered it this fall, and returned it to its rightful owner.