History

Science

The dinosaur extinction led to lots of new mammals and birds — and snakes to eat them

5:43pm October 14, 2021

After the dinosaurs disappeared, the world saw an explosion of birds and mammals. But a study suggests a burst of new snakes appeared, too, with diets to match the newly expanding array of animals.

Author Jocelyn Nicole Johnson alongside the cover of her new book, My Monticello.

Jocelyn Nicole Johnson talks home, identity, and 'My Monticello'

12:00pm October 14, 2021

by Karen Grigsby Bates

In her debut book, My Monticello, author Jocelyn Nicole Johnson asks what it means to claim a home in a place like Charlottesville, Va., — where whom the city belongs to has long been in question.

A Lowrider rides on three-wheels on Sunset Blvd., in the Echo Park neighborhood of Los Angeles in July.

National

40 years ago, San Francisco lowriders organized to fight police harassment — and won

6:00am October 13, 2021

by Joe Hernandez

"At one point it was bumper to bumper for 20 blocks. It was like a parade every Friday and Saturday night," Roberto Hernandez said. "It was something that the police just weren't able to manage."

Eddie Jaku, a Holocaust survivor who led with kindness and tolerance, dies at 101

5:28pm October 12, 2021

Holocaust survivor Eddie Jaku, died in Sydney, Australia. He is remembered as a beacon of light who taught tolerance and led with kindness. He was 101 years old.

National

Indigenous People's Day is a federal holiday now. Activists want to drop Columbus Day

7:41pm October 11, 2021

This year marks the first time a U.S. president has officially proclaimed an Indigenous Peoples' Day observance. But not every state or city broadly recognizes this day in honor of Native Americans.

She was out in front of the fight to legalize abortion, but few know her name

4:37pm October 11, 2021

Abortion-rights activist Patricia Maginnis died earlier this year at age 93. She's a lesser-known figure in the movement, but her ideas — which started as fringe — became mainstream.

Avshalom Davidesko, from the Israel's Antiquities Authority, examines a jar in a massive ancient winemaking complex dating back some 1,500 years in Yavne, south of Tel Aviv, Israel.

World News

Massive Byzantine-era winery discovered in Israel

1:06pm October 11, 2021

by Daniel Estrin

Winepresses, warehouses and kilns were uncovered by archaeologists who believe the winery once produced a fine white wine.

Protesters marched in an Indigenous Peoples Day rally in Boston on Oct. 10, 2020, as part of a demonstration to change Columbus Day to Indigenous Peoples' Day. Boston made that change last week.

Goodbye, Columbus? Here's what Indigenous Peoples' Day means to Native Americans

3:47am October 11, 2021

by Emma Bowman

A movement recast the second Monday in October as a day to appreciate the history of Indigenous communities. That visibility, say Native Americans, can help us see what else needs to change.

Chief Duane Yellow Feather Shepard is an extended member of the Bruce family of Bruce Beach and currently acts as a representative for their interests.

National

A Black family got their beach back — and inspired others to fight against land theft

12:49pm October 10, 2021

The beachfront land — known as Bruce's Beach in Manhattan Beach, Calif. — is being returned to the descendants of Charles and Willa Bruce 97 years after it was taken from them.

Host of 'Making Gay History' reflects on coming of age during the AIDS crisis

5:01pm October 07, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks with Eric Marcus, the host of the podcast Making Gay History, about his audio memoir on coming of age during the AIDS crisis of the 1980s.