History

World News

Sick Of Tanneries' Stench Centuries Ago, A French Town Began Making Perfume. It Stuck

5:16pm September 21, 2021

by Eleanor Beardsley

Since the 19th century, the French city of Grasse has been the center of the world's perfume industry. It developed as a response to Grasse's medieval tanning industry –- which stank.

Humans May Not Have Hunted Woolly Mammoths To Extinction Those Thousands Of Years Ago

5:06pm September 21, 2021

by Jeff St. Clair

Scientists thought that humans with stone weapons may have caused the disappearance of Ice Age beasts like woolly mammoths. New research shows that stones were no match for mammoths' hair and hide.

An aerial general view shows the skyline of Lower Manhattan last month.

Why The City Will Survive The Age Of Pandemics And Remote Work

2:22pm September 21, 2021

by Greg Rosalsky

A new book explains why "the age of urban miracles" is far from over.

Different types of potatoes seed are seen displayed in "Parque de la Papa" or Potato Park, in Pisac, Peru. One hundred and fifty type of tubers from the Sacred Valley highlands are native to Peru.

World News

If You Love Potatoes, Tomatoes Or Chocolate Thank Indigenous Latin American Cultures

12:22pm September 21, 2021

by Vanessa Romo

These delicious treats were cultivated and enjoyed by native people for hundreds if not thousands of years. But with the arrival of the Spanish in Latin America, they were shared around the globe.

Uncollected or duplicate photographs found in boxes and drawers in backrooms of Kabul's photo studios.

World News

These Unclaimed Afghan Studio Portraits Bear Witness To Decades Of History

9:50am September 21, 2021

by Lynzy Billing

In the back rooms of Kabul's photo shops, thousands of photos dating as far back as 40-plus years sit unclaimed. It remains to be seen if these photo studios can survive a new period of Taliban rule.

The Complex And Surprising History Of Humanity And Water

5:40pm September 20, 2021

NPR's Ari Shapiro speaks with author Giulio Boccaletti about his new book Water: A Biography, which takes readers through the complex and surprising history of humanity and water.

Remembering The Man Who Made Tech for Everyone

4:21pm September 20, 2021

Sir Clive Sinclair, a computing pioneer and an inventor that spent a lifetime making technology accessible for everyone, has died at age 81.

Georgian chess champion Nona Gaprindashvili plays at the International Chess Congress in London on Dec. 30, 1964. She is suing Netflix for defamation and invasion of privacy over its series The Queen's Gambit.

Arts

A Chess Trailblazer Is Suing Netflix Over Her Portrayal In 'The Queen's Gambit'

4:05pm September 18, 2021

by Rachel Treisman

Georgian chess legend Nona Gaprindashvili is suing Netflix for defamation. At issue is a line in the show's final episode that falsely says she hadn't played against male opponents.

'How the Monuments Came Down' Filmmakers On Why Lee Statue Didn't Come Down Sooner

5:11pm September 17, 2021

Filmmakers Hannah Ayers and Lance Warren discuss their film, How the Monuments Came Down, about 160 years of history in Richmond, VA., and the removal of the confederate statues along Monument Ave.

Anderson and Karen Lawson at their StoryCorps recording in Atlanta in 2015.

National

Their Dad Transformed Video Games In The 1970s — And Passed On His Pioneering Spirit

12:05pm September 17, 2021

The late Jerry Lawson helped invent the first video game console with interchangeable games. His children say he brought the fun and games home and showed them they could create their own path.