History

U.S. soldiers enter a compound for a security meeting in Shah Joy District, Zabul Province, Afghanistan in the fall of 2010.

Watching Afghanistan Fall Reminds These Veterans Of Who They Left Behind

8:26am August 26, 2021

by Paige Pfleger

U.S. veterans reflect on their time in Afghanistan as they watch the Taliban take power, uncertain of the fate of the people they know from their time at war.

Native Tribes Face Funding Cuts Over The Treatment Of Descendants Of Former Slaves

6:11am August 26, 2021

by Allison Herrera

The Cherokee Nation granted citizenship to the descendants of former enslaved people known as Freedmen. Other tribes feel pressured to do the same, and Congress is beginning to get involved.

The Voting Rights Act of 1965, and the legal blows it has taken, are central to the current political fight over voting access.

How The Voting Rights Act Came To Be And How It's Changed

5:00am August 26, 2021

by Carrie Johnson

The most effective civil rights legislation in U.S. history has been upended by two recent Supreme Court decisions. States are moving to pass new voting restrictions nationwide.

James Loewen "could clearly illustrate a problem of injustice, often historical but tied to the present, and motivate the reader or listener to want to take action to solve that problem," one of his peers writes.

James Loewen, Author Of 'Lies My Teacher Told Me,' Dies At 79

6:04pm August 23, 2021

by Ashish Valentine

The sociologist and anti-racist activist died on Thursday. His work focused on dispelling myths about racial progress in American history and using education as a tool to further racial justice.

Education

History Professors Consider How The Afghanistan War Will Be Remembered

5:13pm August 22, 2021

NPR's Michel Martin discusses what the war in Afghanistan will mean in U.S. history with historian Kathleen Belew, retired U.S. Navy commander Ted Johnson and military judge Col. Gary Solis.

Afghans sit inside a U.S. military aircraft to leave Afghanistan at the military airport in Kabul Thursday after the Taliban's takeover of the country.

World News

She Fled Saigon As A Child. Now She's Seeing Parallels In Afghanistan

6:23pm August 21, 2021

by Scott Simon

Thuan Le Elston of USA Today talks with Scott Simon about her experience fleeing Saigon as a child at the end of the Vietnam War and how she relates to the current crisis in Afghanistan.

Taliban fighters mobilize to control a crowd during a rally for Afghanistan's independence day in Kabul on Aug. 19. The Taliban seized control of the city this week, effectively capturing the country in a matter of weeks.

The Afghan Army Collapsed In Days. Here Are The Reasons Why

7:56pm August 20, 2021

The U.S. military spent years training Afghan soldiers to fight insurgents. Yet in a matter of days, the Afghan National Army collapsed, and the Taliban captured the country. What went wrong?

In 1991, Soviet Citizens Saw Swans On The TV... And Knew It Meant Turmoil

4:56pm August 19, 2021

by Charles Maynes

On August 19, 1991, Russians awoke to looping videos of Tchaikovsky's Swan Lake on Soviet state TV — a sure sign something seismic was up.

World News

A Look At Afghanistan's 40 Years Of Crisis — From The Soviet War To Taliban Recapture

3:46pm August 19, 2021

by Hannah Bloch

Afghans have lived through Soviet and U.S. invasions, civil war, insurgency and a previous six-year period of heavy-handed Taliban rule. Here are some key events and dates from the past four decades.

Many people are worried now that home prices have surpassed the peak that preceded the 2000s housing crash.

Home Prices Are Now Higher Than The Peak Of The 2000s Housing Bubble. What Gives?

12:04pm August 17, 2021

by Greg Rosalsky

A new study helps to explain the dynamics of our bonkers housing market.