History

Satchel Paige is shown during a World Series game against the Boston Braves in Boston on Oct. 6, 1948. Paige and Larry Doby were two Black players who helped Cleveland's baseball team win the World Series.

How Black Players Propelled Cleveland's Baseball Team To Win The 1948 World Series

7:59am March 27, 2021

by Scott Simon

In 1948, Cleveland's baseball team won the World Series. It wouldn't have made it without the team's first two Black players, and the team owner's willingness to hire them, says author Luke Epplin.

Eddie Izzard co-wrote the script for Six Minutes to Midnight, and stars as half German, half British teacher Thomas Miller.

Arts

Eddie Izzard: 'Hopefully Hitler Is Revolving In Some Trench'

7:59am March 27, 2021

by Scott Simon

Izzard is the co-writer and director of a new movie, Six Minutes to Midnight, based on the real story of a 1930s British finishing school for the daughters of high-ranking Nazis.

Spotted Trunkfish collected in the US Virgin Islands in 1871.

Science

Scientific Specimens Are Going Online, But Much Remains Hidden In Storage

7:00am March 27, 2021

by Nell Greenfieldboyce

From fish in jars to rare seeds and microbes, hundreds of millions of biological specimens are stored around the U.S., and caretakers are trying to make them accessible for future research.

Printing Press Lures Millions To Sacramento History Museum TikTok Account

11:43am March 25, 2021

by Sam Yellowhorse Kesler

The Sacramento History Museum has grown an audience for its ancient printing press through a modern medium: TikTok. Volunteer docent Howard Hatch and staffer Jared Jones take us through their process.

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Howard Hatch's command of printing press history has earned the Sacramento History Museum volunteer star power on TikTok.

'Howard The Printer' Makes An Impression On TikTok With Mini History Lessons

11:12am March 25, 2021

A little-known hub of California history closed during the pandemic. But its in-house printing press expert, Howard Hatch, won millions of visitors for the Sacramento History Museum's TikTok account.

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National Medal Of Honor Day: Remembering Civil War's Black Soldiers

6:21am March 25, 2021

On this day in 1863, the Civil War's first medals of honor were presented. Virginia state delegate Lamont Bagby leads a push in his state to remember Black soldiers who fought with valor.

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Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (left) looks over the electric chair in the death chamber at the Greensville Correctional Center with Operations Director George Hinkle (center) and the director of the Department of Corrections, Harold Clarke, prior to signing

Virginia Governor Signs Law Abolishing The Death Penalty, A 1st In The South

4:23pm March 24, 2021

by Whittney Evans

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam, a Democrat, signed a ban on the death penalty in that state Wednesday, joining 22 other states.

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Maxine Toler, who lives near Los Angeles, has been asking neighbors why they do or do not want the vaccine. But it's the health inequities of today, not the infamous "Tuskegee Study," that Toler hears about when she talks to Black friends and neighbors ab

Stop Blaming Tuskegee, Critics Say. It's Not An 'Excuse' For Current Medical Racism

11:05am March 23, 2021

The Tuskegee syphilis study is often cited as a reason why Black Americans might hesitate on the COVID-19 vaccine. But many say it's current racism in health care and Tuskegee is used as an excuse.

Books
Arts

'Hiding In Plain Sight' Corrects The Record On Lady Bird Johnson

1:50pm March 22, 2021

by Dave Davies

The first lady is often remembered as a genteel Southerner who promoted highway beautification, but author Julia Sweig says archival records show Lady Bird was also a savvy political strategist.

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Jason Burt, of Clarksburg, Calif., got help from Grammy award-winning sound engineers to digitize and prepare recordings of his grandfather, Richard Burt, playing trumpet in the 746th Far East Air Force Band.

Music & Culture

A Grandson's Gift — A Spotlight — For His Grandfather's WWII Band

9:58am March 20, 2021

by Taylor Haney

The first time Jason Burt listened to his grandfather's World War II Army Air Force Band recordings after finding them in his attic, "it was like my own private concert with my grandpa."

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