History

An archival image of the SS Cotopaxi, taken in 1920.

National

Wreck's Identification 95 Years After Ship's Disappearance Puts Theories To Rest

5:16pm February 09, 2020

by Hannah Hagemann

As it turns out, neither the Bermuda Triangle nor aliens are to blame for the Cotopaxi's sinking. It took Michael Barnette 15 years of research to identify the ship, which went down with 32 people.

Queue Listen Now

On the facade of the Wittenberg Town Church in Germany, a relief depicting Jews and a large pig is at the heart of controversy and a legal battle.

A German Jew Vows To Fight On To Remove Anti-Semitic Sculpture After Court Defeat

9:00am February 08, 2020

by Aaron Labaree

"This is a church, a holy place. You can't mix it with such a shameful assault on the Jews," plaintiff Michael Düllmann says of the medieval work portraying Jews with a pig.

Politics & Government

Is America Better Off For Having Had Congress Pursue Impeachment?

7:28am February 06, 2020

NPR's Steve Inskeep talks to Yoni Appelbaum, an editor at The Atlantic, about the significance of President Trump's impeachment and acquittal in the Senate.

Queue Listen Now

We've got all the content you need for Black History Month.

A Code Switch Playlist For Black History Month

6:18am February 01, 2020

Black History Month is here, and it's the perfect time to catch up on stories about the hidden heroes and buried history of black America.

National

Museum Of Chinese In America Gets Good News About Artifacts Feared Destroyed In Fire

4:24pm January 30, 2020

by Shumita Basu

Many artifacts of the Museum of Chinese in America were feared to be destroyed in a recent fire. After searching through rubble, more may be salvageable than previously thought.

Queue Listen Now

'Black Wave' Author Chronicles Cultural, Religious Upheaval In The Middle East

1:30pm January 30, 2020

by Terry Gross

Kim Ghattas grew up in Lebanon during the civil war and covered the Mideast for the BBC for 20 years. She says events in the region in 1979 set off waves of extremism and violence that continue today.

Queue Listen Now

World News

'Throughline': The Origins Of Iran's Gen. Qassem Soleimani

5:46am January 30, 2020

by Ramtin Arablouei

The U.S.-Iran relationship has been shaped by a shadow branch of the Iranian military, led by a general that the U.S. killed earlier this month. The NPR podcast Throughline examine his legacy.

Author Susan Straight with her three daughters.

Author Susan Straight Takes Us 'In The Country Of Women'

6:16am January 29, 2020

by Karen Grigsby Bates

In her new memoir, Straight tells the story of the women in her family—her Swiss-German blood relatives and her African American, Indigenous and Creole in-laws who crossed the U.S. to settle in Calif.

National

What The Museum of Chinese In America Lost In A Fire

4:56pm January 28, 2020

Nancy Yao Maasbach, president of the Museum of Chinese in America, talks with NPR's Ari Shapiro about the many items in their permanent collection destroyed by a fire last week.

DeWitt Clinton pours water from Lake Erie into the Atlantic Ocean after completion of the Erie Canal.

The Erie Canal As A Model Of How To Build Big Projects Again

6:31am January 28, 2020

by Greg Rosalsky

The federal government said no. But New Yorkers rallied anyway and got the job done.