History

Arts

Titanic Documentary Suggests Engine Room Fire Led To Sinking

8:48am January 05, 2017

NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Senan Molony about his documentary, which presents evidence that a fire in the engine room could have also led to the sinking of the ship and the loss of 1,500 lives.

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Sister Frances Carr (left) and Brother Arnold Hadd in 1995. Carr died this week, leaving just two members of the religious group known as the Shakers.

One Of The Last Shakers Dies

7:35pm January 03, 2017

by Richard Gonzales

The nearly extinct American religious group with roots in 18th Century England has lost one one of its last remaining members.

Lincoln Clay, the lead character in Mafia III, is a protagonist rarely featured by the gaming industry.

How One Video Game Unflinchingly Tackles Racism With History And Raw Interactions

10:39am January 03, 2017

by Iman Smith

Creators of Mafia III, set in a fictionalized Louisiana, took a documentary approach to confronting players with prejudice and bigotry of the 1960s South from the perspective of a black protagonist.

President Barack Obama waves at the conclusion of his news conference in the briefing room of the White House in Washington on Dec. 16, 2016.

National

Obama To Make His Presidential Farewell Address In Chicago

3:41pm January 02, 2017

by Laura Wagner

George Washington began the tradition of the Presidential farewell address in 1796. President Obama will continue the tradition with a speech January 10th at Chicago's McCormick Place.

Santo Tomas Catholic Church in Abiquiu, N.M., is the site of an annual saint's day celebration in late November that includes cultural elements of the genizaros, the descendants of Native American slaves.

National

Descendants Of Native American Slaves In New Mexico Emerge From Obscurity

12:25pm December 30, 2016

by John Burnett

The mixed-race genizaros, whose history stretches back to the 17th century, smash the conventional notion that New Mexican identity is defined as either the noble Spaniard or the proud Pueblo Indian.

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Celebrating 50 Years Of Kwanzaa

4:19pm December 29, 2016

by NPR Staff

Tonight is the third night of Kwanzaa. Those who celebrate the seven-day festival will gather around the Kinara and light the last red candle. The holiday is also observing it's 50th anniversary.

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Poet Emily Dickinson Was A Much Loved Baker

7:38am December 27, 2016

by The Kitchen Sisters

Though a notorious recluse, Emily Dickinson shared her masterful creations with friends and neighbors. Early drafts of her poems are often found on the backs of cake recipes and flour labels.

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Aisha Hinds, at left, will play Harriet Tubman in the second season of WGN America's Underground, alongside (left to right) Amirah Vann, Jurnee Smollett-Bell, Aldis Hodge, Alano Miller and Jessica de Gouw.

Arts

At Last, Harriet Tubman Strides Onto Our Screens

4:59am December 26, 2016

by Neda Ulaby

The legendary abolitionist hasn't had a big place in popular culture. But with an upcoming movie starring Viola Davis and her appearance in the TV show Underground, that's starting to change.

World News

Dutch War Hero's 270-Oear-Old Menorah Auctions Off For $440K

8:56am December 25, 2016

Host Ailsa Chang speaks with Annelies de Boer about the sale of an 18th century menorah. It belonged to the family of a famous Dutch Jewish resistance fighter killed by Nazis and sold for $440,000.

Religion

Remembering Holocaust Hero Marion Pritchard

8:56am December 25, 2016

We remember Holocaust hero Marion Pritchard who died this month at the age of 96. She saved more than 100 Jews, many of them children, in her native Holland. Her son Ivor Pritchard shares stories.