History

One of the sirens that is part of the state wide emergency alert system is seen in Kihei, Hawaii, on August 13, 2023.

National

A history of Hawaii's sirens and the difference it could have made against Maui fires

5:01am August 14, 2023

by Juliana Kim

Hawaii's siren system is considered the largest in the world. But they weren't activated ahead of the Maui fires. Experts say the alert could have helped residents have more time to prepare.

A legendary private collection of early blues music is out for everyone to hear

5:07pm August 11, 2023

NPR's Scott Detrow talks with Smithsonian curator John Troutman and blues musician Dom Flemons about the new folk music album, Playing for the Man at the Door.

How Nicki Minaj took hip hop by storm in 2010

4:27pm August 11, 2023

Nicki Minaj spent years hustling in the rap world before she even put out an album. Then in 2010, it all came together with a celebrated guest verse and a debut album that took hip hop by storm.

T.I.'s 2003 album, Trap Muzik, gave a name to a specific flavor of Atlanta rap that reflected the city's street culture.

The birth of trap music and the rise of southern hip-hop

2:57pm August 11, 2023

In 2003, T.I. and other Atlanta rappers created new subgenre of rap: trap music. Twenty years later, its influence is everywhere.

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Lahaina's banyan tree has been an iconic part of the historic town center for 150 years. The tree is seen here in 2003.

Scorched by Maui wildfire, historic Lahaina banyan tree appears still standing

12:31pm August 11, 2023

by Laurel Wamsley

The magnificent tree is the size of a city block, the product of doting efforts by the Lahaina's residents. Aerial footage shows the tree charred but still standing amid a downtown devastated by fire.

National

The Navy has found a U.S. ship sunk in a World War II kamikaze attack

4:59pm August 09, 2023

by Jay Price

The Navy has identified the wreckage of a U.S. ship sunk in a World War II kamikaze attack. One North Carolina man, who survived the attack, calls it a miracle.

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How 'Yo! MTV Raps' helped mainstream hip hop

4:42pm August 09, 2023

The MTV show Yo! MTV Raps helped bring hip-hop into mainstream American culture in the 1980s and was made by a scrappy team in the face of a skeptical corporate network.

Pennsylvania citizen Mary Ann Gilliam, left, is aided by Pennsylvania Lottery district manager Peter H. Cardiges as she picks a number for a lottery drawing on Sept. 19, 1980 in Pittsburgh.

National

The settlers brought the lottery to America. It's had a long, uneven history

3:57pm August 09, 2023

by Scott Neuman

Americans spend an estimated $100 billion each year on lottery tickets. It's a tradition that dates back to the nation's earliest settlers, and was even one the Founding Fathers took part in.

'Rapper's Delight': How hip-hop got its first record deal

12:49pm August 09, 2023

Hip-hop was born at a party in 1973, but it'd be another six years until the first commercial hip-hop records. People have differing views of it, but the release of "Rapper's Delight" changed history.

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James McBride's new novel explores Black and Jewish affection, tensions in the 1930s

8:49pm August 08, 2023

NPR's Scott Detrow speaks with author James McBride about his new book The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store.

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