History

In New Memoir, Alberto Gonzales Defends 'War On Terror' Tactics

5:03pm September 04, 2016

In his memoir True Faith and Allegiance, former U.S. Attorney General Alberto Gonzales defends the legacy of the Bush administration ahead of the 15th anniversary of Sept. 11.

How Did The National Anthem Get To Be A Mainstay Of Sports In The First Place?

9:08am September 04, 2016

How did the national anthem become a hallmark of sporting events and when did athletes start using it as an opportunity for protest?

Tens of thousands attend the Holy Mass and canonization of Mother Teresa of Kolkata, on Saint Peter Square in the Vatican, on Sunday.

Mother Teresa Becomes A Saint As Pope Francis Performs Canonization Ceremony

8:29am September 04, 2016

by Emma Bowman

She's long been considered a model of selflessness by many, for a lifetime of service to the world's most impoverished. Sunday's canonization marks a highlight for the pope's Jubilee Year of Mercy.

Rybczynski believes the oldest kind of chair was not a throne, but a folding chair.

Books
Arts

Better Sit Down For This One: An Exciting Book About The History Of Chairs

8:50am September 03, 2016

by Elizabeth Blair

OK, fine ... this new chair anthology might not keep you on the edge of your seat, but it does reveal some very interesting ideas about trends in design, culture and social values.

Health & Safety

Why Is Calcutta Now Kolkata? What Other Names In India Are Changing?

6:29pm September 02, 2016

by Sandip Roy

With Mother Teresa in the headlines, so is the name of the city where she lived for decades. But is it ... Calcutta? Or Kolkata? And what's the difference?

Sports

Abdul-Jabbar Admires Athletes Who Make An Activist Statement

9:31am September 02, 2016

Steve Inskeep talks to former NBA star Kareem Abdul-Jabbar about the controversy surrounding San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick, who has decided not to stand during the national anthem.

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Patricia Bayonne-Johnson holds a photo of her great-grandparents and their son. The retired science teacher discovered that some of her ancestors were sold by the Jesuits of the Maryland Province in 1838, to pay off Georgetown University's massive debt.

Georgetown Will Offer An Edge In Admissions To Descendants Of Slaves

11:07am September 01, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

In 1838, 272 enslaved people were sold to fund the university. The school, grappling with that history, will give descendants of those slaves the same consideration as legacy students in admission.

A portion of the Smithsonian's collection of memorabilia from the Republican and Democratic national conventions this year.

Smithsonian Collects Convention Memorabilia To Tell This Election's Story

8:05am September 01, 2016

by NPR Staff

Smithsonian curators shipped some 100 pounds of souvenirs from the Republican and Democratic conventions — "great objects that engage issues for 2016" — back to the American history museum.

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My Father Stood For The Anthem, For The Same Reason That Colin Kaepernick Sits

6:13pm August 31, 2016

by Keith Woods

As a child, I found my father's love of the national anthem utterly bewildering. His was the generation of men born free but shackled by bigotry. So why did he sound so proud, singing that song?

From left, Thomas Edison, Luther Burbank and Henry Ford. Two are still world-famous; the guy in the middle brought us many crop experiments, including the Himalayan blackberry that's now inescapable in Seattle.

The Strange, Twisted Story Behind Seattle's Blackberries

6:50pm August 29, 2016

by Ann Dornfeld

Those tangled brambles are everywhere in the city, the legacy of an eccentric named Luther Burbank whose breeding experiments with crops can still be found on many American dinner plates.