History

World News

Beijing Tightens Control Ahead Of Tiananmen Square Anniversary

6:18pm June 03, 2016

Nearly 3 decades have passed since democracy protests in Beijing's Tiananmen Square turned deadly and repression followed. Ailsa Chang talks to Louisa Lim, author of People's Republic of Amnesia.

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Guta and Mayer Rak with their daughter, Eda, in 1947. Eda was born in Lodz, Poland, when the Raks briefly returned to their home country after the end of World War II.

Tea, Pride, Mystery: For One Family That Fled The Nazis, A Tin Canister Held It All

5:08pm June 03, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

Last month, we reported on a mug that hid jewelry from Nazi eyes. Now a family shares their own story of a tea canister carried from Poland to Siberia to America — with the possibility of gold inside.

Supreme Court Justices Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Sonia Sotomayor discuss the court's food traditions. RBG let us in on a secret: The reason she was not entirely awake at the State of the Union? She wasn't totally sober.

For A Cordial Supreme Court, Keep The Food And Wine Coming

3:50pm June 03, 2016

by Maria Godoy

When court is in session, most justices lunch together — but absolutely no talking about cases. Wine, however, is not unwelcome at some of their gatherings.

Human Interest

Dollies And Doughboys: The History Of National Doughnut Day

10:57am June 03, 2016

by Sean Bueter

We don't need a reason to celebrate doughnuts…but here's one anyway.

Archaeological conservator Luisa Duarte holds a Roman waxed writing tablet at Bloomberg's London offices on Wednesday. This tablet contains the earliest written reference to London, dated A.D. 65-80; it reads "Londinio Mogontio" -- that is, "in London

World News

Hello From Londinium: Oldest Handwritten Documents In British History Discovered

12:59pm June 02, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

Notes, bills and contracts dating to as early as A.D. 43 were discovered during work on a new building in London. The wooden tablets mention debts, legal disputes and one Tertius the Brewer.

Books
Arts

'Possession' Charts The Tangled Paths Of Art And Antiquities

8:20pm June 01, 2016

by Genevieve Valentine

Art crime expert Erin Thompson digs into the dirt around antiquities in her new book — what motivates collectors, what justifications they give and the politics around their acquisitions.

A Dundee marmalade jar (left) is among items recently unearthed from a 19th century landfill behind a manor house in East Anglia. In Victorian England, people transitioned from making most things at home to buying them in stores.

Digging Up The Roots Of Modern Waste In Victorian-Era Rubbish

6:46pm June 01, 2016

by Lauren Frayer

Some archaeologists excavate Roman ruins. Others dig up garbage. In England, a project is underway to study what people threw out in Victorian times, to learn about the start of the consumer era.

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Secretary of the Interior Sally Jewell speaks in front of the Stonewall Inn in 2014 to announce a National Park Service initiative to identify historic sites related to the struggle for LGBT rights.

National

Long A Symbol, Stonewall Inn May Soon Become Monument To LGBT Rights

8:20am May 30, 2016

by Hansi Lo Wang

President Obama may use his executive authority to declare the site of the Stonewall riots in New York City as the first national monument dedicated to the struggle for LGBT rights.

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The King Of Zydeco, The Supremes, Merle Haggard Among Recordings Joining Library Of Congress

5:33pm May 29, 2016

Each year the Library of Congress adds certain sound recordings as national treasures. Curator of Recorded Sound Matthew Barton explains the cultural significance of this year's selections.

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'Roots' Remake: Your Take

5:14pm May 29, 2016

We want to hear your thoughts on the remake of the classic series. Use your phone's voice memo app to record yourself and email the audio to nprcrowdsource@npr.org using the subject line "Roots."