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Europe's Refugee Crisis Pales In Comparison To World War II Aftermath

4:46pm December 31, 2015

NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Ben Shephard, author of The Long Road Home: The Aftermath of the Second World War, about how today's crisis compares to the number of displaced people after World War II.

Books
Arts

How Clementine Churchill Wielded Influence As Winston's Wife

9:36am December 31, 2015

by NPR Staff

Biographer Sonia Purnell says Clementine once remarked that she "would have loved to have been a statesman in her own right if only she had been born with trousers rather than petticoats."

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World News

Britain's National Archives Releases Thatcher's Secret Cabinet Papers

6:19am December 31, 2015

by Robert Smith

The documents are from Margaret Thatcher's time as prime minister. Among the daily bureaucratic memos: Ronald Reagan told Thatcher that she must read Tom Clancy novels to understand the Soviet Union.

National

As Rivers Swell In Missouri, A Look Back At The Great Floods Of 1993

4:30pm December 30, 2015

NPR's Robert Siegel talks to Steve Ehlmann, county executive for St. Charles County, to find out what has happened in Missouri since the floods of 1993. NPR explores whether the river is higher now than it was in '93 or likely to get there, if the levees are as soaked now, and if the flood plain areas have been cleared of construction.

Demonstrators block Public Square in Cleveland during a protest over the police shooting of 12-year-old Tamir Rice in November 2014.

No Charges For Police Officer Who Killed Tamir Rice: Some Must-Read Reactions

6:24pm December 28, 2015

by Leah Donnella

A grand jury declined to indict Timothy Loehmann, who fatally shot 12-year-old Tamir Rice in November 2014. Tamir had been in a park in Cleveland, playing with a borrowed air gun.

Tracy Hart, a water resource economist in Washington, D.C., submitted six words to The Race Card Project: Yes, I'm tobacco-pickin' white trash. In submitting her words and photo, she says she was taking ownership. "This is who I am, and if I'm going to un

National

6 Words: Yes, I'm Tobacco-Pickin' White Trash

2:28pm December 28, 2015

by NPR Staff

When Tracy Hart says she's from "a tobacco-pickin', Southern, white-trash family," she says that she means that in the most endearing way.

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German Chancellor Adolf Hitler shakes hands with Head of State of Vichy France Marshall Philippe PÃ©tain in occupied France on Oct. 24, 1940.

World News

France Makes Wartime Vichy Government Archive Available To The Public

2:08pm December 28, 2015

by Merrit Kennedy

The archive shines new light on a painful period in French history — when the Vichy government collaborated with the Nazis during World War II.

Mr. and Mrs. Henpeck wash the dishes, on stereo card, circa 1903.

National

Rediscovering Mr. And Mrs. Henpeck

11:00am December 28, 2015

by Linton Weeks

In turn-of-the-20th century America, "henpeckery" in married couples was the target of popular humor.

Modern Seminole patchwork makes use of glittery fabrics and sequins, especially for pageant nights.

A Princess In Patchwork: Sewing For The Miss Florida Seminole Princess Pageant

5:16pm December 26, 2015

by Jacki Lyden

The Miss Florida Seminole Princess Pageant features intricate outfits that combine traditional Seminole patchwork techniques with modern twists, like rayon and lace.

Song From Broadway Musical 'Hamilton' Celebrates Founding Mothers

4:12pm December 25, 2015

by Jeff Lunden

As part of NPR's year-end series "One That Got Away", reporter Jeff Lunden tells us about his favorite song from the hit Broadway musical Hamilton. It's not about the founding fathers; it's about some founding mothers.