History

National

The Evolution Of The Presidential Thanksgiving (Feat. Cooked Possum)

4:01pm November 26, 2015

Adrienne LaFrance, a staff writer at The Atlantic, examined decades of Thanksgiving meals at the White House, which reveal some surprising details about the evolution of the holiday spread. NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to LaFrance about the menus for presidents like Theodore Roosevelt, who dined on turtle, and William Howard Taft, who preferred possum.

The Mayflower, the ship in which the Pilgrims crossed the Atlantic to the New World in 1620.

Reconsidering The Pilgrims, Piety And America's Founding Principles

11:07am November 26, 2015

by Tom Gjelten

Conservatives who want to emphasize America's Christian roots embrace the story of the Pilgrims and the Mayflower Compact. But some historians say their role in the country's founding is overstated.

An artist's depiction of the meeting of Hernan Cortes and La Malinche with the Aztec emperor Montezuma II.

Despite Similarities, Pocahontas Gets Love, Malinche Gets Hate. Why?

6:41pm November 25, 2015

by Jasmine Garsd

La Malinche was an Indian woman who served as an interpreter for Cortes — at a cost to her reputation. Even 500 years later, she's reviled in Mexico.

Science

Explaining Einstein's Theory Of General Relativity On Its 100th Birthday

4:37pm November 25, 2015

by Adam Frank

Einstein's theory of general relativity turns 100 Wednesday. Astrophysicist Adam Frank tells us what this meant for science.

The excavation at Ahihud in the Galilee region of Israel where archaeologists found fava beans dating back 10,000 years.

Some Ancient Farmers Grew Fava Beans Before They Grew Grains

2:13pm November 25, 2015

by Emily Harris

The fava bean is a key staple in much of the world. Researchers say they've found fava beans in the Galilee region of Israel dating over 10,000 years ago — before grains had been domesticated there.

Patriotic Turkey: Detail from a vintage Thanksgiving greeting card.

National

The Peculiar Parade Of Thanksgiving Traditions

8:42am November 25, 2015

by Linton Weeks

Though it may seem like a fixed point in a fast-moving world, the Thanksgiving holiday continues to change and evolve.

National

'Masking' Memories: Thanksgiving In Disguise

4:14pm November 24, 2015

by Linton Weeks

In the early 20th century, Americans wore gaudy costumes and bizarre masks, and some roved the streets begging for candy and treats — at Thanksgiving time.

Ernest Hemingway's 'A Moveable Feast' Hits French Bestseller List After Paris Attacks

6:55pm November 23, 2015

by Lauren Frayer

Ernest Hemingway's A Moveable Feast has hit the French bestseller list a half century after its publication, all because of a French granny. A 77-year-old Paris woman who lives near the Bataclan concert hall gave a TV interview that went viral. In the interview, she calls on her countrymen to read Hemingway's novel of living it up in the "City of Light."

Queue Listen Now

Thanksgiving dinner. So much room for hope. So much room for disappointment.

National

Cross-Cultural Menu Ideas For A Code Switch Thanksgiving

4:21pm November 23, 2015

by Leah Donnella

You want to love Thanksgiving food so badly. Here are ways make it happen.

National

On A List Of Big Names, Little-Known Activist Earns His Posthoumous Spotlight

5:10pm November 21, 2015

by Michel Martin

On Tuesday, Minoru "Min" Yasui will posthumously receive the Presidential Medal of Freedom for his fight against the military curfew imposed upon Japanese-Americans during World War II.