History

Whitney Plantation owner John Cummings has commissioned stark artwork for the site, including realistic statues of slave children found throughout the museum.

National

New Museum Depicts 'The Life Of A Slave From Cradle To The Tomb'

8:31pm February 27, 2015

by Debbie Elliott

A New Orleans attorney has turned an antebellum plantation into a new museum. You won't find hoop skirts and mint juleps but stark relics at a site devoted entirely to a realistic look at slavery.

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National

How Black Abolitionists Changed A Nation

4:52pm February 26, 2015

by Linton Weeks

Hundreds of outspoken African-Americans moved America toward emancipation.

Rabbi Max Nussbaum (left) and Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. in Los Angeles.

National

In Hollywood, MLK Delivered A Lesser-Known Speech That Resonates Today

3:09pm February 26, 2015

by Karen Grigsby Bates

Fifty years ago, Martin Luther King Jr. visited Los Angeles and spoke to a standing room-only crowd at Temple Israel. The synagogue honors his legacy by replaying the speech once a year.

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Miller Farm, the terminus of Van Syckel's pipeline, in 1868. The oil was pumped to Miller Farm and then transported by railroad.

National

Even Pickaxes Couldn't Stop The Nation's First Oil Pipeline

8:20pm February 24, 2015

by Uri Berliner

The debate over Keystone XL is nothing compared to the battle over the nation's first commercial oil pipeline. It transformed how energy was transported forever — but not without sabotage and threats.

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National

The Courage And Ingenuity Of Freedom-Seeking Slaves In America

1:17pm February 24, 2015

by Linton Weeks

Did daring stories of fugitive slaves perhaps move the national political needle toward abolition?

Mr. and Mrs. Disraeli: A Strange Romance

Books
Arts

Victorian Romance Meets 'House Of Cards' In 'Mr. And Mrs. Disraeli'

5:11pm February 23, 2015

by Maureen Corrigan

Daisy Hay's new book is a joint biography of 19th century British Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli and his wife, Mary Anne, whose fortune and status as a gentile helped boost her husband's career.

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Youjung Jung takes a customer's order for a new outfit at her store Hanbok Story in Queens, N.Y.

Arts

Korean Tailors Try To Keep The Lunar New Year Hanbok Ritual Alive

11:06pm February 21, 2015

by Hansi Lo Wang

A new year's tradition of wearing a new, custom-tailored outfit to celebrate the Lunar New Year is fading in Korean culture.

Books
Arts

'Train to Crystal City' Tells A Secret Story Of WWII Internments

3:46pm February 20, 2015

A World War II program traded German and Italian Americans for Americans who were trapped abroad. NPR's Rachel Martin speaks with author Jan Jarboe Russell.

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The ancient scrolls look and feel more like blocks of charcoal. A new technique gives a peek inside.

X-Rays Open Secrets Of Ancient Scrolls

7:41pm February 19, 2015

by Geoff Brumfiel

Scientists have used a particle accelerator to read ancient scrolls without unrolling them. The breakthrough could potentially be used to decipher hundreds of texts.

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(Left) Sauerkraut and sausage (foreground) cook on the stove at the Hutte Restaurant. (Right) Diners Roxanne Singhisen and Nick Lockyer of Pittsburgh chat at the Hutte.

Swiss Village + West Virginia + Mardi Gras Feast = Fasnacht

7:31pm February 17, 2015

by Emily Hilliard

Isolated in the West Virginia wilderness, the tiny town of Helvetia clings to its distinctly Swiss character and foodways. It all culminates with a pre-Lenten festival where food takes center stage.