History

Until about 30,000 years ago — around the same time these animals were drawn on the walls of France's Chauvet Cave — there were at least five other species of humans on the planet.

Books
Arts

We Went From Hunter-Gatherers To Space Explorers, But Are We Happier?

9:29pm February 07, 2015

by NPR Staff

In his book Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari packs the history of humanity into 400 pages. "In some areas we've done amazingly well," the historian says. "In other areas we've done amazingly bad."

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National

Rosa Parks Collection Comes To Library Of Congress

2:23pm February 07, 2015

Thousands of letters, writings and notes by civil rights icon Rosa Parks were opened to researchers this week at the Library of Congress.

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Sports

Marathon Mania In American History

12:10pm February 06, 2015

by Linton Weeks

For a long time, Americans have been participating in a variety of competitions — for a long time.

David Oyelowo stars as Joe "Lightning" Little in Red Tails.

Arts

In 'Selma,' British Actor Brings Outsider's Perspective To MLK

3:00pm February 05, 2015

by Bilal Qureshi

David Oyelowo talks about playing Martin Luther King Jr. in the Oscar-nominated film Selma — as well as the LBJ controversy, slavery and how he learned about what it's like to be black in America.

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In 1941, superheroes like Captain America were big business for Marvel publisher Martin Goodman. But after the war, as superhero popularity faded, Goodman favored Westerns and romance comics.

Books
Arts

Marvel At 75: Still Slinging Webs And Guarding Galaxies

2:30pm February 05, 2015

by Mandalit del Barco

What became Marvel Comics got its start in 1939 as Timely Publications. It went through many changes — but one constant has been writer Stanley Lieber, better known as Stan Lee.

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Arts

The American Origins Of The Not-So-Traditional Celtic Knot Tattoo

1:18am February 05, 2015

by Ari Shapiro

The Celtic knot — a pattern of interlocking lines — is centuries old, carved into ancient stones all over Ireland. But that tattoo on your biceps? Like the fortune cookie, American born and bred.

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An illustration depicts Jesus Christ transforming water into wine during the wedding at Cana (John 2:7).

What Would Jesus Drink? A Class Exploring Ancient Wines Asks

1:16am February 05, 2015

by Lynnsay Maynard

The details of wine and winemaking practices in biblical times are debated among experts. But we do know that vino in Christ's day was very different from what we imbibe today.

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National

Judge Throws Out Convictions Of Civil Rights Pioneers, 'Friendship 9'

1:16am February 04, 2015

by Debbie Elliott

It's been 54 years since students from Friendship College were arrested for a sit-in at McCrory's Five and Dime in Rock Hill, South Carolina. On Wednesday, a Rock Hill judge exonerated them.

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Jack Mandelbaum, a Holocaust survivor from the Polish city of Gdynia, poses in front of a photograph showing him as a youth.

World News

A Holocaust Survivor, Spared From Gas Chamber By Twist Of Fate

12:40am February 04, 2015

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

The line on the left went to Auschwitz, but an SS guard shoved Jack Mandelbaum to the right. Thus began a three-year nightmare in seven labor camps for a Jewish teenager who refused to give up hope.

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Catherine Gauthier and Bette Berkeley, who at 17 won a 1939 national women's logrolling title in Longview, Wash.

National

Reviving The Lost Art Of Logrolling

11:12am February 03, 2015

by Linton Weeks

Contemporary logrollers believe that the historical practice provides today's athletes a good, balanced workout. And that it's as easy as, well, as falling off a log.