History

Laura Ingalls Wilder entertained generations of children with her Little House series, which was loosely based on her family's pioneering life. Her memoir, Pioneer Girl, was published in 2014.

Books
Arts

'Little House,' Big Demand: Never Underestimate Laura Ingalls Wilder

10:23am February 03, 2015

by NPR Staff

Wilder's memoir reveals that she witnessed more violence than you'd ever know from her children's books. The South Dakota State Historical Society can barely keep up with demand for the autobiography.

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Nobel Prize-winning physicist Charles Townes was single-minded about a lot of things, colleagues say. And also a very nice guy.

Science

Charles Townes, Laser Pioneer, Black Hole Discoverer, Dies At 99

9:51am January 31, 2015

by Geoff Brumfiel

Physicist Charles Townes died Tuesday. He was a key inventor of the laser and won the Nobel Prize for his discovery in 1964. But his career didn't end there.

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President Obama has said he will veto the Keystone XL pipeline project, which passed in the Senate on Wednesday. Historically, political scientists say, 90 percent of veto threats are issued behind the scenes, but Obama has issued nine veto threats so far

4 Reasons Why It's Veto Season At The White House

7:37pm January 30, 2015

by Mara Liasson

In his first six years in office, President Obama issued just two vetoes, the fewest of any president going all the way back to James Garfield. But that's about to change.

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National

'Female Husbands' In The 19th Century

9:53am January 30, 2015

by Linton Weeks

In newspapers, magazines and novels, the "female husband" was a person of great interest.

Official game balls for this year's Super Bowl sit in a bin before being laced and inflated at the Wilson Sporting Goods Co. in Ada, Ohio.

Gamesmanship Or Cheating: A History Quiz

2:18pm January 27, 2015

by Linton Weeks

Whatever happens with the investigation of Deflategate, there is sometimes a blurry line between gaining a competitive advantage and downright cheating.

Frank Sinatra captured by photographer William "PoPsie" Randolph during a 1943 concert. Author Ben Yagoda points to Sinatra as one of the interpreters who helped revive the Great American Songbook.

When Pop Broke Up With Jazz

9:00am January 27, 2015

by NPR Staff

For the first half of the 20th century, Tin Pan Alley songwriters like Irving Berlin and the Gershwins dominated pop music. By the the 1950s, tastes had changed, and the music changed with them.

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World News

Whodunnit? King Tut's Burial Mask Damaged And Glue Didn't Help

9:59am January 25, 2015

by NPR Staff

A mystery is unfolding at the Egyptian Museum in Cairo, where someone has reportedly broken off the beard of King Tut's burial mask and attempted to glue it back on.

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World News

Ancient Egyptian Relic Broken, Repaired With Glue

9:20pm January 22, 2015

by Sam Sanders

Anonymous officials say the beard of the golden mask of King Tutankamun broke off during a cleaning last year, and was glued back on in a hurry.

Actor, playwright and composer Noel Coward rehearses for a show in 1951. A rare recording of Coward introducing his play Peace in Our Time is just one of the millions of sounds and recordings the British Library is looking to preserve.

From Wax Cylinders To Records, Saving The Sounds Of History

2:27pm January 22, 2015

by NPR Staff

Many of the items in The British Library's vast collection of recorded sound are in danger of disappearing. Some just physically won't last much longer; others are stored in long-dead formats.

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Beware Of Japanese Balloon Bombs

1:21pm January 22, 2015

by Linton Weeks

During World War II, the Japanese aimed thousands of wind-borne explosives at North America. To this day, many have not been accounted for.