History

Employees of the U.S. Radium Corp. paint numbers on the faces of wristwatches using dangerous radioactive paint. Dozens of women, known as "radium girls," later died of radium poisoning. One of the last radium girls died this year at 107.

Mae Keane, One Of The Last 'Radium Girls,' Dies At 107

2:49pm January 15, 2015

by Rebecca Hersher

In the 1920s, working-class women were hired to paint radium onto glowing watch dials — and told to sharpen the brush with their lips. Dozens died within a few years, but Keane quit, and survived.

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At this Yennayer celebration in Portland, Ore., several groups take to the stage, playing traditional songs, as well as the songs of more recent artists like Idir and Moh Alileche.

National

Far From North Africa, Berbers In The U.S. Ring In A New Year

3:29pm January 14, 2015

by Deena Prichep

For the indigenous people of Northern Africa, Jan. 14 is a day to celebrate their culture and religion. It reminds Berbers living in the U.S. of the struggle to preserve their identity far from home.

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Historian Peniel Joseph says criticism of the film Selma as historically inaccurate is misguided, and that the movie correctly portrays African-Americans as the drivers of the civil rights movement.

'Selma' Backlash Misses The Point

1:42pm January 12, 2015

by Peniel Joseph

Historian Peniel Joseph says Selma is the first major film about civil rights history that properly honors the contributions of the movement's African-American foot soldiers.

Royal Robbins climbs El Capitan's North American Wall in Yosemite National Park in 1964. Robbins is a climbing purist whose ideas helped shape the sport.

A Half-Century Of Battles For The Biggest Rock Walls

10:00pm January 11, 2015

by Rebecca Hersher

As two climbers attempt Yosemite's most daunting cliff face, documentarian Nick Rosen, co-writer and co-director of Valley Uprising, explains the park's history of climbs and culture clashes.

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Marcello Mazzucchi, who's known as "The Tree Whisperer." "I've felled one million trees in my career," he says. "But in their place, 100 million more have grown up."

In The Italian Alps, Stradivari's Trees Live On

7:05pm January 06, 2015

by Christopher Livesay

The master luthier's violins and cellos include spruce from the Fiemme Valley. The forest still thrives, and its trees are still made into fine instruments.

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The classic Spanish roscón is an aromatic, citrus-infused brioche topped by sugar, flaked almonds and candied fruits – arranged like the jewels on a king's crown. It's ubiquitous on Spanish tables on Three Kings Day, Jan. 6.

In Spain, A Kingly Ring With A Hidden Surprise Wraps Up The Holidays

6:27pm January 05, 2015

by James Badcock

The roscón is a ring-shaped, citrus-infused brioche ubiquitous on Spanish tables on Three Kings Day, Jan. 6. It comes with an ancient pedigree and a trinket inside that will bring luck to the finder.

Police watch a crowd of African-Americans as they wait for a car pool lift in 1956 during the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

National

The Goal: To Remember Each Jim Crow Killing, From The '30s On

2:00pm January 03, 2015

by NPR Staff

The Civil Rights Restorative Justice Project wants to document every racially motivated killing in the American South between 1930 and 1970. The project's director says it's a race against the clock.

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National

A Battle To Wash Away A Fountain's Controversial Namesake

6:23pm January 02, 2015

by Eleanor Klibanoff

In Washington, D.C., a local commissioner is working to get Sen. Francis Newlands' name removed from a fountain. Newlands was an outspoken white supremacist who tried to repeal the 15th Amendment.

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World News

After Uprising, A Struggle To Restore Tunisia's Ancient Emblems

6:23pm January 02, 2015

by Leila Fadel

Preservationists are struggling to renew the ancient Medina in Tunis — one of the oldest Arab Muslim cities and a warren of elegant doorways, fountains and faded palaces mansions.

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About This Series: The 12 Days Of Quirky Christmas Foods Around The Globe

1:21pm December 30, 2014

by Maria Godoy

We're kicking off a 12-part series exploring the rich diversity of Christmastime edibles around the world. We've zeroed in on meals that reveal as much about a country's history as its gastronomy.