History

Neonta Williams (left) shares family letters dating back to 1901 with preservationist Kimberly Peach during the Smithsonian's Save our African American Treasures program at the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute. Peach advises her to use archive-quality po

Preserving Black History, Americans Care For National Treasures At Home

12:28am September 17, 2014

by Debbie Elliott

The relics of African-American families help tell the story of America, the Smithsonian says. Museum experts are traveling the country to help identify and care for items of cultural significance.

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As President Jimmy Carter looks on, Egyptian President Anwar Sadat (left) shakes hands with former Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin at Camp David on Sept. 6, 1978.

Books
Arts

13 Days Of High Emotion That Led To The Egypt-Israel Peace

6:13pm September 16, 2014

Lawrence Wright's new book examines the 1978 peace deal President Carter brokered between Egypt and Israel. During the tense summit, Carter had "never been angrier," Wright says.

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In this undated photo, Theodore Roosevelt waves to a crowd.

Arts

3 Roosevelts Come Alive In PBS Documentary, Ken Burns' Best Yet

11:56pm September 11, 2014

by David Bianculli

A 14-hour biography of Theodore, Eleanor and Franklin Delano starts Sunday. Actors including Paul Giamatti and Meryl Streep put on Emmy-worthy vocal performances reading from an Emmy-worthy script.

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World News

Ship Found From Doomed 1845 Arctic Expedition, Canada Says

8:24am September 11, 2014

Steve Inskeep talks to Paul Watson, a Toronto Star columnist, about the discovery from the Franklin Expedition, which went missing 169 years ago while searching for the Northwest passage.

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Theodore Roosevelt, seen here in 1885, was haunted by the fact that his father didn't fight in the Civil War.

Arts

Ken Burns' 'The Roosevelts' Explores An American Family's Demons

6:29pm September 10, 2014

by NPR Staff

In a new PBS documentary series, Burns turns his lens to Theodore, Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, and how each triumphed over adversity.

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U.S. Flag's History Inspire Mixologists To Get Creative

10:38am September 09, 2014

The Smithsonian held a contest for a drink to celebrate U.S.-British friendship — after the attack 200 years ago. The winner: Gunpowder Cream: a mix of rum, English tea and maple syrup.

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Christ In Context: 'Zealot' Explores The Life Of Jesus

2:48pm August 27, 2014

Reza Aslan converted to Christianity when he was a teenager, but became more interested in Jesus than as a Messiah. His book, Zealot, considers Jesus in the context of the time and place he lived in.

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Books
Arts

In 1879, Explorers Set Sail To Solve Arctic Mystery, Once And For All

11:25am August 25, 2014

by NPR Staff

In the Kingdom of Ice tells the story of a "grand and terrible" 19th-century expedition into uncharted Arctic waters. Of the 33 men who set out, only 13 made it home after a truly harrowing voyage.

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Bob Motley began calling balls and strikes while in the military, eventually landing with the Negro League in Kansas City.

Sports

Bob Motley, Last Surviving Negro League Ump, Recalls Baseball History

7:18pm August 24, 2014

by NPR Staff

The 91-year-old former Marine went from borrowing a mask at an Okinawa hospital to umpiring in the Negro League, where he made calls against legends like Satchel Paige, Hank Aaron and Willie Mays.

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The Titan II intercontinental-range missile, pictured in 1965, sits ready for launch on its 150-feet-deep underground launchpad. "The one warhead on a Titan II had three times the explosive force of all the bombs used by all the armies in the second world

Books
Arts

Nuclear 'Command And Control': A History Of False Alarms And Near Catastrophes

11:39am August 13, 2014

Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, spent six years researching America's nuclear weapons. In Command and Control, he details explosions, false attack alerts and accidentally dropped bombs.

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