History

Over the past century and a half, visitors have traveled through Yosemite on foot, by carriage, by tram and by car. Now some regions will be once again be accessible only by foot, to protect delicate regions of the park.

As Yosemite Park Turns 150, Charms And Challenges Endure

12:04am June 29, 2014

by Sasha Khokha

In 1864, Abraham Lincoln set aside the nation's first federally-protected wilderness areas. Visitors have enjoyed Yosemite's wonders ever since — sometimes to the point of endangering them.

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Freedom Summer activists sing before leaving training sessions at Western College for Women in Oxford, Ohio, for Mississippi in June 1964.

National

50 Years Ago, Freedom Summer Began By Training For Battle

6:51pm June 26, 2014

by Hansi Lo Wang

Thousands of civil rights activists descended upon Mississippi in 1964 to help register African-American voters. For many, the first stop was intensive training — including how to take a beating.

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A new exhibit at the Mississippi state archives includes photographs, excerpts from journals and film clips documenting 1964's Freedom Summer.

National

Mississippi Marks 50 Years Since History-Changing 'Freedom Summer'

6:50pm June 26, 2014

by Debbie Elliott

After decades of trying to ignore the turbulent summer of 1964, when a campaign to register black voters was met with violent resistance, Mississippi is now embracing its history.

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Fannie Lou Hamer was an activist who spoke out for black rights during Freedom Summer.

50 Years Ago, Students Fought For Black Rights During 'Freedom Summer'

4:50pm June 23, 2014

A PBS documentary about the 1964 movement to get blacks to vote in Mississippi airs Tuesday. Freedom Summer director Stanley Nelson and organizer Charles Cobb discuss the dangers the students faced.

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Books
Arts

'Lawrence' Of Arabia: From Archaeologist To War Hero

11:34am June 18, 2014

Scott Anderson's book explains how British officer T.E. Lawrence used his knowledge of Arab culture and medieval history to advance British causes. Originally broadcast Aug. 19, 2013.

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Journalists Bob Woodward (left) and Carl Bernstein at the Watergate complex in Washington, D.C. Their reporting about the scandal later known as "Watergate" won a Pulitzer Prize.

40 Years On, Woodward And Bernstein Recall Reporting On Watergate

11:59am June 15, 2014

by NPR Staff

The now-legendary reporters revisit the famous D.C. complex as they remember writing All The President's Men, their detective story-style account of uncovering Richard Nixon's scandalous conspiracy.

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World Leaders Mark 70 Years Since The Day That Saved The World

11:09am June 06, 2014

In Normandy, France, President Obama is among the world leaders taking part in ceremonies marking the 70th anniversary of D-Day.

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The Neue Galerie exhibit's empty frames represent paintings that were lost or destroyed by the Nazis. They appear beside works that survived Nazi rule, like George Grosz's Portrait of the Writer Max Hermann-Neisse (lower right).

Arts

'Degenerate' Exhibit Recalls Nazi War On Modern Art

2:28pm June 02, 2014

by Lloyd Schwartz

In 1937, two Nazi art shows aimed to teach the public to despise modernist art and show them what art should be. An exhibit at New York's Neue Galerie reunites works from both landmark shows.

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Ralph Ellison in 1957, four years after his novel Invisible Man won the National Book Award. Ellison died in 1994.

Books
Arts

Ralph Ellison: No Longer The 'Invisible Man' 100 Years After His Birth

7:07pm May 30, 2014

by Tom Vitale

Ellison's exploration of race and identity won the National Book Award in 1953 and has been called one of the best novels of the 20th century.

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Historian Patrick Grossi stops in front of 3711 Melon St. during a walking tour through Mantua. On Saturday, this house will be torn down — and will receive an elaborate memorial service.

National

In Nod To History, A Crumbling Philly Row House Gets A Funeral

7:07pm May 30, 2014

by Peter Crimmins

3711 Melon St. in Philadelphia is an old house, but not a beautiful or particularly unique one. And that's exactly why historians and artists want to mark its demolition with a community celebration.

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