History

Books
Arts

Teddy Roosevelt's 'Bully Pulpit' Isn't The Platform It Once Was

5:28pm November 04, 2013

by NPR Staff

Roosevelt described the power of the presidency to shape public opinion as "the bully pulpit." That's also the title of a new book from presidential historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, in which she explains the unique relationships Roosevelt forged with reporters.

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Little oil lamps mark Diwali celebrations in Allahabad, India, far away from American homes.

Far From Diwali's Lights, The Warm Glow Of Home

9:42am November 04, 2013

by Lakshmi Singh

South Asian communities around the world are celebrating good over evil, knowledge over ignorance, light over darkness. Sunday is Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights. The holiday isn't well-known in the U.S., though, so families rely on themselves to keep the tradition alive.

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Winston Churchill opens the new headquarters of a Royal Auxiliary Air Force squadron at Croydon in 1948.

A Churchill 'Quote' That U.S. Politicians Will Never Surrender

8:28am October 30, 2013

by Scott Horsley

Winston Churchill's backhanded compliment to Americans — that they'll always do the right thing, after trying everything else — is often repeated by members of Congress. There's no evidence that Churchill ever said it, but don't expect that to stop politicians from quoting it.

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Books
Arts

Botched Investigation Fuels Kennedy Conspiracy Theories

3:11pm October 28, 2013

It's been 50 years since President John F. Kennedy was assassinated, and polls show that a majority of Americans still believe Kennedy was the victim of a conspiracy, not a lone assassin. Philip Shenon, author of A Cruel and Shocking Act, explores what keeps these conspiracy theories alive.

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Ava Gene's, a Roman-inspired restaurant in Portland, Ore., incorporates colatura, a modern descendant of ancient Roman fish sauce, into several of its dishes.

Fish Sauce: An Ancient Roman Condiment Rises Again

11:19am October 26, 2013

by Deena Prichep

We usually associate fish sauce with Southeast Asian cooking. But it turns out the briny condiment also has deep roots in Europe, dating back to the Roman Empire. What caused its decline? Historians say it boils down to taxes, and pirates.

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Times Square near 42nd Street in New York City, in the 1920s.

National

The Sounds Of New York City, Circa 1920

7:59pm October 22, 2013

by Theo Balcomb

A team led by Emily Thompson, a history professor at Princeton, has matched noise complaints from New York City in the Roaring '20s with the actual street sounds of the day.

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Music & Culture

Remembering The Woman Who Gave Motown Its Charm

6:12pm October 15, 2013

by Gene Demby

Maxine Powell, who ran a finishing school for Motown's musicians, died this weekend at the age of 98. Her work polishing young artists for mainstream exposure was a big reason the legendary record label was able to integrate the airwaves.

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Politics & Government

Some In Congress Have Behaved Badly From The Start

9:59am October 15, 2013

The shutdown of the U.S. government has sparked lots of finger-pointing and name-calling in Congress. But A.J. Jacobs, editor at large at Esquire Magazine, tells host Scott Simon that this is hardly the nastiest dispute in the history of our democracy.

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Arts

Bob Mondello Remembers Columbus Day 1963, And A Visit To Camelot

9:24am October 15, 2013

by Bob Mondello

Bob Mondello remembers a Columbus Day 50 years ago made special by what seemed to him a visit to a real-life Camelot — and an unexpected encounter with John F. Kennedy. The president was atoning for some injudicious remarks about Italian Americans by hosting a special Rose Garden ceremony for government workers with Italian heritage.

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Birds Of A Feather Spy Together

6:12pm October 13, 2013

by NPR Staff

Journalist Tom Vanderbilt discusses the nonhuman operatives — from pigeons to house cats — deployed by the United States government during the Cold War. He wrote about the program recently for the Smithsonian magazine.

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