History

World News

What's To Learn From King Richard III

2:03pm February 13, 2013

Since the recent discovery and ID of Richard III's bones under a Leicester parking lot, historians have been debating his legacy. Was Richard really the evil despot that Shakespeare made him out to be? Or was the real Richard a sensible domestic leader and the victim of a classic family struggle?

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U.S. Rep. James Clyburn explains the hope he carries along with him in his career to his granddaughter Sydney Reed.

National

Relentless, Despite Losses: Congressman's Climb To The Hill

11:26am February 12, 2013

by NPR Staff

Rep. James Clyburn talks to his granddaughter about his long road to becoming a U.S. congressman. After many losses, he never gave up, even when others suggested it was time to move on. Today, he's the highest-ranking African-American in Congress.

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"All you have to do is walk in or stand on the balcony and watch people move, and you'll recognize the genius of the people who built Grand Central," says Metro-North President Howard Permut.

Arts

Grand Central, A Cathedral For Commuters, Celebrates 100

11:26am February 12, 2013

by Jeff Lunden

The largest railroad terminal in the world opened its doors for the first time in 1913. And while Grand Central Terminal, in the heart of New York City, no longer serves long-distance trains, it is still a vibrant part of the city's ecosystem.

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Books
Arts

An 'Autopsy' Of Detroit Finds Resilience In A Struggling City

10:36am February 12, 2013

To some, Detroit may be a symbol of urban decay; but to journalist Charlie LeDuff, it's home. In Detroit: An American Autopsy, he says the city's heart beats on. "We're still here trying to reconstruct the great thing we once had," he tells Fresh Air's Dave Davies.

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West's Allure Dulls Monkhood's Luster For Some Buddhists

4:58pm February 10, 2013

Since the Dalai Lama's exile from Tibet in 1958, reincarnated high lamas have been born in, or exposed to, the West at an increasing rate. Journalist Tim McGirk wrote about the effects of that exposure in this month's issue of The Believer.

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Remembering Rosa Parks On Her 100th Birthday

2:43pm February 04, 2013

Civil rights activist Rosa Parks would have been 100 years old today. NPR's Celeste Headlee talks with listeners about the first time they learned about Parks and what she signifies today.

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Books
Arts

A Barbados Family Tree With 'Sugar In The Blood'

1:44pm February 04, 2013

In her new book, Andrea Stuart explores the intersection of sugar, slavery, settlement, migration and survival in the Americas. Stuart's personal history was shaped by these forces — she is descended from a slave owner who had relations with an unknown slave.

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The Nazis imprisoned Czech composer Rudolf Karel (shown here in a sketch from 1945) for helping the resistance in Prague. He wrote his compositions down on toilet paper.

Honoring 'Our Will To Live': The Lost Music Of The Holocaust

9:56am February 01, 2013

by Sylvia Poggioli

For two decades, Italian musicologist Francesco Lotoro has searched for and resurrected works of music written in World War II concentration, labor and POW camps. He wants to fill the hole the Holocaust left in Europe's musical history and document the triumph of creativity over brutality.

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During the Vietnam War, more than 58,000 Americans died, as well as more than 2 million Vietnamese soldiers and civilians.

War And Foreign Policy Through The Eyes Of Vietnam Veterans

3:25pm January 30, 2013

by NPR Staff

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee confirmed Sen. John Kerry as the next secretary of state. Former Sen. Chuck Hagel is set to become the next secretary of defense. Critics and supporters of the men point to their service in Vietnam as a critical qualification.

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According to the American Staffing Association, the U.S. temp industry has added more jobs than any other over the past three years.

A 'Permatemp' Economy: The Idea Of The Expendable Employee

2:00pm January 29, 2013

by NPR Staff

Nearly 13 million people head to work as temporary and contract employees each year, according to the American Staffing Association. In an opinion piece for The New York Times, sociologist Erin Hatton argues that it's time to get rid of the "anti-worker ideology that has come to accompany it."

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