Do The World's Oldest Jokes Still Hold Up?
Is comedy timeless? Comedian Jim Gaffigan explores that question by delivering ancient jokes to an unsuspecting audience.
Pop Culture
Great Books To Inspire English Language Learners
Way too many students who are English language learners are reading below grade level. Here are five culturally relevant books that might spark their curiosity.
The Season Of Gifting: The Rise Of 'Gift' As A Verb
NPR explores the not exactly new but increasingly common use of the word "gift" as a verb.
When Mr. Coffee Was The Must-Have Christmas Gift For Java Snobs
Few coffee aficionados are putting a Mr. Coffee machine on their wish list. But 40 years ago, it would've been at the top. The appliance revolutionized the quality and speed of home brewing.
Pop Culture Happy Hour: 'Rogue One' And 'La La Land'
It's a big week for movies, with the latest hotly anticipated Star Wars entry and a splashy musical starring Emma Stone, Ryan Gosling, and a lamppost.
A Critic's Year-End 'Ghost File': Books, Movies And TV Shows He Didn't Review
Every year, Fresh Air critic John Powers is haunted by all the terrific things he didn't get a chance to talk about on air. As 2016 winds down, he "un-haunts" himself with these six recommendations.
If TV Has It, Alan Thicke Probably Did It
We remember Alan Thicke, who died this week after a long career as an actor, writer, host and creator of earworm theme songs you may well know by heart.
Billy Eichner Makes A Career Out Of Love/Hating Celebrity Culture
In his Billy on the Street series, Eichner roams the sidewalks of Manhattan, asking strangers open-ended questions about the entertainment industry. If he likes their answers, he gives them a dollar.
Reading The Game: 'No Man's Sky'
Some of the best, wildest, most moving storytelling right now isn't on TV or in movies — it's in video games. So we're taking a literary look at one of this year's hottest games, No Man's Sky.
It's Not Just A Danish Word That Made Dictionary's Shortlist; It's A Lifestyle
The Danish word "hygge" was shortlisted as the Oxford English Dictionary's Word of the Year 2016. NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Meik Wiking, the author of The Little Book of Hygge, about the concept.