History

Aspen Ideas Festival: The legacy of James Madison
"Constitution Day," marks the anniversary of the adoption of the U.S. Constitution on Sept. 17, 1787. James Madison is considered the "father of the Constitution," and Harvard Law professor Noah Feldman spoke about Madison's legacy at the 2017 Aspen Ideas Festival.
Whalen's return to the Lynx isn't the first comeback of her career
Guard Lindsay Whalen is back on the court after a hand injury had her sitting out several games. And it's not the first time that's happened to her.
An ex-Viking's second life in the schools
For this week's highlight from the archive, an interview with Randall McDaniel, the former Minnesota Viking.
Aspen Ideas Festival: When colorblindness renders me invisible to you
Former NPR host Michele Norris moderated a discussion about race, inequality and the future of democracy at this summer's Aspen Ideas Festival. Is opportunity and social mobility still possible in America?
Aspen Ideas Festival: Are the founding fathers overrated?
David Rubenstein asks, and tries to answer, the question, "Are the Founding Fathers overrated?" He says they were talented and courageous people, who deserve all the credit they get for putting the country together and creating a durable constitution... but they could not figure out a way to deal with America's biggest original defect: slavery.
When sideshows ruled state fairs
In the 1950s and '60s, the U.S. had over 100 traveling sideshows — or "freak shows," as they were once known.
Truth, Politics and Power: A North Korea update
The U.S. and South Korea this week commenced computer-simulated military drills designed to prepare for a possible war with a nuclear-capable North Korea. Former NPR host Neal Conan explores the diplomatic and military situation with a former negotiator, a former high level Pentagon official and a historian.
Aspen Ideas Festival: Walter Isaacson on how we can be more like da Vinci
The best-selling biographer says that while we can't be Albert Einstein or Sir Isaac Newton, we can all try to be more like da Vinci. "We can try to be curious -- playfully curious and inquisitive, which was his ultimate trait," he said.