History

Journalist Tom Gjelten explores America's immigration story
The NPR reporter's new book marks the 50th anniversary of the 1965 immigration law.
Reflections on war, disability and the American veteran
Author and history professor John Kinder considers the many experiences of veterans who have been wounded in America's wars.
Thomas Edison: How the lightbulb changed everything
University of Tennessee historian Ernest Freeberg discusses how the light bulb changed nearly everything about American life.
On Abraham Lincoln's birthday: hear historian Harold Holzer
Renowned Lincoln scholar Harold Holzer tells us this hour about Abraham Lincoln's presidency, his assassination, and his mostly unknown career as a newspaper man. Harold Holzer gave the 2015 "Lincoln Lecture" at the Minnesota Historical Society. He titled it "Lincoln and the Press in 1865: Mayhem, Manhunts and Martyrdom."
Rashad Shabazz: 'Why Geography Matters in the Struggle for Racial Justice'
Rashad Shabazz says America has a racial divide that can be explained by a study of geography and our sense of place. He concludes that lack of freedom and mobility, and government policies in housing and transportation, have hindered our ability to have a just and multi-racial society.
MLK special: Deval Patrick keynote and Martin Luther King's 1962 National Press Club address
Former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick gives the keynote address at the annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday Breakfast in Minneapolis; King speaks at the National Press Club July 19, 1962.
Historian Edward Larson on the 'Scopes Monkey Trial'
Edward Larson with a history lesson that still resonates today. The battle between religion and science, and individual liberty versus majority rule. It came to the fore in the 1920's with a controversy over teaching evolution in the schools. The famous "Scopes Monkey Trial" featured renowned attorney Clarence Darrow and populist William Jennings Bryan.
'The First Family of Radio: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's Historic Broadcasts'
Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt were the "first couple" of American radio. This American RadioWorks documentary, "The First Family of Radio: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt's Historic Broadcasts," features rarely heard archival audio and explores how the Roosevelts revolutionized political communication in America.