Shows / Throughline
Throughline
Throughline is a time machine. Each episode, we travel beyond the headlines to answer the question, "How did we get here?" We use sound and stories to bring history to life and put you into the middle of it. From ancient civilizations to forgotten figures, we take you directly to the moments that shaped our world. Throughline is hosted by Peabody Award-winning journalist Rund Abdelfatah.
Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including…
Episodes
ThroughlineThe Ghost in Your Phone (Throwback)
It's hot. A mother works outside, a baby strapped to her back. The two of them breathe in toxic dust, day after day. And they're just two of thousands, cramped…
ThroughlineRalph Nader, Consumer Crusader
Whether it's pesticides in your cereal or the door plug flying off your airplane, consumers today have plenty of reasons to feel like corporations might not…
ThroughlineThe 14th Amendment
Of all the amendments to the U.S. Constitution, the 14th is a big one. It's shaped all of our lives, whether we realize it or not: Roe v. Wade, Brown v. Board…
ThroughlineThe Land of the Fee (Throwback)
Tipping is a norm in the United States—and it's always been controversial. The practice took off after the Civil War, as employers sought cheap labor from…
ThroughlineA History of Hezbollah
Hezbollah is a Lebanese paramilitary organization and political party that's directly supported by the Islamic Republic of Iran. In the wake of the October 7…
ThroughlineThe Great Textbook War
What is school for? Over a hundred years ago, a man named Harold Rugg published a series of textbooks that encouraged students to confront the thorniest parts…
ThroughlineRadiolab: Worst. Year. Ever
What was the worst year to be alive on planet Earth? We make the case for 536 AD, which set off a cascade of catastrophes that is almost too horrible to…
ThroughlineA Symphony of Resistance (Throwback)
In 2011, the world was shaken by the Arab Spring, a wave of "pro-democracy" protests that spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The effects of…
ThroughlineThe Rise of the Right Wing in Israel
For most of its early history, Israel was dominated by left-leaning, secular politicians. But today, the right is in power. Its politicians represent a…
ThroughlineThe Right to An Attorney
Most of us take it for granted that if we're ever in court and we can't afford a lawyer, the court will provide one for us. And in fact, the right to an…
ThroughlineDance Yourself Free (Throwback)
Beyonce's Renaissance brought house music back to mainstream audiences. But even when it wasn't gracing the Grammys, house never went away. Born from the ashes…
ThroughlineLove, Throughline
We asked you to call us with your stories of looking for love in the 21st century — and man, did you come through. We heard the whole range of human experience…
ThroughlineThe Scent of History
What if we told you that the key to time travel has been right in front of our eyes this whole time? Well, it has: it's in our noses. Today on the show, the…
- Throughline
James Baldwin's Shadow (Throwback)
James Baldwin believed that America has been lying to itself since its founding. An insightful commentator on Black identity, American democracy, and racism…
ThroughlineBonus: The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop
In October of 1983, Grenada's Prime Minister Maurice Bishop was assassinated in a coup, along with seven of his cabinet members and supporters. Six days later…
ThroughlineThe Man Who Cured Aging
In 1899, Elie Metchnikoff woke up in Paris to learn that he had defeated old age. At least, that's what the newspaper headlines said. Before long he was…
ThroughlineThe Right to Bear Arms
In April 1938, an Oklahoma bank robber was arrested for carrying an unregistered sawed-off shotgun across state lines. The robber, Jack Miller, put forward a…
ThroughlineWhen Things Fall Apart (Throwback)
Climate change, political unrest, random violence: modern society can often feel like what the filmmaker Werner Herzog calls "a thin layer of ice on top of an…
ThroughlineThe Nostalgia Bone (2021)
They say "everything old becomes new again." Today, that's baggy jeans, shag haircuts, 90s music, TV sitcoms – the latest version of finding comfort in…
ThroughlineEditing Reality (2023)
We live in divided times, when the answer to the question 'what is reality?' depends on who you ask. Almost all the information we take in is to some extent…
ThroughlineApology: The Way Back (2023)
Our society is saturated in apologies. They're scripted, they're public, and they often feel less than sincere. Political, corporate, celebrity apologies –…
ThroughlineDare to Dissent
Sometimes, the most dangerous and powerful thing a person can do is to stand up not against their enemies, but against their friends. As the United States…
ThroughlineThe Lord Of Misrule
On November 18, 1633, a book went to press in London. Its author, Thomas Morton, had been exiled from the Puritan colonies in Massachusetts for the crimes of…
ThroughlineA.D.A. Now! (2020)
The Americans with Disabilities Act is considered the most important civil rights law since the 1960s. Through first-person stories, we look back at the making…
ThroughlineHow U.S. Unions Took Flight
Hot Labor Summer has continued into fall as workers in industries from retail and carmaking to healthcare and Hollywood have organized and gone on strike…
ThroughlineA History of Hamas
On October 7th, the organization Hamas, which is also the ruling government of Gaza, perpetrated an attack just across the border in Israel. The Israeli…
ThroughlineGrenada: Nobody's Backyard (2021)
A Marxist revolution, a Cold War proxy battle, and a dream of a Black utopia. In 1983, Ronald Reagan ordered the U.S. military to invade the island of Grenada…
ThroughlineThe Supreme Court's Shadow Docket
Roe. Brown. Obergefell. Dobbs. These Supreme Court decisions are the ones that make headlines, and eventually history books. But today, the vast majority of…
ThroughlineThe Three Faces of Ataturk
"Authority, without any condition and reservation, belongs to the nation." A military commander named Mustafa Kemal uttered these words in 1923, on the eve of…
ThroughlineThe Dance of the Dead (2021)
Long before it was a sugary moviefest, the Halloween we know was called Samhain. The Celts of ancient Ireland believed Samhain was a night when the barrier…
ThroughlineThe Contradictions of Abraham Lincoln
In 1855, Abraham Lincoln wrote a letter to his best friend, Joshua Speed. Speed was from a wealthy, slave-owning Kentucky family; Lincoln believed slavery was…
ThroughlineTwo Miles Down The Road
Deborah and Ken Ferruccio saw the toxic chemical spill while they were driving home late one summer night in 1978: a big smelly swath of brown oil on the side…
ThroughlineTenochtitlán: A Retelling of the Conquest (2021)
In a sense, 1521 is Mexico's 1619. A foundational moment that for centuries has been shaped by just one perspective: a European one. The story of how Hernán…
ThroughlineDavid v Goliath
In the year 1258, more than 100,000 soldiers amassed outside the great Islamic city of Baghdad. They were the Mongol Army, led by the grandson of the fearsome…
ThroughlineA Tale of Two Tribal Nations
The word "reservation" implies "reserved" – as in, this land is reserved for Native Americans. But most reservation land actually isn't owned by tribes…
ThroughlineSilicon Island (2022)
In a world where computer chips run everything from laptops to cars to the Nintendo Switch, Taiwan is the undisputed leader. It's one of the most powerful tech…
ThroughlineHow Korean Culture Went Global (2022)
From BTS to Squid Game to high-end beauty standards, South Korea reigns as a global exporter of pop culture and entertainment. Just 70 years ago, it would have…
ThroughlineBy Accident of Birth (2022)
In August of 1895, a ship called the SS Coptic approached the coast of Northern California. On that boat was a passenger from San Francisco, a young man named…
ThroughlineThe Characters That Built China (2022)
Today, China is a global superpower. But less than two hundred years ago, the nation was in a state of decline. After what became known as the 'century of…
ThroughlineThe Lavender Scare
One day in late April 1958, a young economist named Madeleine Tress was approached by two men in suits at her office at the U.S. Department of Commerce. They…
ThroughlineGetting to Sesame Street (2022)
American schools have always been more than where we go to learn the ABCs: They're places where socialization happens and cultural norms are developed. And…
ThroughlineThe Hidden War
How does a country go from its leader winning the Nobel Peace Prize to all-out war in just one year? That's the question surrounding Ethiopia, which has become…
ThroughlineAll Wars Are Fought Twice (2022)
"All wars are fought twice, the first time on the battlefield, the second time in memory," writes Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen. This week on…
ThroughlineNo Bad Ideas?
Humans have always created. But historian Samuel W. Franklin argues that "creativity" didn't become a social value until the Cold War. Today, we're at another…
ThroughlineThe Legacy of Henry Kissinger
Depending on where you stand, Henry Kissinger is either a foreign policy mastermind or a war criminal. Some see him as a brilliant strategist who made tough…
ThroughlineAfter Roe: A New Battlefield (2022)
The Supreme Court's decision in Roe v. Wade transformed the landscape of abortion rights overnight. For the doctors, lawyers, feminists, and others who had…
ThroughlineThe Labor Of Love
There's a powerful fantasy in American society: the fantasy of the ideal mother. This mother is devoted to her family above all else. She raises the kids…
ThroughlineAffirmative Action
This conversation was recorded ahead of the Supreme Court's expected decision on affirmative action. As of publishing, no decision has been issued. The Supreme…
ThroughlineBefore Roe: The Physicians' Crusade (2022)
Abortion wasn't always controversial. In fact, in colonial America it would have been considered a fairly common practice: a private decision made by women…
ThroughlineThe Ghost in Your Phone
It's hot. A mother works outside, a baby strapped to her back. The two of them breathe in toxic dust, day after day. And they're just two of thousands, cramped…
ThroughlineThe Freedom of Speech
Book bans, disinformation, the wild world of the internet. Free speech debates are all around us. What were the Founding Fathers thinking when they created the…
ThroughlineHistory Is Over (2021)
As the end of the 20th century approached, Radiohead took to the recording studio to capture the sound of a society that felt like it was fraying at the edges…
ThroughlineMythos and Melodrama in the Philippines
Corruption. Wealth. Authoritarianism. Torture. These are the words many people associate with Ferdinand Marcos, the former dictator of the Philippines, and his…
ThroughlineWhat's Your Worth?
The credit score: even if you don't think much about it, that three-digit number can change your life. A high score can mean the keys to a new apartment or a…
ThroughlineCinco de Mayo and the Rise of Modern Mexico (2022)
Does history have a border? That is the question at the heart of Cinco de Mayo, May 5th, a holiday that symbolizes Mexico's fight for autonomy, even as it's…
ThroughlineThe Way Back
Our society is saturated in apologies. They're scripted, they're public, and they often feel less than sincere. Political, corporate, celebrity apologies –…
ThroughlinePast is Prologue: Talking Taxes
Benjamin Franklin said the only certainties in life are death and taxes. Sifting through receipts, deciphering confusing codes, and filling out forms is an…
ThroughlineStudent Loans: The Fund-Eating Dragon (2022)
At the start of the 20th century, only the most privileged could afford to go to college. Today, millions of students pursue higher ed — and owe $1.7 trillion…
ThroughlineThroughline Presents: Louder Than A Riot
Louder Than A Riot breaks down how hip-hop history is told. Who gets to be remembered and who gets left out? Decades before hip-hop's current renaissance of…
ThroughlineThe Mystery of Inflation (2022)
Rising interest rates. Layoffs. A shrinking dollar. Over the past year, the US economy has been squeezed: The same amount of money gets you less stuff. It's…