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 journalists Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei.Subscribe to Throughline+. You'll be supporting the history-reframing, perspective-shifting, time-warping stories you can't get enough of - and you'll unlock access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org/throughline
419 episodes transcribedOil may dominate the headlines about the Middle East, but the real power often flows through water. Three narrow passages - the Suez Canal, the Strait...
A lot of our everyday lives are shaped by the idea that if we really believe in something, it will happen. But where does that idea come from? And wha...
The Supreme Court's 2025-26 term has been punctuated with some high-stakes cases: birthright citizenship, voting rights, presidential powers and conse...
What does it mean to be American? For one superhero, it means donning yourself in the colors of the American flag, sticking up for the little guy, and...
Threats against public officials have become much, much more common. This includes everyone from the president of the United States to members of Cong...
As the U.S. escalated its intervention in Vietnam in the 1960s, the media's coverage ramped up too. Soon, the war permeated the homes of millions of A...
World Cup tickets are going for as high as $45,000. Not in most of our budgets. How did things get so out of hand when the tournament's founder intend...
When people remember the March on Washington they often recall the giant crowds or Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech.” Less known is th...
Gas. Meat. Flights. Houses. The cost of living is up. Inflation is rearing its head again. And as it rises higher, inflation risks devastating economi...
Civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama lived a life dedicated to social justice for people of all backgrounds. Not only a pillar of the Asian-American m...
Prediction market sites allow users to put money on everything from the war in Iran to the winner of the Super Bowl. But where did these markets come...
This week, we explore the life of the first woman Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins, and how in the midst of the Great Depression she helped reshape...
Drones are swarming battlefields in Ukraine, Iran, and beyond. Drone warfare is cheap, efficient, autonomous — and changing warfare forever. Today on...
A glimpse into life during the Great Depression from the people that lived it.To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscri...
All wars are fought twice: first on the battlefield, the second time in memory," writes Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen. This week on...
Rapid industrialization reshaped American life in the mid-19th century. But as corporations grew larger and more powerful, working conditions for many...
People used to say "believe your eyes." But these days that's not so easy to do. What we scroll through every day blurs the line between entertainment...
Jack Johnson was the first world Black heavyweight champion, but winning the title was only part of the battle. Every time Johnson stepped into a boxi...
Starbase. Prospera. California Forever. Mars. From private cities to interstellar colonies, tech billionaires like Elon Musk and Peter Thiel have back...
As the United States expanded into a global superpower, it simultaneously strengthened its national borders and began to limit who could come in and o...
