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
349 episodes transcribedThere is more waste in the world today than at any time in history, and the responsibility for keeping the environment clean too often falls on indivi...
When Colin Kaepernick stopped standing for the national anthem at NFL games it sparked a nationwide conversation about patriotism and police brutality...
Billie Holiday helped shape American popular music with her voice and unique style. But, her legacy extends way beyond music with one song in particul...
The United States imprisons more people than any other country in the world, and a disproportionate number of those prisoners are Black. What are the...
The term "concentration camp" is most associated with Nazi Germany and the systematic killing of Jews during World War II. But colonial powers used co...
Huey Pierce Long: you either loved him, or hated him. He combined progressive economic ideas with an autocratic streak, earning him thousands of adori...
After the landmark decision in Brown v. Board of Education, public schools across the country were supposed to become more integrated, but by the 1970...
After Iran shot down an American surveillance drone in June, tensions between the two countries have only gone up. But the US and Iran have been in so...
The U.S. and Iran have had a tense relationship for decades — but when did that begin? Over the next two weeks, we're exploring the history. This week...
The Star-Spangled Banner is the official anthem for the United States, but there are plenty of songs that have become informal American anthems for mi...
Fifty years ago, a gay bar in New York City called The Stonewall Inn was raided by police, and what followed were days of rebellion where protesters a...
In 1965, Jimmie Lee Jackson was an unarmed black civil rights activist who was murdered in Marion, Ala., after a peaceful protest. His murder brought...
Evangelicals have played an important role in modern day American politics - from supporting President Trump to helping elect Jimmy Carter back in 197...
Mitch McConnell has been described as "opaque," "drab," and even "dull." He is one of the least popular - and most polarizing - politicians in the cou...
Right-wing Hindu nationalist Narendra Modi has won reelection as India's Prime Minister. As the political philosophy of Hindu nationalism gains ground...
China is a world superpower today. But just over a century ago, the country was in complete turmoil — foreign powers had carved up the country, the ru...
Venezuela is facing an economic and humanitarian crisis as extreme poverty and violence have forced many to flee the country in recent years. How did...
The white nationalist ideas of Madison Grant influenced Congress in the 1920s, leaders in Nazi Germany, and members of the Trump administration. This...
Artificial intelligence, gene modification, and self-driving cars are causing fear and uncertainty about how technology is changing our lives. But hum...
