Commentary

Correction: Revolutionary War History

9:02pm July 06, 2015

When it comes to American Revolutionary War history, we messed up and should be tarred and feathered. NPR's Robert Siegel and Kelly McEvers correct a mistake we should have caught on Friday's program: when the Revolutionary War actually ended.

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Greek flags fly beside those of the European Union in Athens. Many people chalk the phrase up to Shakespeare, but its origins likely date back much earlier than that -- to medieval monks eager for a cop-out.

Is It All Greek To You? Thank Medieval Monks, And The Bard, For The Phrase

10:11pm July 05, 2015

by NPR Staff

Ben Zimmer, language columnist at The Wall Street Journal, explains the origin of the phrase "it's all Greek to me" — and shares a few variants from other languages.

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Sports

All-Star Games Are Worthless If The Players Are Not All-Stars

5:06pm July 01, 2015

by Frank Deford

Major League Baseball's All-Star Game may be less starry than usual this year because of Kansas City fans' campaign to get as many Royals players as possible into the game.

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World News

In Viennese Media Center, Iranian Journalists Dance Delicately Around Pitfalls

9:40am June 28, 2015

by Peter Kenyon

Western reporters are working alongside Iranian media during numerous rounds of nuclear talks — the latest of which are taking place this week. What does their work tells us about Iran's culture?

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National

Calls To Remove Confederate Flag Challenge Southern Orthodoxy

10:40am June 27, 2015

Tony Horwitz, author of Confederates in the Attic, says this week's calls to remove Confederate symbols mark the collapse of a stubborn Southern orthodoxy.

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Learning The Hard Way Why You Just Shouldn't GetTooClose

10:32am June 27, 2015

by Deepak Singh

In India, writer Deepak Singh was always bumping up against humanity. In the U.S., he found out about personal space. And he wonders: Is something lost when you have to keep your distance?

National

Some Find It Difficult To Heed Calls For Racial Healing After Charleston, S.C.

7:17pm June 25, 2015

At a prayer vigil for victims in the recent South Carolina church shooting, professor Chenjerai Kumanyika found himself unable to join hands with a white woman — and he wondered why.

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Syrian refugees wait to be registered at the port of Mytilini in Greece following a 6km-long march.

World News

What Do You Think Of When You Hear The Word 'Refugee'?

10:40am June 20, 2015

by Scott Simon

The United Nations says there are nearly 60 million refugees around the world. NPR's Scott Simon reflects on what it means to be a refugee, from the lives they leave behind to the struggles they face.

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American tennis champion Arthur Robert Ashe Jr. (1943 - 1993) was the first black player to win a major men's tennis tournament in 1985.

Sports

Awards For Athletes Should Honor Unsung Heroes

7:34pm June 18, 2015

by Frank Deford

If ESPN wants to honor selfless players, it should give awards for courage to unknown people who achieve great feats.

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Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders speaks during a news conference on Capitol Hill last month.

Giving 'Long Shots' — Sanders and Others — A Fair Shot

10:40am June 08, 2015

by Elizabeth Jensen

Supporters of Sen. Bernie Sanders worry that the media is writing off their candidate too soon.