History

This turkey seemed to be in a fowl mood in 1987 when Ronald Reagan used the word "pardon" for the first time in reference to sparing a Thanksgiving turkey.

The Presidential Turkey Pardon's Weird Roots Go Back To The Iran-Contra Scandal

6:05pm November 19, 2018

by Domenico Montanaro

President Reagan's pivot away from a reporter's question about possibly pardoning those involved with the 1980s arms-sales scandal is a key moment in the history of the event taking place Tuesday.

World News

Ancient Babylon In Iraq Restored

7:48am November 17, 2018

by Jane Arraf

The ancient site of Babylon in Iraq has undergone a lot of damage in recent years but archeologists hope it will still get special status.

Abraham Lincoln is shown in Richmond, Va., being cheered by former slaves in 1865.

Texas Students Will Soon Learn Slavery Played A Central Role In The Civil War

8:36pm November 16, 2018

by Camille Phillips

The state's previous social studies standards listed three causes for the Civil War: sectionalism, states' rights and slavery, in that order.

National

FBI Re-Creates Fake Heads Used In 1962 Alcatraz Prison Escape

5:29pm November 16, 2018

When three inmates escaped Alcatraz in 1962 they used fake heads to fool the prison guards. Now, the FBI has re-created the heads in order to preserve the history of an escape that is still unsolved.

Queue Listen Now

Gert Berliner, 94, tied the little stuffed monkey to his bicycle when he was a child in Berlin.

A Toy Monkey That Escaped Nazi Germany And Reunited A Family

5:44pm November 14, 2018

by Uri Berliner

Gert Berliner packed a stuffed monkey when he fled the Nazis as a child. He kept the toy for more than a half century before donating it to a museum, an act that led to a remarkable discovery.

Queue Listen Now

Books

Excelsior! How Stan Lee Remade American Myth

1:52pm November 14, 2018

Stan Lee may have lived an American story, but then he ended up creating them.

Church Bells, Taken By U.S. Soldiers, To Return To The Philippines

10:10am November 14, 2018

by Maggie Mullen

Defense Secretary James Mattis and the Philippine ambassador to the U.S. meet in Wyoming Wednesday to begin the process of returning the bells that were taken more than 100 years ago.

Queue Listen Now

Uri Berliner stands with Swedish journalist Claes Furstenberg in front of the former Furstenberg family home in Kalmar, Sweden.

The Cost of Courage: The 2 Couples Who Rescued My Family From The Nazis

8:51am November 14, 2018

by Uri Berliner

Two couples sheltered Uri Berliner's family when the Nazis came to power. One thrived; the other paid a terrible price.

More Than 3,700 Women Turn Out For The Largest Rosie The Riveter Gathering

5:52am November 14, 2018

Officials at Guinness World Records confirmed that thousands of women, all dressed the same, set the record for most Rosies ever in one spot.

Ask Cokie: Women In Congress

5:32am November 14, 2018

Commentator Cokie Roberts answers listener questions about the history of women in Congress.