History

A vintage postcard from the Peach Tree State. Georgia isn't the biggest producer of the pink-orange fruit. So why are its peaches so iconic? The answer has a lot to do with slavery — its end and a need for the South to rebrand itself.

The Un-Pretty History Of Georgia's Iconic Peach

8:00am July 21, 2017

by Tove Danovich

The state isn't the biggest producer of the pink-orange fruit. So why are Georgia peaches so iconic? The answer has a lot to do with slavery — its end and a need for the South to rebrand itself.

50 Years On, Sen. Fred Harris Remembers Great Hostility During 1967 Race Riots

4:56pm July 20, 2017

1967 was a volatile year, as riots erupted across the country as a result of deep racial segregation between blacks and whites. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with former Oklahoma Democratic Sen. Fred Harris. Harris is the last living member of the original Kerner Commission, which was formed under President Johnson to investigate why the riots occurred and what can be done to prevent rioting in the future. The conclusions of the report drew backlash from many, including President Johnson.

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Fionn Whitehead plays Tommy, a British soldier awaiting evacuation, in Christopher Nolan's Dunkirk.

'Dunkirk' Director Christopher Nolan: 'We Really Try To Put You On That Beach'

5:03am July 20, 2017

by David Greene

Nolan's latest film marks the first time he has tackled a true story: the heroic evacuation of British troops by civilians in small boats at the beginning of World War II.

Wednesday's dedication of a memorial honoring those executed during the Salem witch trials drew a crowd to where researchers say was the site of the hangings.

National

Salem Memorializes Those Killed During Witch Trials

7:00pm July 19, 2017

by Merrit Kennedy

The memorial stands at the site where 19 innocent women and men were hanged. It opened on the 325th anniversary the first mass execution of five women.

Cokie Roberts Answers Your Questions About Medicaid

7:49am July 19, 2017

A controversial part of the Republican health care plan involved cutting Medicaid funding. Commentator Cokie Roberts answers listener questions about Medicaid.

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Books
Arts

London Literally Stank In The Summer Of 1858 — Just Ask Dickens And Darwin

9:21pm July 18, 2017

by Robert Siegel

In One Hot Summer, historian Rosemary Ashton follows Charles Dickens, Charles Darwin and Benjamin Disraeli through an unpleasant couple of months — as the River Thames flowed with hot, smelly sewage.

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World News

Tour Rio De Janeiro's Oldest Slave Port With This New App

4:28pm July 18, 2017

by Catherine Osborn

Rio de Janeiro was home to the Americas' largest slave port, which received nearly a million slaves over several centuries. Now modern day Cariocas have developed an app that provides an immersive tour through that history.

Pinkies up, Janeites! We mark the bicentennial of Austen's death with a look at her relationship with a beloved cuppa.

It Is A Truth Universally Acknowledged That Jane Austen Pairs Well With Tea

3:21pm July 18, 2017

by Nina Martyris

Pinkies up, Janeites! We mark the bicentennial of Austen's death with a look at her relationship with a beloved cuppa.

Migrant Workers Leave Behind Clues To Depression-Era Lifestyle

6:20am July 18, 2017

Archaeologists in Pennsylvania have just finished digging at a site where Depression-era migrant workers would have lived.

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National

50th Anniversary Of Detroit 'Riots' Lookahead

5:23pm July 16, 2017

NPR's Michel Martin is headed to Detroit for a show about the anniversary riots. But Detroit Free Press columnist Stephen Henderson says calling the events of 1967 a "riot" can be controversial.