History

National

Woman Returns To Her Slave Cabin Childhood Home In The Smithsonian

5:26pm April 14, 2017

by Ari Shapiro

This week, Isabelle Meggett Lucas got to visit her childhood home — in the Smithsonian, which moved the house from South Carolina to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

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Nathaniel Martello-White, Freida Pinto and Babou Ceesay star in John Ridley's new series Guerilla. The show explores the way humiliation and marginalization can lead to violence.

Arts

Set 40 Years In The Past, 'Guerrilla' Speaks Strongly To Today

6:08am April 14, 2017

by Steve Inskeep

Oscar-winning screenwriter John Ridley's new series is set in the U.K. during the 1970s, when immigrants of color from former colonies were coming there for work, but finding little opportunity.

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U.S. artist Ryan Mendoza poses for a photo next to the former house of Afro-American human rights figure Rosa Parks on Mendoza's property on April 6, 2017 in Berlin, Germany. Mendoza bought the house, which was slated for demolition in Detroit, took it ap

This Week In Race: A House That Flew Over The Ocean And A Man Who Didn't Get To Fly

5:22am April 14, 2017

You could say it's been a pretty turbulent week on the race beat.

World News

200 Years Ago, The Word's First Rollercoaster Debuted In Paris

4:57pm April 13, 2017

The first rollercoaster in the world made its debut 200 years ago today. It was "The Promenades-Aériennes" or "The Aerial Walk" in Paris. Passengers walked up a set of stairs to ride a bench down the 600-foot track at 40 mph. Today, the tallest coaster is 456 feet tall.

Peter Stanford poses with his book Judas: The Most Hated Name in History and two bottles of Judas, a Belgian beer that looks pale but is treacherously strong.

Religion

The Dark Side Of Easter: Foods Named For Judas Offer Taste Of Treachery

3:15pm April 13, 2017

by Nina Martyris

Judas, the apostle who betrayed Jesus, is the archvillain of Easter week (though he has his defenders). He also has an intriguing range of food and drink named after him — from cake to bread to beer.

Above, the Library of Congress Card Division, 1919

Books
Arts

File This Under Nostalgia: New Book Pays Tribute To The Library Card Catalog

8:10am April 13, 2017

by Andrew Limbong

Today, people use the antique wooden cabinets to store their knick-knacks. But these card catalogs once held the keys to a world of information. A new Library of Congress book explores their history.

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'Nixon: The Life' Humanizes — But Doesn't Rehabilitate

12:41pm April 12, 2017

by Jason Heller

John A. Farrell's new biography of Richard Nixon contains a bombshell about Nixon's interference in a Vietnam peace deal — and that's just one of the book's many extensively-researched revelations.

What remains of the home of O.T. Jackson, the founder of Dearfield, Colo., sits on the town site in rural Weld County.

A Forgotten Piece Of African-American History On The Great Plains

10:00am April 12, 2017

by Luke Runyon

Nearly a century ago, Dearfield, Colo., was a thriving African-American farm community, admired by many of its white neighbors. There were even early signs of integration. Then came the Dust Bowl.

Cokie Roberts Answers Your Questions About The President's Power To Wage War

8:13am April 12, 2017

This week on the #AskCokie segment, commentator Cokie Roberts answers listener questions about the checks and balances on military power and the president's role as commander in chief.

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A 2010 memorial service for the Jonestown massacre in Oakland, Calif., featured photographs of the victims.

Nearly 40 Years Later, Jonestown Offers A Lesson In Demagoguery

2:24pm April 11, 2017

by Terry Gross

In 1978, more than 900 followers of the Rev. Jim Jones committed mass suicide in Guyana. In his new book, The Road to Jonestown, journalist Jeff Guinn details how Jones captivated so many.

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