American history
How one Civil Rights activist posed as a white man in order to investigate lynchings
White Lies author A.J. Baime tells the story of Walter White, a light-skinned Black man whose ancestors had been enslaved. For years White risked his life investigating racial violence in the South.
Frederick Douglass biographer traces the rise of a legendary abolitionist and orator
David Blight's Pulitzer Prize-winning biography traced Douglass' path from slavery to abolitionist and inspired HBO's documentary, Frederick Douglass: In Five Speeches. Originally broadcast in 2018.
How A Cotton Sack, Passed Down Over Generations, Tells A Larger Story About Slavery
In her new book, All That She Carried, historian Tiya Miles tells the story of an enslaved woman who, upon hearing her child was to be sold off, hastily packed her a bag with a few personal items.
Journalist: Eddie Gallagher Case Reveals A 'War For The Soul Of The Navy SEALs'
Gallagher was court martialed for shooting at civilians from a sniper's post and murdering a defenseless captive in Iraq. New York Times correspondent David Philipps chronicles the case in Alpha.
'The Quiet Americans' Examines Tragic Miscalculations In The CIA's Formative Years
Author Scott Anderson chronicles the formative years of America's spy agency by focusing on four soldiers who became intelligence agents after World War II. Originally broadcast Sept. 1, 2020.
Daniel Ellsberg On The Pentagon Papers
Fifty years ago this week, The New York Times published the first in a series of articles based on a classified Defense Department study that was leaked to the paper by Daniel Ellsberg.
Ben Bradlee On The Pentagon Papers
Bradlee was the executive editor of The Washington Post from 1968 to 1991. The biggest story covered under Bradlee's watch was Watergate, which forced the resignation of President Nixon.
'Mercury Rising' Explores The U.S.'s Treacherous Attempts to Control Space
In his new book, Mercury Rising, Jeff Shesol writes about Friendship 7, the United States' first mission to put an astronaut in orbit around the Earth and, more broadly, about how Cold War fears fueled the early days of the space program.
Remembering Watergate Conspirator G. Gordon Liddy
Liddy, who died March 30, was convicted in 1973 for his role in the conspiracy to burglarize and bug the Democratic Party's headquarters at the Watergate office complex. Originally broadcast in 1980.
'Hiding In Plain Sight' Corrects The Record On Lady Bird Johnson
The first lady is often remembered as a genteel Southerner who promoted highway beautification, but author Julia Sweig says archival records show Lady Bird was also a savvy political strategist.