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Defeating old age? In 1899, Elie Metchnikoff woke up in Paris to learn he had done just that. At least, that’s what the newspaper headlines said. Before long he was inundated with mail from people begging him to help them live forever. The only problem? He didn’t know how to do it. At the time, […]
How did love – this thing that’s supposed to be beautiful, magical, transformative – turn into a neverending slog? We went searching for answers, and we found them in surprising places. On today’s show: a time-hopping, philosophical journey into the origins of modern love. (This episode first ran as Love, Throughline) To access bonus episodes […]
In the Xinjiang region of western China, the government has rounded up and detained hundreds of thousands of Uyghurs and other Muslim ethnic groups. Many haven’t been heard from in years, and more still are desperately searching for their families. Western governments have called this crackdown a cultural genocide and a possible crime against humanity. […]
Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images “History” can seem big and imposing. But it’s always intensely personal – it’s all of our individual experiences that add up to historical events. Over the next few episodes, we’re exploring the personal and how it’s changed history: from the story of romantic love, to the man who tried […]
These signs showing the land as private property of Los Angeles were all over the Owens Valley. Anya Steinberg hide caption toggle caption Anya Steinberg These signs showing the land as private property of Los Angeles were all over the Owens Valley. Anya Steinberg Throughline associate producer Anya Steinberg talks to supervising senior editor Julie […]
Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images Photo by Hulton Archive/Getty Images Christmas wasn’t always a national shopping spree — or even a day off work. But in 19th-century London, it went viral. When Charles Dickens published A Christmas Carol, the book’s tale of miserly Scrooge and the ghosts that transformed him transformed the holiday too, especially […]
The U.S. has long professed to be a country where people can seek refuge. That’s the promise etched into the base of the Statue of Liberty. But it’s never been that clear-cut. Today on the show, the story of how the U.S. asylum system was forged in response to moments of crisis, and where it […]
A 19th-century engraving of Cpt. Miles Standish and his men observing the ‘immoral’ behavior of the Maypole festivities of 1628 at Merrymount. ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images hide caption toggle caption ullstein bild/ullstein bild via Getty Images A 19th-century engraving of Cpt. Miles Standish and his men observing the ‘immoral’ behavior of the Maypole […]
Portrait of Sarah Josepha Hale painted by James Reid Lambdin, circa 1831. James Reid Lambdin/Wikimedia Commons hide caption toggle caption James Reid Lambdin/Wikimedia Commons Portrait of Sarah Josepha Hale painted by James Reid Lambdin, circa 1831. James Reid Lambdin/Wikimedia Commons The Thanksgiving story most of us hear is about friendship and unity. And that’s what […]
Today on the show, we’re taking you behind the scenes. We’ll tell you how Throughline was born, some of what goes into making our episodes, and a little bit about how we make our special sauce — the Throughline rizz, as the kids say. If you want more of these behind-the-scenes conversations become a Throughline+ […]