Throughline
NPR
Throughline is a time machine. Each episode, we travel beyond the headlines to answer the question, "How did we get here?" We use sound and stories to bring history to life and put you into the middle of it. From ancient civilizations to forgotten figures, we take you directly to the moments that shaped our world. Throughline is hosted by Peabody Award-winning journalists Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei.Subscribe to Throughline+. You'll be supporting the history-reframing, perspective-shifting, time-warping stories you can't get enough of - and you'll unlock access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org/throughline
Episodes
Mentioned books
Jul 8, 2021 • 51min
Capitalism: God Wants You To Be Rich
Dive into the intriguing world where faith intersects with wealth. Explore the rise of the prosperity gospel, where riches are perceived as divine favor. Discover how this belief impacts business, politics, and personal identities in America. Listen to a lawyer’s transformation from a spiritual crisis to social activism. Uncover the historical roots of revivalism and the influence of charismatic preachers. Reflect on how televangelism reshapes spirituality and consumerism, questioning the balance between faith and financial success.
Jul 1, 2021 • 52min
Capitalism: What Makes Us Free?
Explore the birth of neoliberalism and its impact, the formation of Montpeller in Society, the rise of Milton Friedman, FDR's response to the Great Depression, and the political shifts towards tech-centric Democrats in the 1990s.
Jun 29, 2021 • 1h 13min
Bonus: The Vanishing of Harry Pace
This week we're featuring an episode from Radiolab's latest new series, The Vanishing of Harry Pace. Harry Pace founded the first major Black-owned record label in the U.S., ushering in a new wave of American music. But it's also a mystery story, because one day, Harry Pace just disappeared. The Vanishing of Harry Pace is a series about the phenomenal but forgotten man who changed the music scene in the United States. It's a story about betrayal, family, hidden identities, and a time like no other.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jun 24, 2021 • 57min
Capitalism: What Is It?
What do we mean when we talk about capitalism? Our economic system might seem inevitable, but it's a construction project hundreds of years in the making and no part of it is natural or left to chance. This week, we kick off our series on the past, present and future of capitalism with Kristen Ghodsee, Vivek Chibber, and Bryan Caplan, who debate how an economic system became an all-encompassing force that rules our lives and our minds.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jun 17, 2021 • 41min
Before Stonewall (2019)
In 1969, a gay bar in New York City called The Stonewall Inn was raided by police. It was a common form of harassment in those days but what followed, days of rebellion as patrons fought back, was anything but ordinary. Today, that event is seen as the start of the gay civil rights movement, but gay activists and organizations were standing up to harassment and discrimination years before. On this episode from our archives, the fight for gay rights before Stonewall.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jun 10, 2021 • 37min
Who is NPR (For)?
Who is the media meant to serve? And why does it matter today, arguably, more than ever? 50 years ago, National Public Radio began as a small, scrappy news organization with big ideals and a very small footprint. Over the subsequent years of coverage and programming, NPR has grown and evolved into a mainstream media outlet, with a mission of serving audiences that reflect America. This week, Michel Martin, host of Weekend All Things Considered, talks to us about her time at NPR and the importance of representing all voices in news.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
Jun 3, 2021 • 59min
The Supreme Court
When, why, and how did the Supreme Court get the final say in the law of the land? The question of the Court's role, and whether its decisions should reign above all the other branches of government, has been hotly debated for centuries. And that's resulted in a Supreme Court more powerful than anything the Founding Fathers could have imagined possible.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
20 snips
May 28, 2021 • 54min
Palestine
The recent violence that engulfed Gaza and Jerusalem began with an issue that's plagued the region for a century now: settlements. In East Jerusalem, Palestinian residents are facing forced removal by Israeli settler organizations. It's a pattern that has repeated over the history of this conflict. Historian Rashid Khalidi guides us through the history of settlements and displacement going back to the age of European colonialism.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
May 20, 2021 • 57min
A Symphony of Resistance
The Arab Spring erupted ten years ago when a wave of "pro-democracy" protests spread throughout the Middle East and North Africa. The effects of the uprisings reverberated around the world as regimes fell in some countries, and civil war began in others. This week, we remember the years leading up to the Arab Spring, and its lasting impact on three people who lived through it.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
May 13, 2021 • 56min
Five Fingers Crush The Land
Over one million Uyghur people have been detained in camps in China, according to estimates, subjected to torture, forced labor, religious restrictions, and even forced sterilization. The vast majority of this minority ethnic group is Muslim, living for centuries at a crossroads of culture and empire along what was once the Silk Road. This week, we explore who the Uyghur people are, their land, their customs, their music and why they've become the target of what many are calling a genocide.Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoicesNPR Privacy Policy
