NPR · History

Throughline

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 journalist Rund Abdelfatah. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org . You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-free listening for Throughline.

Episodes

James Baldwin's Fire

17 Sep 2020

45m

The Postal Service

10 Sep 2020

28m

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The U.S. Postal Service functions as the nation's original information and communications network, fundamentally shaping American democracy and social cohesion. Established by Benjamin Franklin, the system acted as the Republic's nervous system, later evolving through a "Robin Hood" pricing scheme that subsidized newsp...

The Great Depression remains a defining era of American hardship, yet individual experiences often vanish behind monolithic statistics of unemployment and poverty. By centering the oral histories and personal accounts of four diverse individuals—a wandering hobo, a Midwestern writer, a Chinatown laborer, and a civil ri...