Smithsonian
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Jim Hull reads you his article selections from the prestigious journal of the Smithsonian Institution.
| Title | Podcast Description | Author/Reader | Duration |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Vampire" Was a Farmer Named John - Aug, 2019 | TB blamed on dead relatives who rise from the grave. by Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:08 |
| Game Boy Changed American Video Games - Jul, 2019 | Handheld, lots of games, long battery life, by David Kindy | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:08 |
| Seditious Glass Jewel in Old Tavern - Jul, 2019 | 18th Century bead is etched with secret message. by Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:27 |
| Woman Fought in the Revolutionary War - Jul, 2019 | Deborah Sampson was wounded, got a pension, by Brigit Katz | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:04 |
| Archaeologists at Woodstock - Jun, 2019 | The festival really did take on life of its own. by Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:37 |
| Invention of Scotch Tape - Jun, 2019 | It leads to a revolution in company management. by Emily Matchar | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:58 |
| Ladybug Swarm over San Diego - Jun, 2019 | Storm radar showed a cloud...of insects. by Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:14 |
| Navajo Treaty - Jun, 2019 | Historic Treaty Returned to the Navajo-1868 document cedes them a homeland. by Bigit Katz | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:26 |
| Morse Code at 175 - May, 2019 | The code still works, even on a smartphone, by Eddie King | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:08 |
| Escaped Parrots Doing Great - May, 2019 | They're breeding in 23 states. by Brigit Katz | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:48 |
| Site of First Country Hit to Be Razed - May, 2019 | Record studio put 1923 Atlanta on the music map. by Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:45 |
| World's Only Dummy Museum - May, 2019 | 1,000 ventriloquist dolls preserved in Kentucky. by Jennifer Nalewicki | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:31 |
| A Brief History of Cooties - May, 2019 | One hundred years later, a kid's game is still going strong! By James C. Hu. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:42 |
| History of the Spelling Bee - May, 2019 | America is still in love with the centuries-old contest. By Rebecca Sealfon. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:18 |
| Agua Caliente Indians in Palm Springs - Apr, 2019 | They've held on to a tiny plot of land in a resort. by Roger Catlin | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:03 |
| Cocoa Packets Changed Hot Chocolate - Apr, 2019 | Inventor made the drink using water instead of milk. by Brigit Katz | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:26 |
| Original "Dumbo" Was a Scrolling Book - Mar, 2019 | Unusual format halted when Disney bought the rights. by David Kindy | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:30 |
| Flooding Creates Death Valley Lake - Mar, 2019 | 10-mile lake caused by 0.87" of rain, by Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:54 |
| Chicago Is Sinking - Mar, 2019 | Blame it on the glaciers. by Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:53 |
| Radar Scans Reveal Fort Under Alcatraz - Mar, 2019 | The famous prison sits on an old military installation. by Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:03 |
| World's Largest Outhouse Race - Mar, 2019 | Competitors don't want to be number two. by Jennifer Nalewicki | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:58 |
| Academy Awards Folklore - Feb, 2019 | Oscar is surrounded by superstitions. by James Deutsch | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:53 |
| Frank Robinson, Baseball Great - Feb, 2019 | He broke barriers as player and manager. by Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:39 |
| New Father for American Pizza - Feb, 2019 | The pie came to the U.S. earlier than we thought. by Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:50 |
| Accidental Invention of Bubble Wrap - Jan, 2019 | It began as wallpaper but changed shipping. by David Kindy | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:52 |
| GM Introduced the Concept Car in 1939 - Jan, 2019 | Buick "Y-Job" was stylish and futuristic, by William Knoedelseder | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:25 |
| U.S. Slave Wrote Biography in Arabic - Jan, 2019 | Unique narrative is made public. by Brigit Katz | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:14 |
| Poe, Our Premier Storyteller - Jan, 2019 | He invented American macabre and detective fiction. by Michael Capuzzo | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:30 |
| 1923 Finally Enters Public Domain - Jan, 2019 | A quirk kept those works private for 20 years. by Glenn Fleishman | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:43 |
| Fentanyl Outpaces Heroin in Fatal Overdoses - Dec, 2018 | The opioid is involved in 29 percent of cases. by Meilan Solly | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:12 |
| What Sank the USS San Diego in WW1 - Dec, 2018 | A German U-boat did it near Long Island. by Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:12 |
| History of the Christmas Letter - Dec, 2018 | Ours is a love-hate relationship with it, by Ann Hodgman | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:00 |
| Wilbur Wright Deserves First Flight Credit - Dec, 2018 | It was he, not Orville, who invented the design. by William Hazelgrove | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:39 |
| Which Town Is Connecticut's Oldest? - Nov, 2018 | New find upends century-old dispute. by Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:40 |
| Mud Pot Crawls Across SoCal - Nov, 2018 | Geyser gurgles toward rail and pipe lines, by Brigit Katz | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:45 |
| Poppies, More Than Just Flowers - Nov, 2018 | They grew on WWI battlefields, becoming symbols, by Gary Krupnik | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:55 |
| Maize in Ancient America - Nov, 2018 | An early form of corn reveals much about bygone peoples. By Charles C. Mann. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:20 |
| DNA Extracted from Seabiscuit's Hooves - Oct, 2018 | It gives clues to how he was so fast. By Steven Tammariello | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:57 |
| Mushroom Big as 3 Blue Whales - Oct, 2018 | Michigan's "humongous fungus" is 2,500 years old. by Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:42 |
| Huskies' Blue Eyes - Oct 10, 2018 | They're genetic; most dogs don't have them, by Brigit Katz | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:02 |
| Drunk Birds in Minnesota - Oct 4, 2018 | Blame it on fermented berries. by Brigit Katz | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:58 |
| Cats Are Bad at Killing Rats - Sep 28,, 2018 | They prefer smaller prey, mice and birds. by Meilan Solly | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:40 |
| Ig Nobel Season - Sep, 2018 | Harvard hands out goofy science awards, by Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:27 |
| Bighorn Migration - Sep, 2018 | They teach the route to their offspring, By Meilan Solly | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:48 |
| WWII Fighter Planes Found in Greenland - Aug, 2018 | "Lost Squadron" frozen beneath 300 feet of ice, by Meilan Solly | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:50 |
| Congress Was Once a Hotbed of Violence - Sep, 2018 | Lawmakers scuffled a lot before the Civil War. By Anna Diamond | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:20 |
| The Moment that Defines Leonard Bernstein - Aug, 2018 | The composer-conductor's essence in a photo. By Marissa Vonesh | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:11 |
| New U.S. Space Force? - Aug, 2018 | The American military has been in space for decades, By Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:04 |
| Female Duck with 76 Ducklings - Jul, 2018 | Multiple broods form a "ducky day care" By Brigit Katz | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:11 |
| Whole Earth Catalog at 50 - Jul, 2018 | Hippies and techies used it to reshape environmentaism. By Andy Cook | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:18 |
| Why Confederate Sub Sank - Jul, 2018 | Crew may have died while blowing up enemy ship. By Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:29 |
| Flight 93 Memorial Tower - Jul, 2018 | The edifice will house the world's largest set of chimes. By Emily Matchar | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:29 |
| Founding Fathers' Food and Drink - Jul, 2018 | Water was iffy, so they drank a lot of beer. By Amanda Cargill | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:21 |
| S'mores - Jun, 2018 | Let us tell you S'more about the history of the gooey American snack. By Jeffrey Miller. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:00 |
| Astronauts on Moon - Jun, 2018 | Astronauts Footsteps Warmed the Moon? Their footsteps certainly roiled the lunar dirt. By Brigit Katz. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:27 |
| Bees - Jun, 2018 | Bees May Understand the Concept of Zero. They know that nothing is less than something. By Kate Keller. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:43 |
| Ancient Migration to the Americas - Jun, 2018 | They might have walked down the Alaskan coast. By Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:27 |
| Women's Baseball - Jun, 2018 | They "hit the dirt in the skirt" and changed our views. By Sally Jenkins | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:17 |
| Polaroid Inventor Edwin Land - May, 2018 | He gave us more than instant photos, By Ann Elsner | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:11 |
| The Annoying "Poet Voice" - May, 2018 | Poets read their works in a halting, bland intonation. By Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:24 |
| Rise of the Christian Right - May, 2018 | Anti-Vietnam-war sermons divided worshipers. By David Mislin | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:32 |
| Geyser's Trio of Eruptions - May, 2018 | Yellowstone's largest awakens after 15 years, By Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:57 |
| Franklin Manuscripts Digitized - Apr, 2018 | 8,000 documents can now be viewed, By Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:17 |
| Advice Columns: Uniquely American - Apr, 2018 | We believe guidance will change our lot in life. By Jackie Mansky | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:23 |
| U.S. Chemical Weapons Debate - Apr, 2018 | It got started when 6,000 sheep died, By Lorraine Boissoneault | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:11:48 |
| Human Havoc on Walden Pond - Apr, 2018 | Visitor pollution threatens historical site. By Julissa Trevino | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:55 |
| Wreck of USS Juneau Found - Mar, 2018 | The WWII ship took the Sullivans to the grave, By Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:27 |
| Polk's Grave - Mar, 2018 | Tennessee Keeps President Polk's Grave Where It Is. A vote to move the 11th president fails. By Jason Daley. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:57 |
| America's Happiest City- Mar, 2018 | Naples, Florida has older, healthier, more satisfied residents. By Brigit Katz | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:00 |
| Sightless Visionary Invented Cruise Control - Mar, 2018 | Engineer who "saw" with his hands crafted automatic speed control. By David Sears | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:30 |
| Garfield Assassination Forgotten Today - Mar, 2018 | Yet the president's death changed America. By Kenneth D. Ackerman | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:50 |
| Billy Graham's Legacy - Feb 21, 2018 | He preached to billions, including many presidents, By Peter Manseau | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:00 |
| George Washington - Feb, 2018 | Fake stories about George Washington? Each tale is a legend with a kernel of truth. By James Deutsch. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:29 |
| Tabasco Sauce Musical - Jan, 2018 | 1890s comedy makes a comeback in New Orleans, By Jennifer Nalewicki | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:10 |
| Amateur Finds Lost Satellite - Jan 29, 2018 | Hobbyist detects signals from spacecraft thought dead, by Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:15 |
| Wildlife Burns Get Fish Skin Bandages - Jan, 2018 | Two bears and a cougar treated after a wildfire, By Mika McKinnon | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:50 |
| The Great L.A. Air Raid - Jan, 2018 | WWII jitters and a radar blip prompted anti-aircraft fire, By Lorraine Boissoneault | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:11:15 |
| Ten Myths About the 1918 Pandemic - Jan, 2018 | War and overcrowding made the flu much worse, by Richard Gunderman | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:11:00 |
| Dizzy Gillespie's Bent Trumpet - Jan, 2018 | How it got bent, and how it got to the Smithsonian, By Joseph Stromberg | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:56 |
| Prohibitionist Carry Nation - Dec, 2017 | She used speeches-and an axe-to combat drinking. By Kat Eschner | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:21 |
| Romance of Mistletoe? - Dec, 2017 | The tree parasite begins as bird poop, By Brian Barth | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:46 |
| Christmas Ghost Stories - Dec, 2017 | It's and old tradition that predates Halloween. By Colin Dickey | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:52 |
| Apollo 17 - Dec, 2017 | It was the swan song of American space exploration. By Ryan P. Smith | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:40 |
| First Nuclear Chain Reaction - Dec, 2017 | The 1942 experiment ushered in the Atomic Age. By Artemis Spyrou | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:11:21 |
| What Did Jamestown Colonists Eat? - Nov, 2017 | During the Starving Time they ate horses, rats, and snakes, by Julissa Trevino | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:40 |
| The True Story of Plymouth Rock - Nov, 2017 | It got chipped away over time. By Megan Gambino | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:29 |
| 1918 Flu Killed Many Young Adults - Nov 10, 2017 | Millions died, especially recent war vets, By Ruth Craig | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:51 |
| Poetic Outlaw Black Bart - Nov, 2017 | The Wells Fargo bandit left verses at his heists. By Kat Eschner | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:18 |
| Ironic History of Mar-a-Lago - Nov, 2017 | Rejected as winter White House, then Trump bought it. By Michael Luongo | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:18 |
| Grant's Vision for Black Americans - Nov, 2017 | President Grant signed the 15th Amendment to get Black Americans the right to vote, by Ron Chernow. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:08 |
| Self-Driving Cars for the Disabled - Oct, 2017 | New tech improves mobility for those who can't drive, By Srikanth Saripalli | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:21 |
| Even Colonials Liked Pumpkin Spice - Oct, 2017 | The seasonal craze goes back to the first American cookbook. By Kat Eschner | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:30 |
| Human Echolocation - Oct, 2017 | Using vocal clicks to navigate, By Nathan Hurst | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:12:21 |
| The ABA's Impact on Basketball - Oct, 2017 | Today's flashy game started in the renegade league. By Franz Lidz | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:43 |
| President McKinley's Assassination - Sep, 2017 | Lax protection pushed the Secret Service to prominence. By Kat Eschner | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:12 |
| America's Deadliest Natural Disaster - Sep, 2017 | A 1900 hurricane killed 8,000 in Galveston and destroyed 2/3 of the city. By Kat Eschner | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:12 |
| Black Sox Scandal Was One of Many - Sep, 2017 | They cheated to get around bad pay system, By Kat Eschner | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:36 |
| Flappers Took the Country by Storm - Sep, 2017 | Their carefree lifestyle is echoed by Millenials. By Linda Simon | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:37 |
| What Does an Eclipse Sound Like? - Aug, 2017 | Phone app uses touch to describe the solar event. By Nathan Hurst | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:41 |
| Company Crashed Two Trains - Jul, 2017 | 40,000 people watched the engines collide and explode. By Lorraine Boissoneault | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:45 |
| Where Did "Gerrymander" Come From? - Jul, 2017 | A Founding Father invented the twisty voter districts. By Erick Trickey | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:13:18 |
| Disneyland's Terrible First Day - Jul 17, 2017 | The park wasn't ready, but people flocked to it anyway. By Kat Eschner | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:18 |
| Spam Went from Necessity to Icon - Jul, 2017 | Somehow people bonded with the simple product. By Ayalla A. Ruvio | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:21 |
| The Myth of JFK's Jelly Donut - Jun, 2017 | The president said he was a Berliner, not a pastry. By Kat Eschner | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:07 |
| Dealmaking Brought Hawaii Statehood - Jun, 2017 | Puerto Rico, take notice: it's harder than it looks. By David Stebenne | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:19 |
| Hot Dogs for a King - Jun, 2017 | When FDR Served Hot Dogs to a King. The British royals dined American-style with the president. By Kat Eschner. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:16 |
| Jet Indie Car - Jun, 2017 | A Jet-Powered car raced in the Indy 500. It was well ahead until a small part broke... then it disappeared! by Jeff MacGregor. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:14 |
| Fun Facts About JFK - May, 2017 | President Kennedy was a war hero, Pulitzer and fan of thrillers. By Lorraine Boissoneault | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:46 |
| WWI Changed Weather Forecasting - May, 2017 | Forecasters began to use math to predict the weather. By Barry Sheils | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:46 |
| Apple Pie Is Not All That American - May, 2017 | It came from elsewhere, but Americans made it their own. By Kat Eschner | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:44 |
| Animals That Helped Win WWI - May, 2017 | Many war heroes weren't human. By Jennifer Nalewicki | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:59 |
| From This Desk, U.S. WW I Were Run - Apr, 2017 | Pins on a map led to Germany's defeat, By Roger Catlin | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:25 |
| The Mustang - May, 2017 | How the Mustang, a Frontier Symbol, Became a Nuisance; Protected by law, they are now too numerous for the land. By Matt Shaer | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:21 |
| Why Is the Pentagon a Pentagon? - Apr, 2017 | Designed to fit an odd plot of land, its shape proved useful in other ways. By Alicia Ault | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:23 |
| Begich Towers, Alaska - Mar, 2017 | Alaskan Town Where Every Resident Lives in One Building. Winter makes Begich Towers a self contained city. By Jennifer Billock | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:31 |
| How a British Mutiny Helped Create American Political Asylum - Mar, 2017 | A refugee was returned and executed; outrage sparked laws to protect newcomers. By A. Roger Ekirch | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:40 |
| The Myth That Washington Was a Swamp Will Not Go Away - Mar, 2017 | The city was founded on rising farmland; later, some tidal flats became parkland, By Carl Abbot | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:09 |
| The Letters of Abigail and John Adams - Mar, 2017 | The letters reveal that the second president and his wife had a close and equal relationship. By Kat Eschner | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:42 |
| Andrew Jackson Was a Populist Even on His Deathbed - Mar, 2017 | The 7th president refused an ornate coffin as too kingly. By Sally Jenkins | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:10 |
| Saving Abe Lincoln's Life - Feb, 2017 | The Friendship That Saved Lincoln's Life. Joshua Speed helped Abe through a crisis in his courtship of Mary Todd. By Charles B. Strozier | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:53 |
| How Moonshine Bootlegging Give Rise to NASCAR - Feb, 2017 | After Prohibition ended, skilled smugglers and their souped-up cars took to auto racing. By Jennifer Billock | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:44 |
| The Legacy of the Apollo 1 Disaster - Jan, 2017 | The spacecraft fire killed three astronauts and slowed America's race to the moon. By Nancy Henderson | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:05 |
| Did Ellis Island Change Immigrants' Names? - Dec, 2016 | Mostly it was immigrants themselves who altered their own monikers. By Alicia Ault | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:56 |
| John Glenn Was Remarkably Down-to-Earth - Dec, 2016 | Fighter pilot, astronaut and U.S. Senator, he was also warm and approachable. By Ben Panko | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:42 |
| William Howard Taft's Dream Job - Dec, 2016 | Taft's great legacy lies in changes he made to the Supreme Court. By Erick Trickey | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:12:39 |
| Untangling the History of Christmas Lights - Dec, 2016 | A partner of Edison promoted the lights even before cities had electricity. By Jamie Malanowski | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:24 |
| The American Revolution Through the Eyes of King George III - Nov, 2016 | Oft-reviled, George in private was thoughtful and eloquent. By Sara Georgini | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:12:23 |
| Amelia Earhart Died as a Castaway? - Nov, 2016 | A recently discovered skeleton has arm bones that see to match hers. By Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:11:53 |
| Diver Found Possible Inactive 1950 Nuke - Nov, 2016 | It might be the practice bomb lost off the British Columbia coast. By Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:18 |
| Last Living Carver of Mount Rushmore - Oct, 2016 | Don Clifford had many adventures working on the giant sculpture. By Jackie Mansky | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:37 |
| The "First Moon Flights" Club - Oct, 2016 | In the 1960s you could make a reservation for a future flight to the moon. By Jeff Gates | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:14 |
| WWII Air Campaign's Secret Bombsight - Oct, 2016 | The costly bomber device usually didn't work. Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:06 |
| Charles Osgood's Love Affair with the Bow Tie - Oct, 2016 | It started with a warning and became famous on TV. By Jackson Landers | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:14 |
| George Kennan's Russian Containment Strategy - Sep, 2016 | The Cold War architect loved Russia but opposed the Soviets. By David Milne | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:12:12 |
| The Heated Election of 1800 - Oct, 2016 | After much mudslinging between bitter rivals Hamilton, Adams, Jefferson and Burr, the decision turned on one Congressman's vote. By S. Blumenthal | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:36 |
| The Anthrax Letters that Terrorized a Nation - Sep, 2016 | Soon after 9/11, a new attack involved a deadly disease. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:38 |
| The Missing Science Behind the Movie "Sully" - Sep, 2016 | What kind of bird, and how many, struck and doomed the airliner? By Maya Wei-Haas | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:13 |
| How Marie Tharp Changed Geology Forever - Aug, 2016 | She proved the continents were shifting, but others got the credit. By Erin Blakemore | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:17 |
| The Unusual Origins of Pink Lemonade - Aug, 2016 | The popular drink got started at a circus, and it wasn't pretty. By Laura Kiniry | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:31 |
| Babe Ruth's Celebrity Endorsements - Aug, 2016 | He was one of the first sports stars to need a publicity agent. By Katie Nodjimbadem | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:02 |
| Chincoteague Ponies Complete Their Annual Swim - Jul, 2016 | The famous event benefits the local fire department. By Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:27 |
| Artist Creates Tactile Portraits for the Blind - Jul, 2016 | Painted screws form 3-D artworks for blind and sighted alike. By Jennifer Nalewicki | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:56 |
| How the Bastille Key Ended Up With G. Washington - Jul, 2016 | Jefferson reported on the French Revolution; his friends delivered the infamous prison key. By Sara Georgini | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:41 |
| Family Discovers Rare Letters by Thomas Jefferson - Jul, 2016 | The missives touch on the War of 1812 and Hamilton's ideas. By Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:38 |
| Harvard Prof Who Shot a Titan - Jul, 2016 | The assault stirred anti-German-American feelings as WWI raged. By Radha Vatsal | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:08 |
| A Brief History of Congressional Carpets - Jun, 2016 | Lately a pretty TV Blue, the floor coverings were once stained with chewing tobacco. By Erin Blakemore | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:00 |
| A Brief History of Children Sent Through the Mail - Jun, 2016 | When Parcel Post began, a clever parent could transport a kid to grandma's house via the cheap service. By Danny Lewis | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:22 |
| Sea Serpent - Jun 9, 2016 | Nantucket's Sublime Sea Serpent. A creature hoax became a big news story and raised a town's profile. By Erin Kelley. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:22 |
| Supreme Court Food History - Jun, 2016 | Ruth Bader Ginsburg & Sonja Sotomayor share tales of dining habits at the high court. By Jackie Mansky. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:04 |
| How an Obscure Photographer Saved Yosemite - Jun, 2016 | Early photos moved Lincoln and Congress to preserve the famous valley. By Brooke Jarvis | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:27 |
| Female WWII Pilots - May, 2016 | Female WWII Pilots May Be Buried at Arlington. A new law overrules a ban on women aviators interred at the cemetary. By Erin Blakemore | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:43 |
| Humans' Long Presence in North America - May, 2016 | New finds suggest people were here centuries earlier than we thought. By Agata Blaszczak-Boxe | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:13 |
| America's First Woman Patent Holder - May 5, 2016 | Mary Kies invented a new way to make elegant straw hats. By Erin Blakemore | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:39 |
| A Brief History of the Nickel - Apr, 2016 | The post-Civil War coin, made of cheap metal, quickly became a mainstay. By Daniel A. Gross | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:54 |
| Harriet Tubman will Grace the $20 Bill - Apr, 2016 | Jackson gets sent to the back side; popular Hamilton stays on the $10, By Jason Daley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:31 |
| The 1873 Cofax Massacre - Apr, 2016 | Black and white militias traded fire; blacks lost more than the battle crippling the Reconstruction Era, By Danny Lewis | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:01 |
| Andrew Jackson, America's Original Anti Establishment Candidate - May, 2016 | His presidential campaigns resemble Trump and Sanders today. By Harry Watson | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:13:01 |
| How Cherry Trees Blossomed into a Tourist Attraction - Mar, 2016 | D.C.'s flowery arbor commemorates America's ties with Japan. By Jackson Landers | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:28 |
| Mad Magazine's Iconic Alfred E. Neuman Turns 60 - Mar, 2016 | But the famous silly face got its start decades earlier. By Danny Lewis | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:06 |
| San Andreas May Have Had Help with Historic Quake - Mar, 2016 | A smaller fault may have triggered the big rupture. By Jesse Emspak | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:21 |
| The Laptops that Powered the American Revolution - Mar, 2016 | Some of the Founders traveled with portable writing boxes. By Bethanee Bemis | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:19 |
| Mysterious "Music" Spooke Apollo 10 Astronauts - Feb, 2016 | Orbiting the dark side of the Moon, they heard an eerie radio sound. By Danny Lewis | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:40 |
| The Apple I Booted Up a Tech Revolution - Mar, 2016 | Steve Wozniak built the first personal computer; the rest is history. By Clive Thompson | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:59 |
| Giant Presidential Heads in a Virgina Field - Feb, 2016 | Once featured at a failed theme park, these huge sculptures await repairs and a move to a new home, where the public can view them again. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:17 |
| One in Four U.S. Deer is Infected With Malaria - Feb, 2016 | A harmless form of the disease has piggybacked on White Tails for millions of years. By Jackson Landers | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:19 |
| When America's Titan Went Road-Tripping Together - Jan, 2016 | Henry Ford, Thomas Edison and Harvey Firestone joined up for annual two-week camping expeditions, "roughing it" with liveried kitchen staffers. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:46 |
| Nellie Bly's Race Abound the World - Jan, 2016 | The intrepid journalist set out to go around the world in fewer than 80 days, but learned she had a rival-another woman reporter. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:51 |
| The KKK Didn't Always Wear Hoods - Jan, 2016 | The hate group's member wore a variety of costumes until the film "Birth of a Nation" made iconic the white robe and conic hood. By M. Fessenden | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:32 |
| Remnants of Whaling Disaster Found off Alaska - Jan, 2016 | In 1871 the ice closed in on 33 ships, and nearly all were crushed while 1200 crew and passengers sought to escape. By Erin Blakemore | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:33 |
| Why New York Drops a Ball on New Year's - Dec, 2015 | In 1905 fireworks were a no-no, so an old-fashioned navigational aid was repurposed, and the rest is history. My Danny Lewis | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:49 |
| Marine Reptiles in a Ghost Town - Dec, 2015 | Did these giant prehistoric creatures beach themselves? Or did a larger beast do them in? By Brian Switak | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:36 |
| 10 Years to Ready a Christmas Tree - Dec, 2015 | The trees need 10 years of growth and pruning, and the harvest begins in September with the aid of helicopters. By Danny Lewis | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:04:33 |
| NASA's Moon Landing Flight Plan - Nov 24, 2015 | Engineers crafted a minute-by-minute itinerary for the first moon landing, and they kept to the schedule. By Scott Christianson | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:31:44 |
| A Village Inside the Grand Canyon - Nov, 2015 | Supai, the most remote hamlet in the continental U.S., is also the most picturesque. By Michele Lent Hirsch | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:48 |
| 'Bewitched' Helped Salem Embrace Its Past - Oct, 2015 | The witch-trial town had fallen on bad times; a TV show made its history a tourist attraction. By Danny Lewis | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:44 |
| Fantasia Was a Box-Office Flop - Nov, 2015 | Critics liked it but audiences stayed away; decades later, it had become a popular classic. By Neal Gabler | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:49 |
| Bridge of Spies U-2 Pilot Penned Secret Diary - Oct, 2015 | Francis Gary Powers, his spy plane shot down over Russia in 1960, wrote of his time in a Soviet prison. By Michael Dobbs | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:35 |
| The Cavalry Saved Our Parks - Oct, 2015 | Before the National Park Service, Yellowstone was guarded by the cavalry. Without them, we might not have parks today. By Jim Morrison. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:26 |
| Gold Rush Prices - Sep, 2015 | Gold Rush California Was Much More Expensive Than Tech-Boom California. Those who “mined the miners” REALLY got rich. By Steve Boggan. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:01 |
| Netflix Has Figured It Out - Sep, 2015 | Netflix Has Figured Out The Exact Moment Viewers Get Addicted to a Show and getting hooked varies by country. By Marissa Fessenden | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:15 |
| Meet the 13-Year-Old Who Invented a Low-Cost Braille Printer - Sep, 2015 | The precocious student has developed a machine nearly anyone can afford, By Brittany Shoot | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:35 |
| A Cougar-Only Overpass - Sep, 2015 | A bridge over a major freeway would help mountain lions escape from the environmental corner into which they've been trapped by development. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:35 |
| There's New Hope for Preserving the Wreck of the Titanic - Sep, 2015 | Damaged by scavengers, the sunken ship may receive protection-and a makeover. By Danny Lewis | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:34 |
| Hawks are Unwitting Muscle for Hummingbirds - Sep, 2015 | Desert jays hunt hummingbirds, so the tiny flyers build their nests near hawks because hawks hunt jays. By Rachel Nuwer | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:18 |
| Pledge of Allegiance From PR Gimmick to Patriotic Vow - Sep, 2015 | Part of a promotion to put American flags in classrooms, the Pledge ultimately became a school requirement in nearly every state. By Amy Crawford | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:20 |
| Scientists Are Still Baffled by Monarch Migration - Aug, 2015 | Monarchs are dwindling at their home in Mexico but doing fairly well along their U.S. migratory path. What gives? By Marissa Fessenden | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:01 |
| Wild Camels of the American West - Aug, 2015 | The 1850s Army brought camels to the Southwest to haul freight, but railroads sidelined them, and some roamed free for years. By Chris Heller | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:12:25 |
| Physics and the first Atomic Bombs - Aug, 2015 | The Hiroshima bomb was a type rarely built again; the Nagasaki bomb fathered the Cold War arsenal. By Victoria Jaggard | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:40 |
| Worst Crook in Colonial America - Jul, 2015 | Counterfeiter, swindler, impersonator, philanderer: Stephen Burroughs was several early-American bad guys rolled into one. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:12 |
| How Singer Won the Sewing Machine War - Jul, 2015 | Isaac Singer's machine wasn't the first, but his company invented the installment plan to sell it, and developed other marketing systems. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:23 |
| These Glasses Could Help the Blind See - Jul, 2015 | The computerized lenses create, for the visually impaired, a very high-contrast view of the world. By Emily Matchar | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:50 |
| Awe-Inspiring Bacteria - Jul, 2015 | Gold-Yellow microbes and beads of water make this California cave's ceiling a golden delight. By Michele Lent Hirsch | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:14 |
| The Foods Americans Once Loved to Eat - Jun, 2015 | Eel Pie? Roast Beaver Tail? Back in the day, they were delicacies. By Li Zhou | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:12:03 |
| Civil War Medicine - Jun, 2015 | Six Ways the Civil War Changed American Medicine. Research, training, prosthetics, hospitals, and ambulances improved. By Helen Thompson | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:42 |
| Washington's Hair - Jun, 2015 | George Washington didn't wear a wig - he cut his hair in a popular style,and powdered it gray. By Marissa Fessenden. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:04:57 |
| The Civil Warâ??s Division of North and South is Reflected in Cookbooks - Jun, 2015 | While the North published comprehensive cookbooks during the war, the blockaded South made do with recipes on how to cook without salt. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:06 |
| Migrating Monarch Butterflies Take to the Highway - Jun, 2015 | Monarchs may find sanctuary in a government program to seed their migratory route along I-35 with milkweed. By Heather Hansman | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:18 |
| Step Inside a Famous Submarine - May, 2015 | Celebrated underwater vessels are open for viewing this summer. By Michele Lent Hirsch | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:00 |
| Where is the Very Center of the United States - May, 2015 | The geographic center of the U.S. depends ... mainly on how you add Alaska and Hawaii. By Danny Lewis | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:05:44 |
| Will We Ever Be Able to Make Traffic Disappear? - May, 2015 | Transit engineers can change cross-street signal timing, but cell phone data and car-to-car com links may ease the task. By Daniel A. Gross | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:09 |
| The Huey Defined America's Presence in Vietnam - Apr, 2015 | As the aerial "Jeep" of the Vietnam conflict, the Huey helicopter did everything -- drop off soldiers, ferry supplies, pick up the wounded. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:06 |
| John Paul Jones and His Romantic Romp Through Paris - Apr, 2015 | The heroic Revolutionary War admiral was popular with the Parisian ladies ... then he went overboard for a married one, By Cassandra Good | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:38 |
| Einstein's Brain - Apr, 2015 | At his death, the scientist's brain was sliced up, distributed, and finally exhibited at the Mutter Museum in Philadelphia. By Matt Blitz | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:02 |
| What is the Nine Millionth Patent? - Apr, 2015 | 225 years and millions of patents later, the system is still being revised to cope with a swelling inventors' landscape. By Li Zhou | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:08 |
| The Gentleman's Agreement That Ended the Civil War - Apr, 2015 | A quiet sit-down between two great generals, a document quickly drafted and signed, and years of battle came to an end. By Harry Rubenstein | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:26 |
| The Brief History of "Americanitis" - Mar, 2015 | Doctors first warned us that the American "go-getter" attitude, plus modern conveniences, encouraged overwork and nervous worry ... in 1882. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:00 |
| Are We Re-Entering a Golden Age of American Bartending? - Mar, 2015 | The once-thriving beverage art, laid low by Prohibition and the Depression and WWII, is making a comeback, By Natasha Geiling | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:30 |
| How Long Do Cultural References Last? - Mar, 2015 | Famous people, TV shows -- all too soon they fade from memory, By Marissa Fessenden | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:04:54 |
| Data and Algorithim Can Help Predict Fires - Mar, 2015 | Computer gives NY firefighters advanced warning of buildings with fire risks; also, a fire-fighting robot at sea, By Randy Rieland | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:50 |
| What Is the Most Influential Oscar Dress of All-Time? - Feb, 2015 | Some gowns make or break careers; some influence popular fashion, By Alice Hines | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:21 |
| Cabs of the Future Won't Have Drivers - Feb, 2015 | Driverless vehicles might replace taxis with a much cheaper form of transit. By Randy Rieland | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:02 |
| A Feisty Capt. Kirks Checks in on the Starship "Enterprise"- Feb, 2015 | Actor William Shatner teases the Air and Space Museum about its repairs to the studio model of the "Star Trek" spaceship, By Roger Catlin | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:03 |
| How SkyMall Captured a Moment of Technological and US History - Jan, 2015 | The oddball sales catalog kept airline passengers occupied, but times have changed, By Bess Lovejoy | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:12:51 |
| Smithsonian Castle Fire - Jan, 2015 | The 1865 disaster began with a workman's heating stove. By Richard Kurin | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:16 |
| Crashing Alexander Hamilton's Birthday Weekend - Jan, 2015 | Loyal fans of the neglected Founding Father celebrate his birthday at several of his New York haunts, By Kevin Zawacki | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:54 |
| I Was Among the Lucky Few to Walk in Space- Jan, 2015 | The first astronaut to float in deep space near the moon tells the tale, By Al Worden | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:18 |
| We eat more after New Year's than before Dec, 2014 | Many Households Buy More Food in January Than During the Holidays, By Brian Handwerk | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:09 |
| How Books Became a Part of the Fight to Win World War II - Dec, 2014 | As Nazis burned books, Americans donated them to soldiers overseas, By Joanna Scutts | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:39 |
| There Are 120 Years of Lakota History on This Calendar - Jan, 2015 | Native American Pulitzer Prizer winner describes an important example of his ancestors' visual history, By N. Scott Momaday | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:40 |
| Up-Close and Personal With Chicago's Most Infamous Criminals - Dec, 2014 | Tribune photo archive reveals stunning gangland images, By Natasha Geiling | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:43 |
| The Death And Rebirth of the American Mall - Nov, 2014 | Malls fluorished on tax breaks, then society left them behind, By Natasha Geiling | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:11:34 |
| The Whiskey Wars That Left Brooklyn in Ruins - Nov, 2014 | Distilleries evaded post-Civil War taxes, so the Feds tore them down, By Rebecca Dalzell | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:14:17 |
| Ice Age Babies, Found in Alaska- Nov, 2014 | 11,000 years later, the infants' grave offers clues to early Native American culture, By Helen Thompson | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:16 |
| The Real Johnny Appleseed - Nov, 2014 | He helped pioneers homestead by planting their orchards -- but the apples weren't for food! By Natasha Geiling | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:12 |
| Contagion and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow - Oct 30, 2014 | What The Legend of Sleepy Hollow Tells Us About Contagion . . ., By Elizabeth L. Bradley | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:12 |
| Tornadoes Are Now Ganging Up in the US - Oct, 2014 | Climate change concentrates big twisters into fewer days. By Sarah Zielinski | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:29 |
| Need Some Alone Time? Check out these Ghost Towns - Sep, 2014 | The Wild West made a home for most--but not all--of America's best-known abandoned places. By Katrina Brown Hunt | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:52 |
| The (Still) Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe - Oct 7, 2014 | Nine theories compete to explain how the famous author died. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:17:46 |
| The Evolution of the Nurse Stereotype via Postcards - Sep, 2014 | From Drunk to Saint to Sexpot to Modern Medical Professional. Nurses' prestige rose, then dipped then rose again. Helen Thompson | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:48 |
| Warming waters are hard on crabs, easy on shrimp- Sep, 2014 | In 100 years, Maryland's crab cakes might be shrimp cakes, By Natasha Geiling | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:13 |
| Computer To Match Cancer Patients With Trials at Mayo Cinic - Sep, 2014 | Computer that won "Jeopardy!" will help speed cures and more. By Corinne Iozzia | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:29 |
| Polynesians didn't drift to islands-they navigated - Sep, 2014 | How the Voyage of the Kon-Tiki Misled the World About Navigating the Pacific, By Doug Herman | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:12:33 |
| Rebirth of the Passenger Pigeon - Sep, 2014 | 100 Years After Her Death, Martha, the Last Passenger Pigeon, Still Resonates. Using DNA science these extinct birds may return. By William Souder | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:34 |
| George Washington's pact, though worn, still holds - Sep, 2014 | Illuminating the Treaties That Have Governed U.S. - Indian Relationships, By Rob Capriccioso | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:19 |
| Which General Was Better? Grant or Lee - Aug, 2014 | Lee is usually thought more able, but Grant smoked him, By Beth Py-Lieberman & David C. Ward | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:10 |
| Indoor Mapping Lets the Blind Navigate Airports - Aug, 2014 | Phone app and GPS beacons provide continuous info, By Corinne Lozzio | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:37 |
| Social Networking, Prairie Dog Style - Aug, 2014 | Clans send envoys whose "kisses" can spread Plague, By Rachel Nuwer | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:47 |
| In WWI Many Immigrants treated as enemies - Jul, 2014 | Not only were Germanic immigrants treated as enemies and confined, their property was taken as well. By Daniel A. Gross | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:12:47 |
| The Hunt for the Best Ballpark Hot Dog - Jul, 2014 | It's the bun, the cooking method...and the ambiance, By Laura Kiniry | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:02 |
| Why the City is (Usually) Hotter than the Countryside - Jul, 2014 | Streets and buildings are too smooth for cool, By Sarah Zielinski | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:20 |
| Fracking's Earthquakes - Jul, 2014 | Oil-recovery wastewater, pumped underground, causes temblors, By Sarah Zielinski | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:24 |
| Civil Rights Act - Jun, 2014 | A Look at the Politicians Who Passed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. It took years of politicking to push the bill through. By Natasha Geiling | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:38 |
| Doctors Riot - Jun, 2014 | The Gory New York City Riot that Shaped American Medicine. Student doctors were stealing bodies from cemeteries. By Bess Lovejoy | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:11:32 |
| Broken-down vault contains a trove of history - Jun, 2014 | To discover what life was like in 19th century D.C., a Smithsonian scientist investigates a tomb. By Sarah Zielinski | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:12:06 |
| Lewis and Clark Only Became Popular 50 Years Ago - Jun, 2014 | Their exploits faded from memory as wars intervened. By Natasha Geiling | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:11:37 |
| The Cartographer Who Mapped Out Gotham City - May, 2014 | Batman's famous town wasn't diagrammed until 1998, By Jimmy Stamp | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:39 |
| My Life as a Mississippi River Rat - May, 2014 | The ultimate American river is deep with history, By Paul Schneider | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:18 |
| DNA From 12,000-Year-Old Skeleton - May, 2014 | Trying to answer the questions who were the first Americans? Discovery suggests first people arrived via Alaska. By Mohi Kumar | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:27 |
| The History of the Humble Suitcase - May, 2014 | From steamship to airplane, luggage adapted, By Daniel A. Gross | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:11:49 |
| First Protest March - May, 2014 | How a Ragtag Band of Reformers Organized the First Protest March on Washington. It was broken up, but started a tradition. By Jon Grinspan | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:12:58 |
| The Hatpin Peril - Apr, 2014 | Men urged cities to ban ladies' long sharp hair fasteners. By Karen Abbott | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:41 |
| Better Living Through Design- Apr, 2014 | Builder James W. Rouse created new city using social and urban planning, By Jimmy Stamp | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:14:39 |
| Five Things We Don't Know About Tyrannsosaurus Rex - Apr, 2014 | Were they feathered? Why such tiny arms? And more. By Helen Thompson | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:12:50 |
| Marian Anderson - Apr, 2014 | Four years after Marian Anderson sang at the Lincoln Memorial, D.A.R. invited her to perform at Constitution Hall. by Jamie Katz | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:58 |
| Kissing Language Barriers Goodbye - Mar, 2014 | Instant translator via mobile device will soon be a reality. by Travis M. Andrews | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:58 |
| March Madness - Mar, 2014 | When did filling out a 'Bracket' become popular? UCLA's reign ended, plus the B-Ball tourney grew to 68 teams. By Natasha Geiling | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:28 |
| Ancient Migration Patterns to North America - Mar, 2014 | Hidden in Languages today suggests that prehistoric humans may have lived on Alaska-Siberia Land bridge for 10,000 years. by Joseph Stromberg | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:16 |
| An Airship The Size of a Football Field - Mar, 2014 | Futuristic shape will help new dirigible stay aloft for weeks. by Tuan C Nguyen | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:55 |
| NY Times' 1953 Coverage of Solomon Northrop - Mar, 2014 | The story of "12 Years A Slave" was widely discussed when it happenned, by Joseph Stromberg | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:36 |
| Science Explores Celebrity- Feb, 2014 | Science Explores Our Magical Belief in The Power of Celebrity. Buyers pay more for objects touched by the famous. by Joseph Stromberg | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:47 |
| What Can Facebook Tell Us About Love? - Feb, 2014 | Intriguing insights about romance in the login era. by Tuan C. Nguyen | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:55 |
| When the Beatles Arrived in America - Feb, 2014 | Reporters ignored the music and obsessed over hair. Focusing on style, the media missed the new sound's power. by Joseph Stromberg | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:27 |
| Hustle through America's Huckster History - Jan, 2014 | The U.S. "enjoys" a storied history of con artists with a Smithsonian curator as your guide. by Amy Henderson | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:41 |
| Air Pollution in China spreads to the U.S. - Jan, 2014 | We buy their cheap goods and breathe the resulting smog, by Joseph Stomberg | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:11 |
| No Shortage of History When it Comes to Velveeta - Jan, 2014 | The cheese-whey treat has been melted over chips for decades. by Natasha Geiling | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:11:21 |
| Top Carnivores Help Shape Environment - Jan, 2014 | Even tree growth is affected by predators' presence, by Rachel Nuwer | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:08 |
| What Happens to All the Salt We Dump On Roads? - Jan, 2014 | Winter roads benefit, but environments nearby can suffer. by Joseph Stromberg | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:16 |
| Fewer Freezes Let Florida's Mangroves Move North - Dec, 2013 | Mangroves, already threatened, are expanding into sensitive salt marshes, by Sarah Zielinski | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:24 |
| The Coffee Myth - Dec, 2013 | There's No Evidence That Coffee Stunts Kids' Growth. The story got started in a century-old Postum commerical. by Joseph Stromberg | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:10 |
| How the Hot Tamale Conquered the American South - Jan, 2014 | Though not a native, the treat has taken on a life of its own, by W. Hodding Carter | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:17:02 |
| The Pullman Car - Dec 13, 2013 | Traveling in Style and Comfort: The Pullman Sleeping Car. It was THE way to go by train for the middle and upper classes, by Jimmy Stamp | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:44 |
| 10 Lucky Celebrities Who Escaped Disaster - Nov, 2013 | Many famous people accidentally avoided tragedy, by Greg Daugherty | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:14:29 |
| When Thanksgiving Meant a Fancy Meal Out on the Town - Nov, 2013 | The holiday event wasn't always about home and hearth, by John Hanc | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:27 |
| He Hated the Gettysburg Address - Nov, 2013 | My Great-Great-Grandfather Hated the Gettysburg Address. 150 Years Later, He's Famous For It. Lincoln's speech at first drew much criticism. by Doug Stewart | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:32 |
| It's the Umani, Stupid - Nov, 2013 | The Umani flavor craze is helping MSG to make a comeback. by Natasha Geiling | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:14:38 |
| Earth-Like Exoplanets - Nov, 2013 | There are probably way more earth-like exoplanets. One fifth of stars may harbor "Goldilock" planets, by Joseph Stromberg | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:10 |
| A Mouse Has Evolved An Immunity to Toxic Scorpion - Oct, 2013 | The poison is merely pain relief to the bug-eating, by Joseph Stromberg | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:39 |
| The Science of Winning Leaps - Oct, 2013 | The secret is in how frog "jockeys" motivate their animals at the Caleveras County Frog Jumping Competition. by Joseph Stromberg | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:24 |
| Preventive Care - Oct, 2013 | How Hospitals are Trying to Keep You Out of the Hospital. Big Data helps anticipate patients' preventive care needs. By Randy Rieland. | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:19 |
| Why Do We Eat Popcorn at the Movies? - Oct, 2013 | Theaters resisted the treat until the Great Depression. by Natasha Geiling | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:13:21 |
| How the Flag Came to be Called Old Glory - Oct, 2013 | Two heirloom banners vie for the original tile. by Sally Jenkins | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:18:02 |
| The Women Who Mapped the Universe... - Sep, 2013 | ... And Still Couldn't Get Any Respect. Harvad women advanced astronomy in anonymity. by Natasha Geiling | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:12:00 |
| The Secret to the Modern Beehive - Sep, 2013 | 1851 discovery led to today's racks of honeycombs, by Jimmy Stamp | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:56 |
| Great Cocktail Moments in Famous Literature - Aug, 2013 | How mixed drinks influenced American storytelling, by Vicky Gan | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:12:32 |
| Human Echolocation Seeing Without Eyes - Aug, 2013 | Tongue-clicking generates a kind of human sonar. by Joseph Stromberg | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:48 |
| How the Coffee Cup Sleeve Was Invented - Aug, 2013 | Realtor spilled coffee on his lap; inspiration followed. by Colleen Conolly | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:02 |
| American Rich Kids and the British Elite - Aug, 2013 | Nobles needed cash; Rich Americans wanted prestige, by Angela Serratorre | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:17:03 |
| The Worst Shark Attack in History - Aug, 2013 | Survivors of WWII sinking floated at sea as sharks circled. by Natasha Geiling | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:13 |
| What Caused the Death of American Brewing - Aug, 2013 | "Technology drove consolidation, but craft brewers are coming back." by Natasha Geiling | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:31 |
| The Golden Arches of McModernism - Jul, 2013 | "McDonalds designed restaurant exteriors to attract hungry drivers" by Jimmy Stamp | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:48 |
| Brainpower and Brawn in the Mexican-American War - Jul, 2013 | "West Point's innovations gave the U.S. skilled commanders in 1847 and 1861." by William Rosen | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:13:47 |
| Is the New Tonto Any Better Than the Old Tonto - Jul / Aug, 2013 | "Despite the update, the Native American sidekick still rankles" by Jerry Adler | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:15 |
| The Past and Future of the Baseball Bat - Jul, 2013 | "The big stick has gone through some odd shapes" by Jimmy Stamp | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:24 |
| Never Was a Red Phone in the White House - Jun, 2013 | "Teletype, then satellite and now fibre-optic voice and email; the 'Red Phone' is merely a cultural symbol." by Tom Clavin | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:39 |
| Where Bourbon Really Got Its Name - Jun, 2013 | "The Kentucky whiskey became famous in New Orleans. More tips on America's native spirit." by Laura Kiniry | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:37 |
| How Do "Sailing Stones" Move? - Jun, 2013 | "Scientist solves long-standing puzzle with kitchen-table experiment about how these stones move across Death Valley's desert." by Joseph Stomberg | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:31 |
| World's Newest Atomic Clock - Jun, 2013 | "Lasers increases accuracy to clock losing 1 second every 50 billion years." by Joseph Stromberg | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:01 |
| Why Fire Makes Us Human - Jun, 2013 | "Cooking saves digestive energy, which can be exploited by bigger brains" by Jerry Adler | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:14:04 |
| Greatest Astronomer - May, 2013 | How Edwin Hubble Became the Twentieth Century's Greatest Astronomer. By Gilbert King | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:40 |
| The Real Gatsby - May, 2013 | "Will the Real Great Gatsby Please Stand Up? How much of the novel comes from the author's life? By Sarah Laskow | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:11:19 |
| Nobody Walks in L.A. - Apr, 2013 | "The Rise of Cars and the Monorails That Never Were. Mass transit has always struggled in the spread-out." by Matt Novak | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:18:33 |
| How Ford Motor Company Won a Battle and Lost Ground - Apr, 2013 | "Ford thugs beat up unionizers and stole press cameras, but the photos got out." by Gilbert King | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:09:05 |
| True Battle of Bunker Hill - May, 2013 | "Confusion, mistakes, and the wrong hill characterized this first fight of the American Revolution." by Tony Horwitz | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:19:49 |
| Elizabeth Keckley Story - Apr, 2013 | "The story of Elizabeth Keckley, former slave turned Mrs. Lincoln's dressmaker - she became the doyenne of DC." by Emily Spivack | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:10:02 |
| Five Surprising Facts About the Common Cold - Apr, 2013 | "Cold bugs prefer dry Winter indoor air, can survive two days outside the body, and withstand Vitamin C very well." by Marina Koren | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:06:40 |
| An 'Eye for An Eye' in the Legal System - Apr, 2013 | "Is revenge a forgotten virtue that should be part of legal proceedings?" by Amy Crawford | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:12:23 |
| TV Will Tear Us Apart - Apr, 2013 | "The Future o fPolitical Polariztion in America Media. 1969 Internet pioneer foresaw viewpoint fragmentation caused by so many TV channels." | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:47 |
| How the Chess Set Got Its Look and Feel - Apr, 2013 | "The Staunton set brought order to the chaos of piece" by Jimmy Stamp | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:11:11 |
| Sagging Pants Butt Up Against the Law - Apr, 2013 | "An old law is used against the style, but does it prosecute free expression?" by Emily Spivack | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:53 |
| Where Was the Birthplace of the American Vacation - Apr, 2013 | "Adirondack Park, NY has revived storied wilderness camps and hotels" by Tom Perrottet | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:28:06 |
| Has Gettysburg Kicked Its Kitsch Factor? - Apr, 2013 | "The battlefield is being rehabilitated to a less-spoiled state." by Tony Horwitz | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:20:45 |
| How the DC-3 Revolutionized Air Travel - Apr, 2013 | "Smooth, quiet, and quick, the 1935 airplane made flight stylish." by Kathleen Burke | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:28 |
| A Partial History of Headphones - Mar, 2013 | "How the modern stereo headset got that way" by Jimmy Stamp | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:11:13 |
| Top Ten Afterlife Journeys of Notable People - Mar, 2013 | "Famous folks whose remains were stolen, dismembered, sold" by Marina Koren | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:11:11 |
| Lousy Sleep Isn't Good For Your Body, Either - Mar, 2013 | "Lack of sleep alters genes that affect our physical health." by Randy Rieland | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:08:19 |
| The Rise and Fall of Nikola Tesla and his Tower - Feb, 2013 | "The genius inventor walked away from billions in earnings." by Gilbert King | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:14:20 |
| How Two Women Ended the Deadly Feather Trade - Mar, 2013 | "Birds killed for their feathers were dying out in the early 1900s." by William Souder | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:07:08 |
| The True-Life Horror that Inspired Moby-Dick - Mar, 2013 | "Whale destroyed an 1820 whaling ship; survivors endured terrible weeks at sea" by Gilbert King | Reader: Jim Hull | 00:15:10 |
| Various Articles - August/September, 2012 | "Forget about senior moments. The good news is thre are advantages of growing old." by Helen Fields; "Invisibility reveals more than it hides." by Mark Strauss; "Researcher studies choking under pressure" by Abigail Tucker | Reader: Riva Nelson | 00:13:36 |
| Dogs of War, Going For Gold, Cheating - August 1, 2012 | "New research finds dogs can help veterans overcome PTSD" by Chris Colin; "Prospectors are heading for gold in the CA hills." by Abigail Tucker; "Cheating- As technology advances so will access to new techniques" by C.A. | Reader: Riva Nelson | 00:17:23 |
| You Robot & The King of Beisbol - April, 2012 | "You Robot. The 'transhumanist' movement says better technology will enable you to replace more body parts - even your brain." by Abigail Tucker; "The King of Beisbol. Fifty years ago, superstar Roberto Clemente transcended baseball's borders." by David Maraniss. | Reader: Riva Nelson | 00:14:24 |
| Hive Mind - March 1, 2012 | "Hive Mind. The world's leading expert on bee behavior discovers the secrets of decision-making in a swarm." by Carl Zimmer. | Reader: Riva Nelson | 00:18:44 |
| Speaking American - March 1, 2012 | "...After half a century of studying jib-jabbing, linguists have just finished the nation's most ambitious dictionary of regional dialects." by Abigail Tucker. | Reader: Riva Nelson | 00:12:17 |
| Top Ten Demonstrations of Love - February 10, 2012 | "The inventor, the celebrity and the royal highness couldn't resist the draw of making a grand gesture to the love of their life." by Abigail Tucker. | Reader: Riva Nelson | 00:09:59 |
| Explaining Evil - February 2012 | "Explaining Evil. A landmark work of history, now reissued, illuminates a recurrent threat." by Ron Rosenbaum. | Reader: Riva Nelson | 00:19:37 |
| Stitches In Time & Mr. Cox's Keepsake - February, 2012 | "Stitches In Time. Scientist develops tool to determine the age of mysterious silks." by Joseph Stromberg; "Mr. Cox's Keepsake. An American diplomat's memento takes center stage after 125 years." by Owen Edwards. | Reader: Riva Nelson | 00:13:36 |
| Mystique of the Mother Road - Februaty, 2012 | "Mystique of the Mother Road. Foreign tourists and local preservationists are bringing stretches of the storied Route 66 back to life." by David Lamb. | Reader: Riva Nelson | 00:20:26 |
| Hawaii and its Volcano - December, 2011 | "Into the Volcano. A trip to the floor of Maui's Haleakala Crater." by Tony Perrottet; "Chain Reaction. Hawaii's hotspot. Haleakala originated as a vent on the sea floor about 2 million years ago." by Erin Wayman. | Reader: Steve Krattiger | 00:22:00 |
| Science, St. Nick & White House - November, 2011 | "New Angles: Exciting new science." by G. Wayne Clough; "Mischievous St. Nick. A 19th century Santa prototype." by Owen Edwards; "Q&A With the White House curator." by Megan Gambino. | Reader: Steve Krattiger | 00:12:45 |
| Shanghai Gets Supersized - November, 2011 | "Shanghai Gets Supersized. China's leaders once vowed to make the city the 'Head of the Dragon' of new wealth." by David DeVoss and Lauren Hilgers. | Reader: Steve Krattiger | 00:20:15 |
| Swan Song & Guess Who Came to Dinner? - November, 2011 | "Swan Song: Final flight of a WWII biplane evokes Tuskegee Airmen exploits" by Owen Edwards; "Guess Who Came to Dinner? A table for one can be the best seat in the house" by Angus MacLachlan | Reader: Steve Krattiger | 00:09:10 |
| Lucky Bird & Cocktails in Greenland - October, 2011 | "Lucky Bird. High in the Tibetan plateau, a Buddhist monk is saving one of the world's rarest birds" by Phil McKenna; "Cocktails in Greenland. The ice that covers 80 % of the island is melting" by Joseph Stromberg. | Reader: Steve Krattiger | 00:14:25 |
| Three Animal Articles - September, 2011 | "William Wegman thought he was done with dog portraits. Fay Ray had other ideas" by David Schonauer; "Picky Eaters - California sea otters" by Jess Righthand; "Mail Pooch" by Arcynta Ali Childs | Reader: Steve Krattiger | 00:15:40 |
| Reversal of Fortune - September, 2011 | "Reversal of Fortune. It wasn't until after Samuel Morse failed as an artist that he revolutionized communication by inventing the telegraph." by David McCullough. | Reader: Steve Krattiger | 00:24:38 |
| What 9/11 Wrought - September, 2011 | "What 9/11 Wrought. In a personal essay, the former editor of the New York Times raises questions about the nation's response." by Joseph Lelyveld. | Reader: Steve Krattiger | 00:13:45 |
| Cultivating Art - August, 2011 | "Cultivating Art. To protect the fruits of their labor and thwart "plant thieves", early American growers enlisted artists." by Daniel J. Kevles | Reader: Steve Krattiger | 00:15:20 |
| Two Orca Articles - August, 2011 | Two Articles on Orcas: "A Whale to Watch. True story of a lonely orca leaps from printed page to silver screen." by Michael Parfit; "Orca Culture. Complex learned behaviors..." by Lisa Stiffler. | Reader: Steve Krattiger | 00:19:00 |
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