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.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 sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org/throughline
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Episodes (458)
How Korean culture went global
Aug 20, 2026
The blatant betrayal that erased the Tupperware queen from history
Aug 13, 2026
Lies, theft, and cover-up: the history of Monopoly you've never heard
Aug 6, 2026
The song that fueled protests and a legacy of hope
Aug 4, 2026
The lightbulb conspiracy is both real and everywhere
Jul 30, 2026
The license to be funny in America
Jul 28, 2026
The architect of modern China
Jul 23, 2026
The Chinafication of Walmart
Jul 21, 2026
Listen to "We Keep Us Safe" on NPR's Embedded podcast
Jul 19, 2026
Route 66 and the quest to connect America
Jul 16, 2026
How wheelchairs, a river, and a spaceship challenged the status quo
Jul 14, 2026
The ongoing battle over asylum in America
Jul 9, 2026
American history through song
Jul 7, 2026
The story of July 4th is messier than you remember
Jul 2, 2026
The genius and murkiness of the Constitution
Jun 30, 2026
From Hormuz to Suez: the chokepoints of global power
Jun 25, 2026
Prosperity gospel and the American dream
Jun 23, 2026
How the Supreme Court claimed supreme power
Jun 18, 2026
Captain America and the nation's conscience
Jun 16, 2026
The shifting line between free speech and a criminal threat
Jun 11, 2026
The uncensored war
Jun 9, 2026
The World Cup was supposed to bring world peace
Jun 4, 2026
Bayard Rustin and the March on Washington
Jun 2, 2026
History's playbook for taming the beast of inflation
May 28, 2026
Yuri Kochiyamas’s lifetime of activism
May 26, 2026
Prediction markets are making a 150-year comeback
May 21, 2026
Frances Perkins Goes To Washington
May 19, 2026
War by remote control, how drones changed modern warfare
May 14, 2026
Four voices from the Great Depression
May 12, 2026
How our memory of war can shape the future
May 7, 2026
The origins of the Socialist Party of America
May 5, 2026
Gladiators, real housewives and the pull of reality TV
Apr 30, 2026
The fight that shook America
Apr 28, 2026
The billionaires' utopia blueprint
Apr 23, 2026
Why the wall was built
Apr 21, 2026
The original clickbait king
Apr 16, 2026
How the US became America
Apr 14, 2026
Will AI destroy us... or save us?
Apr 9, 2026
Who gets to be an American citizen?
Apr 7, 2026
Al Capone and the transformation of the IRS
Apr 2, 2026
What the banana tells us about US history
Mar 31, 2026
How Saudi Arabia shaped Silicon Valley
Mar 26, 2026
The Ojibwe Nation
Mar 24, 2026
Why is Cuba in crisis?
Mar 19, 2026
The confederates who left the USA
Mar 17, 2026
3 key moments that led to the U.S.-Iran war
Mar 12, 2026
Everyone should have a voice
Mar 10, 2026
Iran and the Jewish people: An alliance before war
Mar 5, 2026
We the People, Redefined
Mar 3, 2026
Why Super PACs have more power than ever in elections
Feb 26, 2026