Roundup

American Revolution ignited by Boston's waterfront mobs [video 56min]

In Cradle of Violence Russell Bourne argues that Boston's waterfront gangs were responsible for starting the tradition of anti-British resistance that eventually led to the American Revolution. The author details the Stamp Act riots of 1765 and the Boston Tea Party of 1773 and explains that the gangs' violent protests included tarring and feathering customs officials, burning a Lt. Governor's mansion, and fighting British soldiers in the streets. Bourne has worked at Life magazine

Jenny Uglow profiles 'Nature's Engraver' [audio 35min]

Jenny Uglow talks to Isabel Hilton about her new book Nature's Engraver, a biography of Thomas Bewick, who wrote and illustrated Bewick's History of British Birds. It was the first 'field guide' for ordinary people and the book that significantly shaped the way we view the natural world.

'Eyes on the Prize' returns to PBS [audio 12min]

Eyes on the Prize, the landmark documentary series on the Civil Rights Movement that first aired 20 years ago, returns to public television beginning Monday evening on most PBS stations nationwide. The lauded six-part series captures the birth of the movement from Emmett Till's murder in 1955 and focuses on key moments in the movement, including the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr.'s"I have a dream" speech capping the 1963 March on Washington, the Freedom March in Alabama, the rise of the Bla

Photo exhibit shows captured moments from streets of New York [audio 3min]

The streets of New York -- with their clamor, hustle and snap -- are captured in an exhibition of photographs in Washington, D.C. At the National Gallery of Art, black-and-white pictures by Walker Evans, Robert Frank, Helen Levitt and others, taken from 1938 through 1958, show a raw, edgy city. ~Website offers extended report by Susan Stamberg and audio slideshow.

16c Puritans taught their children 'to die' [audio 15min]

"Invention of Childhood" is major 30-part narrative history series exploring British childhood and the experience of British children over the last thousand years, with one 15-minute programme each weekday from Mon 25th Sept for 6 weeks. Each programme may be streamed online for 7 days after broadcast. Week Two -- 2 to 6 Oct: Children in the 16th and 17th Century. Episode 6: Learn to Die. After the Protestant Reformation of the 16th century, how did the new, strict Puritan ethos affect

On eve of Korean War, Truman turned to comfort food [audio 3min]

Everyone is familiar with comfort food. Whether you're disappointed over a missed job opportunity or crying over a breakup, chances are that you've turned to that one food that always seems to make you feel better. For President Truman's White House, the food was fried chicken -- and the crisis was the Korean War. On Sunday, June 25, 1950, a last-minute dinner with the war Cabinet was to be planned, and only one man was there to do it: Alonzo Fields, chief White House butler during the Truman ad

Revealing beautiful frescos hidden on Capitol Hill [audio 6min]

Michaelangelo's masterwork in the Sistine chapel is world renowned. But what about other great spaces -- grandiose, hard to reach, painted in incredible detail -- closer to home? Take, for instance, the U.S. Capitol. Drawing a blank? There are probably few among us who've heard of Constantino Brumidi. The 19th-century painter was the mastermind behind the impressive frescos that pour over the first floor of the Senate Wing of the U.S. Capitol. Brumidi spent the final 25 years of his life at work

Former congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., chronicled by Wil Haygood [video 46min]

In King of the Cats: The Life and Times of Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., Wil Haygood chronicles the 24-year political career of former congressman Adam Clayton Powell, Jr., including his successful lawsuit against the House of Representatives after they voted to expel him from Congress in 1967. This event was hosted by Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, DC. Haygood is a reporter for the Washington Post. He is the author of In Black and White: The Life of Sammy Davis, Jr.

Havel, Velvet Revolution inspired by Prague rock band [audio 30min]

Prague rock band The Plastic People of the Universe are unlikely heroes. Relentlessly pursued and eventually jailed by the Czechoslovak Communist authorities, their fate sparked Vaclav Havel and the beginnings of the Velvet Revolution and inspired Tom Stoppard's new play Rock & Roll. In 2000, Alan Dein journeyed to Prague to hear their story.

Author challenges faith of a 'Christian Nation' [audio 8min]

In his new book Letter to a Christian Nation, author Sam Harris argues that faith is an antiquated and destructive notion that should be challenged more vigorously. Harris attacks religious moderates -- Muslim moderates in particular -- who in defending their faith as tolerant and peaceful, provide cover for extremists. Harris talks with Madeleine Brand about the controversy his book is already generating.

Romania secret files released from Ceausescu era [audio 7min]

Romania is making more than 2 million files from its former secret police available to the public. The secret police spied on just about everyone in Romania during the reign of dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. Host Lisa Mullins speaks with BBC reporter Oana Lungescu, who not only reported on the story, but examined the files that the secret police kept on her.

Nuremberg Trials' legacy re-echoes 60 years later [audio 4min]

On Sept. 28, 1946, the International Military Tribunal at Nuremberg was getting ready to hand down its judgments against German war criminals. Commentator Mark Drumbl says that Nuremberg began 60 years of international genocide prosecutions -- but that the prosecutions have not achieved Nuremberg's most important goal, to keep similar events from happening. Mark Drumbl is a professor of law at Washington and Lee University and the author of the forthcoming book Atrocity, Punishment, and Inter

Alexander von Humboldt: The remarkable career of the Prussian naturalist [audio 45min]

Darwin described him as 'the greatest scientific traveller who ever lived'. Goethe declared that one learned more from an hour in his company than eight days of studying books and even Napoleon was reputed to be envious of his celebrity. We're talking about the Prussian scientist and explorer Alexander Von Humboldt. If you haven't heard of him you're not alone and yet, at the time of his death in 1859, the year Darwin published On the Origin of Species, Humboldt was probably the most famo

Maine retiree takes cemetery under her wing [audio 4min]

Cemeteries are struggling. Many can barely pay to have the lawn mowed, let alone care for gravestones. But in Maine, a 71-year-old retiree named Isla Estabrook has taken it upon herself to clean the grime off thousands of gravestones. What started as a small project to clean a cemetery where a friend was buried has turned into an obsession. Producer Patty Wight sends an audio postcard.

Book of Revelation has been deadly inspiration [audio 20min]

In his new book A History of the End of the World: How the Most Controversial Book in the Bible Changed the Course of Western Civilization, Jonathan Kirsch writes about how the Book of Revelation has stirred some dangerous men and women to act out their own private apocalypses. Kirsch's other books include The Harlot by the Side of the Road and Moses: A Life. Kirsch serves as an adjunct professor at NYU and is an intellectual property lawyer in Los Angeles.

'Eyes on the Prize' civil rights series returns to PBS [audio 47min]

It took filmmaker Henry Hampton 12 years to bring Eyes on the Prize to television. When he did, the PBS documentary on the civil rights movement was a revelation for much of America. Nearly 20 years later, PBS will rebroadcast the series. Guests: Orlando Bagwell, producer of TV series Eyes on the Prize; Ernest Green, appears in Eyes on the Prize,; one of the 'Little Rock Nine'; Judy Richardson, co-producer of Eyes on the Prize, and activist, Student Nonviolent Coordin

Reading Is Fundamental program turns 40 [audio 13min]

The organization called Reading is Fundamental celebrates its 40th anniversary. The group, founded in Washington DC by a former schoolteacher, encourages kids to read by giving them books, especially kids who would not have books of their own otherwise. Guest: Margaret McNamara Pastor, daughter of Reading is Fundamental founder Margaret McNamara.

Map thief sentenced in Federal Court [audio 3min]

E. Forbes Smiley is one of the nation's foremost experts on antique maps. He was given access to some of the rarest collections at Harvard, Yale, and Chicago's Newberry Library. But the scholar was also a thief. He was sentenced Wednesday for crimes that came to light when Smiley was stopped after leaving a Yale library with nearly $900,000 worth of rare maps. Diane Orson of Connecticut Public Radio reports.

Durga Puja: Goddess's homecoming, American style [audio 4min]

On Thursday, millions of Bengali Indians and Bangladeshis celebrate Durga Puja, the festival of the Hindu mother goddess who banishes evil from the earth. These days, commentator Sandip Roy observes Durga Puja in the San Francisco Bay Area, where the celebration is more restrained than he remembers. Here in the U.S., the five-day festival is squished into a weekend. ~Website offers extend commentary, photo.

Popular culture came in from the cold [audio 60min]

Jeremy Vine investigates how popular culture was inspired by the Cold War over the last 60 years. 1st of 2 parts.