Roundup

Humanities scholar Rosenthal profiles former Columbia Univ. president Butler [video 65min]

Michael Rosenthal discusses his book Nicholas Miraculous: The Amazing Career of the Redoubtable Dr. Nicholas Murray Butler. Professor Rosenthal talks about Butler's influence in America during the early part of the 20th century, Butler's continuous efforts at self-promotion, and the awarding of the Nobel Peace Prize to Butler in 1931. He also reads from a portion of the book. The talk was hosted by Columbia University. Includes Q&A.

Historian Wood describes Founding Fathers' achievements [video 53min]

Pulitzer-prize winner Gordon Wood speaks about his book Revolutionary Characters: What Made the Founders Different. As a historian, Wood examines the Founding Fathers' roles, ideals and values expressed in the U.S. Constitution and Declaration of Independence. Wood is currently a professor of history at Brown University. He has been awarded numerous prizes for his writings including the Pulitzer Prize and Bancroft Prize. The talk was hosted by Politics and Prose Bookstore in Washington, D

Did the Steagles save the NFL? [audio 5min]

During WWII, the Pittsburgh Steelers and Philadelphia Eagles fielded a team together for a season: the Steagles. Host Scott Jagow speaks to author Matthew Algeo about how the combined team helped keep the NFL going at a critical time.

Spanish Mark Civil War milestone; unease lingers [audio 4min]

This year marks the 70th anniversary of the start of the Spanish Civil War. In Spain, there are no official commemoration ceremonies. That's in keeping with the silence with which Spaniards have generally treated the war -- and the Franco dictatorship that followed. But many, including the now-elderly children of victims, are increasingly seeking some kind of closure. In the village of Parillas, residents will finally be able to give a proper burial to parents and grandparents executed during th

Guatemala police archive yields clues to 'dirty war' [audio 8min]

Human rights researchers seeking to understand abuses during Guatemala's bloody civil war have launched one of the largest detective projects in history. A mammoth warehouse discovered last year contains tens of millions of documents comprising the National Police Archive. The records, which the government first denied existed, are expected to offer evidence of a police role in murders and disappearances during Guatemala's "dirty war." Time is of the essence. The ombudsman's term expir

EU's newer members challenge certainties of older Europe [audio 30min]

BBC News special correspondent Allan Little looks at how the European Union was created, from the devastation of World War Two to its current incarnation as a new kind of superpower. Focusing on key moments along the journey, he analyses Britain's contradictory relationship with 'Europe'. In Programme 4, "Ever Larger Union", Little talks to the man responsible for starting Spain's accession progress just days after General Franco's death in 1975. Today's Europe is made up of 25 rather

Antonia Fraser profiles the women in the life of Louis XIV [audio 5x15min]

This week's"Book of the Week" is Antonia Fraser's Love and Louis XIV: The Women in the Life of the Sun King, a look at the women in the life of the Sun King, read by Lia Williams and abridged by Robin Brooks. Part 1: The prospect of peace between Spain and France is greatly enhanced by this most splendid of marriages, to the Infanta Maria Theresa. Part 2: Henriette-Anne and Louise de la Valliere were Louis' first two mistresses -- and emerged from the queen's group of ladies in waiting. P

Sinclair's 'Jungle' has echoes for today [audio 30min]

A hundred years ago, a heart-rending expose of the conditions in America's meat industry (Upton Sinclair's novel The Jungle) scandalised President Teddy Roosevelt and led to dramatic legal changes in the way the food industry was controlled. In the second of two special"Food Programmes", Sheila Dillon comes up to date and investigates claims that The Jungle has echoes for today. She reports from North Carolina and meets workers and management at the world's largest hog processing p

'Black Dahlia' case holds undying allure [audio 5min]

Elizabeth Short, 22, was brutally murdered in a Los Angeles neighborhood in 1947. Her killer was never found. The"Black Dahlia" story continues to generate interest. R. J. Smith, senior editor of Los Angeles Magazine, tells Scott Simon about his recent writing on the subject.

Long-lost World War II sub may be found [audio 4min]

The USS Grunion disappeared in July 1942, leaving 70 American families in grief. Researchers, funded by one of the sons of skipper Mannert L."Jim" Abele, say they may have found the sub in the Bering Sea. Charles Homans of member station KIAL in Unalaska reports.

What is impact of WWII military service on children and grandchildren? [audio 19min]

4.5 million men were part of the UK armed services during World War II -- and many were away for years on end. What impact did the absence of these men have on their children back home? How did kids relate to a father who wasn't around in their formative years and who, to many children, was little more than a photo on a mantelpiece? To discuss the repercussions these complicated relationships had on post-war generations, Martha Kearney is joined by social historian Juliet Gardiner and Helen Bamb

Ramesses II moves to new home [audio 5min]

Preparations are under way in Cairo to move a huge granite statue of the ancient Egyptian Pharaoh Ramesses II from the square where it has stood for more than 50 years. Host Marco Werman speaks with the head of Egypt's antiquities department, Zahi Hawass.

Was Battle of Britain won by Royal Navy? [audio 5min]

An article in the British magazine History Today reexamines one of the events of World War II. It calls into question what many believe led to Britain being saved from Nazi invasion. Alex Gallafent reports.

Congress names what it names [audio 4min]

How do you get your name on a big federal building? It helps to be important in the federal government, and to have died recently. But lately, that second requirement seems to have been suspended.

Clifton's Cafeteria has served kitsch since 1935 [audio 6min]

Clifton's Cafeteria, one of Los Angeles' oldest and largest restaurants, is a legacy of a very different era -- a place where Jell-O desserts are still king, and lunch specials come with a big dollop of kitsch. Opened in 1935, the landmark dining establishment is decorated like a redwood forest inside, complete with a waterfall, a stuffed moose head and a fishing bear. Self-proclaimed kitsch historian Charles Phoenix takes Madeleine Brand on a tour of what he says is the city's largest restauran

Have books by De Beauvoir, Friedan, Greer, Woolf changed the world for women? [audio 24min]

As"Woman's Hour" celebrates 60 years on air, we look back to the 1940s and mark the significant events that had an impact on women."One is not born a woman, one becomes one" Simone de Beauvoir wrote in The Second Sex. Her book was published in 1949 and was to become a classic text for the women's movement. But many have questioned the extent to which this philosophical tract had a practical impact on women's lives. Over the last 60 years women have written about the ways in which they are

Eleanor Roosevelt was one of greatest women of 20th century [audio 30min]

Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of US president Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was born into a wealthy American family but transcended her origins to become a formidable campaigner for human rights and economic justice -- both in the United States and on the world stage. Civil liberties lawyer Helena Kennedy argues that she's one of the great women of the last century, and, with the help of Roosevelt biographer, Blanche Wiesen Cook, examines her extraordinary life. Presented by Matthew Parris.

U.S. v. Them [audio 60min]

Words like"America" and"globalization" often conjure up images of protest and conflict around the world. It's the U.S. v. Them. Either you're for us or against us. But things aren't always so black and white. In a Special Edition of"To the Best of Our Knowledge," soap opera in China, hip hop in Africa, and California wine in France. Also, an unexpected weapon in the State Department's repertoire: jazz. Interviewees: Jonathan Nossiter, director of the documentary film Mondovino; Rachel DeW

Thatcher took UK further into EU than any PM since Heath [audio 30min]

BBC News special correspondent Allan Little looks at how the European Union was created, from the devastation of World War Two to its current incarnation as a new kind of superpower. Focusing on key moments along the journey, he analyses Britain's contradictory relationship with 'Europe'. In Programme 3, "Breaking Down the Borders", Little looks into the completion of the single market and Margaret Thatcher's complicated relationship with Europe, publicly so bullish about sovereignty a

Rwanda may lift ban on teaching its sensitive history [audio 5min]

Rwanda's public school students may be allowed to study their national history for the first time since a bloody ethnic conflict between the Hutus and Tutsis in 1994 led to the killing of nearly a million Rwandans. But even if officials lift the ban, controversy about what history to teach will remain. Report by Jeanne Baron.