Roundup

Henry Ward Beecher was most famous man in 19c America [audio 7min]

Book critic Maureen Corrigan reviews The Most Famous Man in America, by Debby Applegate. Applegate offers insights about the charismatic Rev. Henry Ward Beecher, the brother of Uncle Tom's Cabin author Harriet Beecher Stowe.

American Forces Network provided GIs 'hometown' radio [audio 30min]

Humphrey Lyttelton reveals the fascinating story of how, as US forces joined the fight against Hitler in 1943, a network of broadcasting stations was established to provide Americans with the kind of programmes they were used to hearing back home. He reveals a battle for the airwaves between the BBC and General Eisenhower which led to the formation of the Allied Expeditionary Forces Programme. With contributions from author Patrick Morley, archive recordings of singer Anne Shelton and extracts f

Rushdie tells Moyers religion is political weapon [video 57min]

Salman Rushdie is a celebrated novelist, short-story writer, and essayist who gained international notoriety in 1989 when Iranian leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini demanded his execution for his portrayal of the prophet Mohammed in the novel The Satanic Verses. The publication of The Satanic Verses ignited a firestorm across the Muslim world. The book was banned in more than a dozen countries, and Iran's Khomeini issued a fatwa calling for the assassination of everyone involved in

Herf says Nazis propagandized Germans to fear, hate Jews [video 60min]

At an event at Politics and Prose in Washington, DC, author Jeffrey Herf examines the efforts to exterminate Europe's Jews during the Holocaust. Herf describes how the Nazis justified their atrocities through propaganda, indicating that Germans were under seige from"the Jewish threat." Herf is a professor of modern European history at the University of Maryland. He specializes in the connection between ideas and politics in Germany during the 20th century. His latest book is The Jewish Enemy:

Islam's internal conflicts will impact future [audio 32min]

Middle East expert Vali Nasr talks about the latest developments there, and about his book The Shia Revival: How Conflicts Within Islam Will Shape the Future.

Irwin finds contemporary lessons in 'Arabian Nights' [4x15min]

Robert Graham Irwin, British historian, novelist and writer on Arabic literature, takes us on a 4-part journey through The Arabian Nights, also known as The Thousand and One Nights. 17 July,"Scheherazade" -- Irwin explores the genius of Scheherazade, the woman who escaped death by turning survival into an art form. 18 July,"Found in Translation": Irwin discovers how the first translation of the stories triggered the West's craze for the Orient, and why the most famous translator of

Journalist explores Hezbollah's leadership and mission [audio 16min]

A few years ago, writer Jeffrey Goldberg spoke with Hezbollah leaders for a 2002 article in called"In the Party of God: Are Terrorists in Lebanon Preparing for a Larger War?" Goldberg will help us understand the background of the current unrest in Lebanon. Goldberg serves as Washington correspondent for The New Yorker.

Who is Hezbollah? [audio 34min]

Amid the fighting in Lebanon, one name keeps coming up: Hezbollah. According to the United States and Israel, Hezbollah's members are Iranian-backed terrorists. Nonetheless, the group is a political force and provider of social services to some in Lebanon. Guests: Augustus Richard Norton, professor of international relations at Boston University; As'ad Abukhalil, professor of political science at California State University, Stanislaus, and visiting professor at UC Berkeley; Dan Schueftan, deput

Limits of Executive power explored [audio 30min]

In the aftermath of Sept. 11, President Bush took charge of what he called a new kind of war. The White House aggressively asserted increased presidential powers. Now, with the Supreme Court's Hamdan decision and Congress pushing for oversight, the tide is shifting. Guests: Jeffrey Rosen, legal affairs editor of The New Republic and law professor at George Washington University; John Yoo, former lawyer with the Justice Department and current law professor at UC Berkeley.

Another fine mess: 80 Years of Laurel & Hardy [audio 60min]

Sir Norman Wisdom pays tribute to one of the world's most famous comedy partnerships.

Conservative MP claims inspiration from Thucydides [audio 15min]

British conservative MP Boris Johnson talks to political journalist Anne Perkins about how he became inspired by the Greek historian Thucydides.

FDR played key role in fighting polio [video 74min]

Historian David Oshinsky speaks about his Pulitzer Prize-winning book Polio: An American Story at the Congregational Church of Chappaqua, N.Y. Oshinsky chronicles the history of polio -- the viral disease that became an epidemic in the 1950's -- and discusses FDR's efforts to help find a cure, revolutionizing the way research money was obtained to fight the disease. Oshinsky is a history professor at University of Texas at Austin. He also examines the role FDR played when creating the Mar

New occupant for ancient Afghan fortress [audio 6min]

Afghans call it Bala Haizar, or simply "The Castle." Legend has it, the fortress towering above the village of Qalat was built 2,000 years ago by Alexander the Great during his push into India. Since then, nearly every passing or invading army has used it -- the British, the Russians, the Taliban and now the Americans. JJ Sutherland reports.

History professor refuses to leave Haifa [audio 3min]

Amatzia Baram, a professor of Middle Eastern History at the University of Haifa in Israel, talks with Renee Montagne about the ongoing conflict between Israel and Hezbollah. He says he does not plan to evacuate, despite Hezbollah attacks on Haifa.

Keith Ward talks to Robert Wright about the place of religion in society, East and West, then and now [video 40min]

Robert Wright interviews British theologian Keith Ward, Regius Professor of Divinity at Oxford University, on the evolution of religion, the limits of science, quantum weirdness, religion in a global age, self-transcendence, the Godhead, and the problem of evil. Ward studies the meeting points of religion and philosophy, religion and science, and one religious tradition and another. He is the author of the books God, Chance and Necessity; In Defence of the Soul; and Concepts of God.

NAACP honors John Brown for stand against slavery [audio 4min]

NAACP Chairman Julian Bond talks with Farai Chideya about the installation of a plaque in Harper's Ferry, W.Va., last week to commemorate abolitionist John Brown's historic stand against slavery in 1859.

Fight over ancient Persian tablets goes to U.S. Court [audio 6min]

The University of Chicago is fighting an attempt to seize thousands of ancient, clay tablets from their Oriental Institute. The tablets were brought to Chicago for study in 1937. American survivors of a bombing in Jerusalem nearly a decade ago want the tablets auctioned off as compensation for the attack, which they blame on Iran. But both Iran and the U.S. government say current law does not permit the tablets to be sold. Cheryl Corley reports.

King Arthur's enchantresses ~ Portrayals have altered over time [audio 9min]

The legend of King Arthur is one of the most enduring, with his knights of the round table, the castle at Camelot and quest for the Holy Grail. But they are also stories that abound with women - especially enchantresses. Morgan le Fey is the most well-known but there are others like the Lady of the Lake and Vivien. These were strong women, who challenged the chivalric order and wove a powerful magic. But as Dr Carolyne Larrington shows in her new book -- King Arthur's Enchantresses: Morgan an

Civil libertine ~ John Wilkes loved civil liberties as much as he loved sex [audio 10min]

John Wilkes was an 18th-century libertine, philanderer and author of what has been called the dirtiest poem in the English language. He was also a civil liberties pioneer, one of the first stalwarts of the free press. Brooke probes Arthur H. Cash, author of John Wilkes: The Scandalous Father of Civil Liberty about Wilkes’s illustrious, debaucherous career.

Political button convention draws history wonks [audio 5min]

NPR political editor Ken Rudin visits a convention of campaign memorabilia collectors. It's a strange world, where one battered button can fetch $15,000 at auction.