Roundup

19th Century Information Highway [30min]

Jonathan Freedland discovers that the debates over the power of search engines like Google are hardly new. Tracing back to the early 19th century, he discovers that Whig politician Henry Brougham claimed the same Utopian vision of Google's founders -- to make the world's information "universally accessible and useful". Setting up the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge -- which harnessed the latest in steam press technology -- he sought to spread knowledge to every corner of

African-American Oral History [50min]

Even though African Americans have made significant contributions to American life, society and culture, the world is still largely unaware of these contributions. The goal of The HistoryMakers, an African American history archive, is to change this. We’ll talk about the importance of passing down the history of African and African-American culture and its place in America today. Guest: Julienna Richardson, Founder/Executive Director of The HistoryMakers.

1st Woman Elected into Baseball Hall of Fame [5min]

Effa Manley has become the first woman elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame. Manley is a former executive with the Newark Eagles Negro League team. She co-owned the team with her husband and ran it for more than a decade. Leslie Heaphy, professor of History at Kent State University, talks with Melissa Block.

'Hijacked' Film Interview [9min]

A new PBS documentary recounts the dramatic events of September 1970 when a group of Palestinian militants hijacked four commercial airliners. Hijacked examines how and when Middle East militants began to see civilians as legitimate pawns in their struggle. Host Lisa Mullins speaks with the documentary's producer.

Kerwin Swint on Mudslinging Politicians [51min]

Diane Rehm welcomes Kerwin Swint, professor of Political Science at Kennesaw State University, whose new book is Mudslingers: The Top 25 Negative Political Campaigns of All Time: Countdown from No. 25 to No. 1 (Praeger). He is also the author of Political Consultants and Negative Campaigning: The Secret of the Pros.

Sepoy Rebellion (II) [15min]

In June 1857 the British garrison at Cawnpore (Kanpur) was besieged by mutineers led by Nana Sahib, who fooled the Cawnpore commander, General Sir Hugh Wheeler, into letting his guards in to protect the treasury. The sepoys rebelled, looted the treasury and laid siege to the garrison. "This Sceptred Isle: Empire" is a narrative history of the British Empire from Ireland in the 12th century to the independence of India in the 20th, told in 90 programmes written by historian Christopher

Before Jane Austen There Was Christopher Anstey [30min]

Biographer Kathryn Hughes travels to Bath to discover more about poet Christopher Anstey, who was the toast of Bath in 1766 for his The New Bath Guide. It satirised the fashions and foibles of Bath society 30 years before Jane Austen. Cast: Roy Hudd as Mr Inkle, Colleen Prendergast as Prudence, Nicholas Boulton as Simkin Blunderhead.

David Irving: The London Trial [40min]

On 11th January 2000, one of the most important libel trials in English legal history began at the high court. The Plaintiff, the now discredited historian David Irving, lost his case and three subsequent appeals. On October 30th 2001, the legal process set in motion by this case was finally exhausted. Those findings formed the backdrop for Irving's recent criminal conviction in Vienna for denying the Holocaust. The programme features unique contributions from all the protagonists in this extrao

A History of Ideas [53min]

What's the big idea? Well, it turns out there are three of them...the soul, Europe and the experiment. Those are the three big ideas that Peter Watson uses to focus his history of ideas. In this hour of "To the Best of Our Knowledge," we'll talk about the history of ideas...from fire to Freud...including a language history of the world, shocking movies that changed history, and reinventions of the novel.

Voices in the News [2min]

A sound montage of some of the voices in the week's news includes: The "Mayberry" theme; the late Don Knotts; speedskater Apolo Anton Ohno; President Bush; Ibrahim Hooper of the Council on American-Islamic Relations; sound of chanting in Iraq; National Security Advisor Stephen Hadley; Sen. Carl Levin (D-MI).

Khrushchev's Secret Speech: News Analysis by Daniel Schorr [3min]

Fifty years ago, Soviet Premier Nikita Khrushchev gave a speech denouncing his predecessor Joseph Stalin. He set in motion a new era for the Soviet Union, and changed the composition of the Cold War.

Bush Science Push Fails to Transform Critics [14min]

One of the top domestic priorities for the Bush administration this year has been promotion of scientific research and education as a way to ensure American competitiveness in the world. Don Gonyea reports on the history and future of White House involvement in science, research teaching and learning. Extended interviews available online.The president unveiled the campaign in his State of the Union Address, vowing to"double the federal commitment to the most critical basic r

Easter Rising: 1916 Leaders Remembered [18min]

Eunan O'Halpín of Trinity College and Eamon Phoenix of Stranmillas University take a brief look back at the lives and beliefs of the main 1916 leaders, speaking about what the leaders of the Rising hoped they would achieve. And Mark Mulqueen, Irish Film Institute, tells the story behind a film set against the background of the 1916 Rising.

'Sesame Street' Songwriter Bruce Hart Dies [2min]

The entertainment world has lost Bruce Hart, a lyricist who helped pen the words to the Sesame Street theme song, as well as the song "Free to Be... You and Me." Hart died this week at 68, succumbing to lung cancer.

In Praise of Don Knotts, TV's Livest Wire [6min]

The wiry, nerdy Deputy Barney Fife from The Andy Griffith Show, has died at 81. Bob Thompson of the Center for the Study of Popular Television has an appreciation of one of TV's most memorable characters.

A History of 'Variety' Speciality Acts [30min]

Back in the days of 'variety', some of the most important performers on the theatre bills were not the star names -- the comedians and singers - but the so-called speciality acts -- the fillers-in, the ones booked to entertain the audience in between the headliners. The speciality acts were booked to ensure that the audience remained in their seats, and so the more exotic, painful, dangerous or outright peculiar their act might be, the better. There were acts which you might more readily expect

Berlin Cabarets Past and Present [30min]

Ute Lemper takes us on a tour of the seductive, smoke-filled cabaret clubs of Berlin past and present. A century after cabaret first arrived in Berlin, the city is still synonymous with cabaret in all its guises - from variety acts to subversive satire. Ute traces the development of the form and asks the latest generation of cabaret artistes whether the contemporary German kabarett has retained its reputation for topical satire and political iconoclasm. Has the current international climate crea

Telling the Story of Krushchev's Anti-Stalin Tirade [7min]

Fifty years ago, Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev gave a startling speech to Communist Party delegates, denouncing his predecessor Josef Stalin. Reuters correspondent John Rettie was the first foreign correspondent to learn of the secret speech. He reminisces with Scott Simon.

Bird Flu Forces London's Beloved Ravens Indoors [4min]

As the bird flu spreads across Europe, The Tower of London has moved its ravens indoors to protect them. The six birds are usually found on the lawns outside the castle, but are now in cages in one of its towers. Yeoman Raven Master Derrick Coyle talks with Melissa Block about the decision.

Book Weighs Cultural Effects of Climate Change [18min]

Eugene Linden, author of The Winds of Change: Climate, Weather, and the Destruction of Civilization, talks about how climate change could change civilization. From the Mayan empire to the Vikings, civilizations have risen and fallen, he argues, in large part because of the climate.