Roundup

Salem witch trials: "Judge Sewall's Apology" 5th of 5

Sewall has become acutely sensitive to injustice, and continues to take a public stance. He campaigns to ban slavery, and then a rather more idiosyncratic cause: against the wearing of wigs. Richard Francis's biography, "Judge Sewall's Apology", is read by actor Richard Mitchley. In its UK edition, the book's subtitle is "The Salem Witch Trials and the Forming of a Conscience"; in the US edition that conscience is entitled "an American Conscience".

Science at sea, 2nd of 3: Francis Beaufort

Francis Beaufort's career as a sailor was a swashbuckling one, including shipwreck, pirates, being marooned -- and several near-death incidents. He was a talented seaman but from the beginning he was also fascinated with observing and recording the movements of the sea and the weather, once writing in his journal, "Everyone has his hobby or his insanity. Mine I believe is taking bearings for charts and plans". This interest earned him great praise even during his seafaring days as he c

The Galveston Hurricane, September 1900

With Hurricane Rita bearing down on the coast of Texas as Dattilo recorded this, he thought it might be a good time to discuss the Galveston Hurricane of 1900, the deadliest natural disaster to ever strike the United States. The hurricane actually came ashore on September 8th in the afternoon, so we're going to have to depart a little bit from our tradition of covering just the events of today.

U.S.-Saddam ties during the Iran-Iraq War

The war between Iran and Iraq begain 25 years ago Thursday, and it reshaped the way the United States looks at political alliances in the Middle East. Alex Chadwick talks with NPR diplomatic correspondent Mike Shuster about America's military and diplomatic support of Saddam Hussein during that decade-long war, and the consequences of those ties today.

Ron Powers on Mark Twain

In "Dangerous Water: A Biography of the Boy Who Became Mark Twain" biographer Ron Powers presents what he calls "interpretive portraiture" of American humorist, essayist and novelist Mark Twain, and makes the case that Twain became the representative figure of his times.

Securing Russia’s loose nukes: Progress since 9/11

Four years after a bipartisan Task Force recommended an acceleration of programs to secure Russia's vulnerable nuclear weapons and materials by 2009-2011, a report by the Henry L. Stimson Center and the Center for American Progress finds that the United States may not reach that goal until 2020-2030. A distinguished panel featuring Graham T. Allison, Douglas Dillon Professor of Government and Director of the Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School

Grapple in the Big Apple -- 45min highlights -- Galloway & Hitchens debate Iraq war

Motion: The Iraq war of 2003 was just and necessary. Journalist Christopher Hitchens takes on MP George Galloway in a ferocious encounter over the rights and wrongs of the Iraq War. Hitchens thinks deposing Saddam Hussein was a noble act. Galloway retorts that an illegal occupation will only create more Jihadist terrorism. Recorded earlier this week in New York City.

September 20th 1970: Soviet probe collects moon rock

The Russian space probe, Luna 16, has landed on the Moon to collect samples from its surface. It is the first time an unmanned probe has been used to bring objects back to Earth from space, and it is the first time an attempt has been made to fire a spacecraft back to Earth by remote control. Luna 16 is the second Soviet attempt to return samples from the Moon: the first, Luna 15, provoked widespread controversy when it was launched just three days before Apollo 11 landed on the Moon. The succes

Horatio Nelson’s surgeon • Scurvy • Let's twist again • Bog body

Got an historical itch to scratch? Then look no further than Past Lives for help! Mark Stephen sets out across Scotland to answer your questions about the country's past -- from Wick to Dumfries and Vikings to Mods, his curiosity knows no bounds.Back from Montreal -- after learning the Canadian Black Watch wear Royal Stuart Tartan although the Black Watch were disloyal to the Stuarts during the Jacobite Rebellion in 1745 -- and all the way to sunny Glasgow for Mark Stephen t

Salem witch trials: "Judge Sewall's Apology" 4th of 5

The witchcraft trials are losing support, and come to an end. Four years later, a public fast with prayers is held to atone for what was done. But Sewall feels the need to go further. Richard Francis's biography, "Judge Sewall's Apology", is read by actor Richard Mitchley. In its UK edition, the book's subtitle is "The Salem Witch Trials and the Forming of a Conscience"; in the US edition that conscience is entitled "an American Conscience".

Science at sea, 1st of 3: Joseph Banks

It was a passion for exploring the natural world that led Joseph Banks to sea, rather than any particular love of seafaring. Boarding Captain Cook's ship "Endeavour" in 1768 with a team of colleagues and servants, and a bureau packed with gentlemanly accoutrements, his seafaring lifestyle contrasted sharply with that of the other crew members in their cramped accommodation. The aim of the journey, for both Banks and Cook, was exploration -- scientific and geographical. Cook went down i

Galveston's deadly hurricane of 1900

The mayor of Galveston, Texas, declared a state of emergency last night in anticipation of Hurricane Rita's landfall. Noah Adams looks back at a hurricane that killed thousands in Galveston back in 1900 and speaks to Erik Larson, the author of "Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History."

Hunt for Civil War-era sub continues

During the Civil War, when soldiers were shooting primitive muskets, the United States Navy was building its very first submarine: The USS Alligator. The 50-foot iron tube looked like something right out of Jules Verne. It was so small that crew members had to crouch inside; the propeller was turned by hand. The Alligator was meant to be Abraham Lincoln's secret weapon against the Confederacy's dangerous new ironclads: It would sneak under enemy ships so that a diver could plant explosives. But

History of the centrifuge

To make a uranium-based weapon, technicians have to take uranium ore and extract certain rare types of atoms. One tool that does that is a centrifuge: a metal tube that spins at nearly the speed of sound. Hear a history of the high-speed gas centrifuge.

Salem witch trials: "Judge Sewall's Apology" 3rd of 5

It seems as if Satan is setting up a rival colony, and a minister is accused of witchcraft. Sewall is beginning to be troubled -- a confession of guilt can save the accused, yet most protest their innocence and go to the gallows. Richard Francis's biography, "Judge Sewall's Apology", is read by actor Richard Mitchley. In its UK edition, the book's subtitle is "The Salem Witch Trials and the Forming of a Conscience"; in the US edition that conscience is entitled "an Ameri

Boiling mad Henry VIII

In 1532 Richard Roose, the Bishop of Rochester's cook, was the first person executed in England by being boiled alive -- one of an estimated 72,000 of Henry VIII's subjects executed during his reign -- says History Professor Bob Packett in today's "History According to Bob." Packett teaches at Maple Woods Community College, in Kansas City, Missouri.

Salem witch trials: "Judge Sewall's Apology" 1st of 5

The Salem witch trials in 1692, now a byword for terrible injustice, were seen then as a battle between God and Satan for the souls of the new Americans. But one of the trial judges, Samuel Sewall, became so troubled by what he had helped to do that he made a remarkable public apology. His extraordinary act of recantation five years later was a turning point in his own life. Richard Francis's biography, "Judge Sewall's Apology", is read by actor Richard Mitchley.In

Salem witch trials: "Judge Sewall's Apology" 2nd of 5

Accusations of witchcraft have begun in Salem Village. The panic spreads rapidly, as the afflicted girls start to name respectable members of the community. Richard Francis's biography, "Judge Sewall's Apology", is read by actor Richard Mitchley. In its UK edition, the book's subtitle is "The Salem Witch Trials and the Forming of a Conscience"; in the US edition that conscience is entitled "an American Conscience".

Grapple in the Big Apple -- full 2 hours -- Galloway & Hitchens debate Iraq war

Motion: The Iraq war of 2003 was just and necessary. Journalist Christopher Hitchens takes on MP George Galloway in a ferocious encounter over the rights and wrongs of the Iraq War. Hitchens thinks deposing Saddam Hussein was a noble act. Galloway retorts that an illegal occupation will only create more Jihadist terrorism. Recorded earlier this week in New York City.

Nazi-hunter Simon Wiesenthal dies

Holocaust survivor Simon Wiesenthal, an untiring campaigner who helped track down hundreds of Nazi war criminals, died Tuesday in his Vienna home, the US-based center founded in his name said. Wiesenthal, who was 96 when he died after a long illness, helped bring more than 1,100 Nazi criminals to justice, according to the Simon Wiesenthal Center, which did not give the cause of his death. Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Los Angeles-based center, described Wiesenthal as "the consc