In 1980, a variety show debuted on NBC called Pink Lady and Jeff. Its stars were a pair of Japanese... more

The fear that the Earth could be destroyed by a killer asteroid is an anxiety that pops up all the... more

There is a prominent bird in the 2000 film Charlie’s Angels that makes absolutely no sense. This so-called Pygmy Nuthatch... more

Whatever happened to selling out? The defining concern of Generation X has become a relic from another era. How that... more

(While we work on the next season of Slow Burn we're showcasing new episodes from Slate's narrative podcast Decoder Ring.) Oscar-winner... more

The 2004 presidential race would be the first fully Fox News election—a contest that was framed by Fox, and fought... more

As Fox News gathered strength, progressive activists turned to comedian Al Franken and fledgling online communities to punch back. But... more

After 9/11, the Fox News Channel rallied a huge portion of the country around the Bush administration’s vision of the... more

For a decade and a half, CNN was peerless and ambitious, and it understood its place in the world. At... more

Before he ran Fox News, Roger Ailes launched a very different kind of channel. America’s Talking was his vision of... more

When the Fox News Channel launched in 1996, critics called it disorganized, incompetent, and laughably inept. But it wouldn’t be... more

Adults have a long history of trying to find morals and lessons in children’s literature. But what happens when a... more

In Slow Burn’s 10th season, host Josh Levin takes you back to a crucial inflection point in American history: the... more

In the late 1970s, a new and unusual concept for a restaurant chain emerged in California—video games plus bad pizza... more

“Hysteria” is an ancient word carrying thousands of years of baggage. Though the terminology has changed, hysteria has not gone... more

If you’re lucky, it’s possible you’ve never thought much about sitting. It’s just something your body does, like breathing or... more

In this special bonus episode host Christina Cauterucci interviews Silvana Nova and Larry Hermsen. Silvana is the person you see raising... more

Lawn ornaments are everywhere—but for something so ubiquitous, they’re also mysterious. What’s the person with the flamingo or the gargoyle... more

Listen in as host Christina Cauterucci joins special guests, Eric Marcus, host of Making Gay History, DeRay Mckesson, activist and host of Pod Save... more

For the two years leading up to May 21, 1979, gay activists followed the rules. They engaged in civil debates.... more

On election night in 1978, gays and lesbians in California braced themselves for the statewide vote on Proposition 6. Less... more

As Election Day approached, the campaign to defeat Proposition 6 faced formidable odds. John Briggs’ fundraising juggernaut was churning out... more

In the early days of the anti-Briggs campaign, a Richard Pryor comedy set turned into a public fiasco and laid... more

After decades of wandering and job-hopping, Harvey Milk found his purpose as a gay community leader with growing political ambitions.... more

In 1977, John Briggs was a small-time state senator with big dreams. But Briggs’ plan to ban gay and lesbian... more

In the 1970s, San Francisco became a welcoming home for tens of thousands of new gay residents—and a modern-day Sodom... more

In 1978, state senator John Briggs put a bold proposition on the California ballot. If it passed, the Briggs Initiative... more

The jalapeño is the workhorse of hot peppers. They’re sold fresh, canned, pickled, in hot sauces, salsas, smoked into chipotles, and... more

Pop culture is full of fictional bands singing songs purpose-made to capture a moment, a sound. This music doesn’t organically... more

Magazines have fallen on hard times – especially the weekly news, fashion, and celebrity mags that once dominated newsstands. The... more

In 1986, Andrew Wyeth was the most famous painter in America. He was a household name, on the cover of... more

Like a manager or an agent or a publicist, a stylist has become a kind of must-have accessory for well-dressed,... more

Thirty years ago, a new kind of soda arrived in select stores. Instead of crowing about how spectacular it was,... more

Hosted by Christina Cauterucci. Coming in May 2024. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The eerie similarity of coffee shops all over the world was so confounding to Kyle Chayka that it led him... more

Before 1990, there had never been a documented case of a patient getting HIV from a health care worker. Kimberly... more

Robert Mapplethorpe was one of the most famous photographers in the world—and one of the most controversial. When his work... more

In March 1990, a story broke that shocked the nation: George H.W. Bush had banned broccoli from Air Force One.... more

A middle-aged single dad in Chicago was outraged by all the cigarette billboards popping up in Black communities. In 1990,... more

Pizza Hut’s adventure in the Soviet Union was unlike any restaurant opening before or since. It involved a fleet of... more

In 1992, a Minnesota-based software company known for its educational hit The Oregon Trail released another simulation-style game to school... more

From the moment it was released in 1995, The Rules was controversial.. Some people loved it—and swore that the dating... more

We receive a lot of fantastic show ideas from our listeners—and we’re grateful for each and every one. For our... more

In the mid-1990s, the prime time drama Melrose Place became a home to hundreds of pieces of contemporary art—and no... more

Judging from teen dramas on Netflix, the slow dance seems to be alive and well. But when you talk to... more

Ten years after the atomic bombing of Hiroshima, 25 women who’d been disfigured by the blast came to the United... more

Jonas Salk’s polio vaccine transformed America and the world in ways that seemed unimaginable. But in 1955, there was a... more

When Alaskans wanted their own mental-health facility, a rumor took hold all over America. This week, Evan Chung traces the... more

In the early days of television, women struggled to find their place. In 1955, they got it: forecasting the weather,... more

In 1955, the frontiersman Davy Crockett became the most famous man in America, more than a century after his death... more

The Cannon Street All-Stars dreamed of playing in the 1955 Little League World Series. Their biggest obstacle didn’t come on... more

Once you start listening for catchphrases in everyday life—you can’t stop hearing them. From the radio era’s “Holy mackerel!” to... more

When Slate’s Evan Chung was a kid, he was obsessed with a mysterious advertisement that ran for decades in the... more

Kissing—the romantic, sexual, steamy kind—is so ingrained in us that it just seems like a fact of life. Like breathing... more

Parmesan is a food—but it’s not just a food. Italy’s beloved cheese is often paired with a deep craving for... more

The mosh pit has a reputation as a violent place where (mostly) white guys vent their aggression. There’s some truth... more

Join host Joel Anderson and special guests for Slow Burn: Becoming Justice Thomas LIVE in D.C. (July 25, 2023 at... more

Anita Hill’s accusations launched urgent and heated conversations about racism and sexual harassment. They also stoked an anger in Clarence... more

When Clarence Thomas got nominated to the Supreme Court, his behavior during the 1980s would get put under a microscope.... more

Clarence Thomas went to Yale Law School because he thought it was a good fit for his left-wing politics. But... more

Growing up in Georgia, Clarence Thomas wanted to make his mark. His goal was to become his hometown’s first Black... more

Clarence Thomas is one of the most powerful figures in America today. Nearly every issue of national consequence has his... more

We pride ourselves on being grounded, rational beings, but flitting amongst us is a mystery: the Tooth Fairy. This flying... more

Parking is one of the great paradoxes of American life. On the one hand, we have paved an ungodly amount... more

We bring you a special episode from Sidedoor, a podcast about the treasures that fill the vaults of the Smithsonian.... more

Last week, we put on the proverbial raincoat and made like Columbo to investigate Peter Falk’s claim that he recorded... more

Not too long ago an old clip surfaced of Peter Falk on David Letterman, in which he told an intriguing... more

Hosted by Joel Anderson. Coming in May 2023. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

We’re really lucky to get a lot of listener emails, suggesting topics for the show. In this episode, we’re going... more

(This episode originally aired in March 2020.) The 1998 romantic comedy You’ve Got Mail, starring Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan, is... more