One night in 2018, Ahmed Ali Akbar rented a car and drove two hours to the Detroit airport. He was... more

“After more than a hundred years of hard work from some of the greatest cryptological and linguistic minds on the... more

Recently, Phoebe told a personal story about her mother, who died this year. In this episode, she talks to journalist... more

For our 100th episode, a story from Phoebe about her mother, Valentine, who died this spring. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook... more

When Drew Lanham was growing up in South Carolina, he used to lie down in a field and play dead,... more

Writer Andrew Leland talks with Phoebe about slowly losing his eyesight. He was diagnosed with the degenerative eye disease Retinitis... more

When Miguel Esteban was 14 years old, he got an idea to make his own science fiction magazine. He wanted... more

One Saturday night in the 90s, Patrick Makuakāne and about 15 other hula dancers showed up to a club in... more

Nurse BokHee is in the background of every season of "Grey’s Anatomy." She’s become one of the show’s most beloved... more

Gabrielle Gatto works at one of the most famous cemeteries in the country. Recently, she recorded a day in her... more

The synthesizer was invented in the 1890s. But for people to really start using it, it took half a century,... more

The night sky is getting brighter almost everywhere in the world. We visit a place that is trying to stay... more

Folk singer Peggy Seeger and her partner, Irene Pyper-Scott, live on different continents. Peggy has written dozens of poems and... more

McGillin’s Olde Ale House is the oldest bar in Philadelphia, and it also claims to be the most romantic place... more

Curtis was one of the first nationally-syndicated comic strips with a mostly-Black cast of characters. Ray Billingsley has been drawing... more

When comic Maria Bamford made her OkCupid profile with the username Hogbook, she says Scott Marvel Cassidy was one of... more

Kyo Maclear remembers when she took a DNA test, the kit came with a piece of paper with terms and... more

When Charlotte Cushman arrived in England, she was heartbroken. But she began looking for work as an actor. There was... more

In 2016, scientist Angus Davison got an email about a rare, left-coiling snail. He began a quest to find it... more

If you visit Italy, you might come across a street, or a park, or a school, or even a chain... more

One day, as a student at the University of Florida, Kourtney LaPlant was reading the student newspaper. “And there was... more

When Valorie Lee Schaefer was asked to write a book about puberty for kids, her first thought was, “Why me?”... more

When twin rovers named Spirit and Opportunity landed on Mars twenty years ago, they were only supposed to last 90... more

An experiment in living together, forever. This episode was originally released in 2018. We're going back on tour in February! We’ll be... more

In 2015, Brad Ryan called up his 85-year-old grandmother to see if she wanted to join him on a road... more

Growing up, Ashton Edwards spent hours watching videos of famous ballerinas. Ashton loved the ballet “Swan Lake” – especially the... more

In its early days, the magazine Mademoiselle positioned itself as “the magazine for smart young women.” It published work by... more

After Jean Westcott's first "Jeopardy!" audition, she waited 18 months to find out if she'd be on the show. She... more

Here's a little preview of what we’re making over on Criminal Plus! We’re having a lot of fun making these... more

Jules Hirsh had his first bar mitzvah when he was 13 years old, in 1946. Seventy years later, he celebrated... more

We’re coming up on 10 years of our other show, Criminal. In the past decade, we've loved taking the show... more

“It's all about finding the place that makes you happy, finding the life that makes you happy, and not worrying... more

In the Really Terrible Orchestra of the Triangle, it's perfectly good to sound bad. Say hello on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.... more

We go searching for wolves in Yellowstone National Park, and learn about the dramatic and surprisingly relatable relationship between a... more

A preview of what we’re making over on Criminal Plus! Hear me and Criminal co-creator Lauren Spohrer taking your questions,... more

For a long time, beekeepers have told bees their news. They’ve told their bees about weddings, and when people they... more

In 1984, Yla Eason’s three-year-old son told her he couldn’t be a superhero because he wasn’t white like his He-Man... more

Mark Kuhn grew up in Iowa in a family of corn farmers. When he was 10 years old, he heard... more

Brown’s Barbershop in Athens, Georgia, has been in business for more than 60 years.  One day, Everett Long went in for... more

“Our Sydney. Died Sept 4, 1902. Born a dog. Lived like a gentleman.” A story about the oldest pet cemetery in... more

When Olinka Vištica and Dražen Grubišić broke up, they had a hard time dividing up their belongings – there were... more

“He loves the clouds, the wind, the sky. He wants you to love them too.” Meteorologist Tom Skilling has been... more

Growing up, Albert Samaha knew his uncle Spanky Rigor had been a musician in the Philippines. Spanky had helped start... more

A story about two golden retrievers. Aynsley Floyd’s short film about Sampson and Baylor is called The Mountain Dogs. You can... more

Alex Borovenskiy and Anabell Ramires run a theater in Kyiv, Ukraine. It's called ProEnglish Theatre, and was used as a... more

As a kid, Josh Dela Cruz used to watch Blue’s Clues with his little sister. The show was entirely animated... more

Five years ago, on Valentine's Day, we started a show about the ways we’re connected to each other. Today, we’re... more

When Bill Russell joined the NBA in the 1950s, he was the only Black player on the Celtics. He went... more

A woman becomes a best-selling novelist by writing more than 100 books about her first romance. Find out more about Brenda... more

In 1983, Nelson Sullivan picked up a video camera and started filming everything – going to nightclubs in New York... more