Former Oklahoma senator Fred Harris died recently, at 94 years old. In 1967, Fred Harris and 10 senators came together... more

November 23, 1936 was a good day for recorded music. Two men, an ocean apart, sat before a microphone and... more

In today’s political climate, conspiracy theories are commonplace. But they’re nothing new. In fact, back in the 1960s, there was... more

During the Dust Bowl of the 1930s, millions of desperate Americans abandoned their homes, farms and businesses. It was one... more

In the spring of 1981, the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings met for a minor league baseball... more

Ever since Texas became a state, the Rio Grande has been the border between the U.S. and Mexico. But rivers... more

This week we're featuring a story we loved from the StoryCorps podcast.  In 1964, a 12-year-old paperboy from suburban Long Island... more

Hart Island is America’s largest public cemetery—sometimes known as a “potter’s field.” The island has no headstones or plaques, just... more

When it comes to the space race, we all know names like Neil Armstrong and Yuri Gagarin. But in most... more

Humanity isn't great at eradicating diseases. But there is one disease that humanity has managed to eradicate: smallpox. Smallpox was around... more

Most beauty pageants promote the fantasy of the ideal woman. But for 35 years, one contest in New York City... more

This year marks 90 years since Claude Ely wrote "Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down." The song was... more

This month marks 30 years since Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first democratically elected president. However, the story of Mandela's... more

50 years ago, radio broadcaster Studs Terkel published a book called WORKING: People Talk About What They Do All Day,... more

Paul Alexander, one of two people in the U.S. still relying on an iron lung to survive, died on March... more

We’re revisiting one of our favorite stories from years ago — with a new twist. Laura Rothenberg spent most of... more

In 1921, a man named Harry Pace started the first major Black-owned record company in the United States. He called... more

This week, we’re featuring an episode of a podcast we’re big fans of: The Last Archive! The Last Archive tells... more

At the age of 16, he played with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. He went on to make landmark recordings with... more

We bring you a lot of stories each year, but we don’t often get to share the work behind them.... more

Today marks 60 years since the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. There are many photos from that day in... more

Back in 1995, LaMont Dottin was 21 years old and a freshman at Queens College when, one evening, he didn’t... more

The Belvedere Hotel is in the heart of New York City’s theater district. Many of its guests come to see... more

Angel Irizarry spent years working as a detective, and in 2021 he set out on a personal investigation to track... more

Dawn Powell wrote novels about people like herself: outsiders who’d come to New York City in the early twentieth century... more

For more than a century, it was almost impossible to find out much about people buried on Hart Island. But... more

When Annette Vega was in elementary school, she found out the man she called “dad” wasn’t her biological father. But... more

When Noah Creshevsky learned he was dying of bladder cancer two years ago, he decided to decline medical treatment. Soon,... more

A few years ago, a young man who called himself Stephen became a fixture in Manhattan’s Riverside Park. Locals started... more

On September 28th, we’re launching a new series: The Unmarked Graveyard: Stories from Hart Island. Hart Island is America’s largest public... more