Fresh Air: U.S. Histories

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Arts

Historians and reporters take us back to pivotal moments in the U.S. that have had long lasting reverberations: from the winners and losers of the financial crisis, to presidential legacies, to the fall of the Comanche Nation.

12/01/2025 • NPR Podcasts+ Only

"Caste" author Isabel Wilkerson

In her book, “Caste: The Origins of Our Discontents,” Wilkerson says that acknowledging America's caste system deepens our understanding of what Black people are up against in the U.S.
11/10/2025 • NPR Podcasts+ Only

"1619" Journalist Nikole Hannah Jones

As editor of the New York Times' 1619 Project, Nikole Hannah-Jones fought against the erasure of African American history. But there's also been a backlash by conservatives who have vowed to keep the 1619 Project out of classrooms — including threats that have been made against her personally.
11/10/2025 • NPR Podcasts+ Only

"Big Short" author Michael Lewis

Michael Lewis' book “The Big Short” chronicles the 2008 financial collapse through the investors who realized what was happening to the U.S. economy while it was happening -- and then made a fortune by betting against the markets.
11/10/2025 • NPR Podcasts+ Only

A History of Nuclear Weapons: Eric Schlosser

Eric Schlosser, author of Fast Food Nation, spent six years researching America's nuclear weapons. In Command and Control, he details explosions, false attack alerts and accidentally dropped bombs.
11/10/2025 • NPR Podcasts+ Only

A History of the AK-47: C.J. Chivers

The AK-47 was created by the Soviets after World War II and changed the way war is fought. Pulitzer Prize-winning war correspondent C.J. Chivers explains how the gun became the weapon of choice for insurgents, terrorists and child soldiers.
11/10/2025 • NPR Podcasts+ Only

Erik Larson on the Ambassador to Nazi Germany

Historian Erik Larson profiles William Dodd, who served four years as the ambassador to Germany before resigning -- after repeated clashes with both Nazi Party officials and the State Department. Larson’s book about Dodd is “In the Garden of Beasts.”
11/10/2025 • NPR Podcasts+ Only

Historian Eric Foner on Restoration

Pulitzer Prize-winning historian Eric Foner talks how the 13th, 14th and 15th amendments relate to current debates about voting rights, mass incarceration and reparations for slavery.
11/10/2025 • NPR Podcasts+ Only

Joe McCarthy Biographer Larry Tye

Larry Tye discusses his biography of Senator Joseph McCarthy who led an Anti-communist crusade in the 1950s. More than 70 years later, Tye draws a parallel between McCarthy's tactics and President Trump's divisive rhetoric. He notes that McCarthy's chief legal counsel, Roy Cohn, served as Trump's lawyer and mentor in the 1970s. But beyond that, he says, both McCarthy and Trump are "bullies" who exploit fears and "point fingers when they're attacked."

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Fresh Air: U.S. Histories Trailer

There is no such thing as a single history, and in this collection reporters take us back to pivotal moments in the U.S. that have had long lasting reverberations: from the winners and losers of the financial crisis, to presidential legacies, to the fall of the Comanche Nation. Subscribe to Fresh Air+ to get exclusive access to this and other collections. Plus, you'll get exclusive Fresh Air+ archive episodes every Sunday, and sponsor-free listening for all available episodes. See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences. NPR Privacy Policy

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Historians and reporters take us back to pivotal moments in the U.S. that have had long lasting reverberations: from the winners and losers of the financial crisis, to presidential legacies, to the fall of the Comanche Nation.