Throughline

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Throughline

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Throughline is a time machine. Each episode, we travel beyond the headlines to answer the question, "How did we get here?" We use sound and stories to bring history to life and put you into the middle of it. From ancient civilizations to forgotten figures, we take you directly to the moments that shaped our world. Throughline is hosted by Peabody Award-winning journalists Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei.Subscribe to Throughline+. You'll be supporting the history-reframing, perspective-shifting, time-warping stories you can't get enough of - and you'll unlock access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org/throughline

  1. 5H AGO

    The Tax Collector

    Gangsters, banksters, and politicians. Today on the show, how the hunt for Al Capone helped turn the IRS into one of the U.S. government's most powerful tools — and most effective weapons. To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    52 min
  2. The War that Made the IRS (Throughline+)

    3D AGO · BONUS • THROUGHLINE+ ONLY

    The War that Made the IRS (Throughline+)

    Throughline host and co-creator Rund Abdelfatah shares a sneak peek at an upcoming Throughline episode. To get access to this episode, listen to Throughline sponsor-free, and support NPR, sign up for Throughline+ at plus.npr.org

    7 min

  3. MAY 8

    California's 'Bum Blockade'

    The story of the Los Angeles police chief who, faced with one of the largest internal migrations in American history, tried to close California's borders to stop it. To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    52 min
  4. Motherhood

    MAY 1

    Motherhood

    Baby bonuses, childless cat ladies: the rhetoric around motherhood is politically charged right now. And the fantasy of an ideal mother remains powerful, even as real-life parents struggle to reconcile its demands. Today on the show, three myths of motherhood, and the people who have fought to break them down. This episode originally ran in 2023 as The Labor of Love. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    51 min
  5. The Deadly Story of the U.S. Civil Service

    APR 24

    The Deadly Story of the U.S. Civil Service

    When James Garfield won the Presidency in 1880, Charles Guiteau got ready to accept his new government job. No one had actually offered him a job – but he'd campaigned for Garfield, so he assumed he'd be rewarded. That was the spoils system, and it was how the government worked. But President Garfield didn't hire him. Guiteau was furious. And on July 2, 1881, he followed Garfield to a Washington D.C. train station and shot him. Today on the show: how an assassination meant to restore the spoils system instead led to its end, and birthed the modern federal workforce. An earlier version of this episode incorrectly said that Abram Garfield fought a fire with his brothers. In fact, he fought the fire with his neighbors. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    50 min
  6. The Alien Enemies Act

    APR 17

    The Alien Enemies Act

    In March 2025, President Trump issued an executive order invoking a centuries-old law: the Alien Enemies Act. The Act allows a president to detain or deport citizens of foreign adversaries to the United States, but only in the case of a "declared war" or "invasion." Now, the Trump administration and the courts are locked in a battle over whether the president's use of the Act, under which people have already been deported, is legal. Today on the show: where the Alien Enemies Act came from, how presidents have used it before, and what that tells us about what's to come. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    49 min
  7. What Did the World's First Machine Gun Sound Like? (Throughline+)

    APR 14 · BONUS • THROUGHLINE+ ONLY

    What Did the World's First Machine Gun Sound Like? (Throughline+)

    Throughline producer Lawrence Wu tells Cristina Kim all about the maxim gun—the world's first automatic machine gun—and the lengths he took to find out exactly how this 19th century weapon would have sounded on the battlefield. To get access to this episode, listen to Throughline sponsor-free, and support NPR, sign up for Throughline+ at plus.npr.org

    12 min
  8. When Things Fall Apart

    APR 10

    When Things Fall Apart

    Climate disaster, political unrest, random violence: Western society can often feel like what the filmmaker Werner Herzog calls "a thin layer of ice on top of an ocean of chaos and darkness." But is that actually true — or the way it has to be? Today on the show, what really happens when things fall apart. This episode originally published in 2023. Learn more about sponsor message choices: podcastchoices.com/adchoices NPR Privacy Policy

    49 min
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Hosts & Guests

4.6
out of 5
15,176 Ratings

About

Throughline is a time machine. Each episode, we travel beyond the headlines to answer the question, "How did we get here?" We use sound and stories to bring history to life and put you into the middle of it. From ancient civilizations to forgotten figures, we take you directly to the moments that shaped our world. Throughline is hosted by Peabody Award-winning journalists Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei.Subscribe to Throughline+. You'll be supporting the history-reframing, perspective-shifting, time-warping stories you can't get enough of - and you'll unlock access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org/throughline

Information

  • Creator
    NPR
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2025
  • Episodes
    378
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2019-2021 NPR - For Personal Use Only
  • Show Website
    Throughline
  • Provider
    NPR

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