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  • How baseball got its beat

    How baseball got its beat
    2026/09/10
    Major League Baseball’s postseason is just a few weeks away, and here on Throughline we know the power of a good walk-up song. But how did baseball become such a musical sport? And where did the idea for walk up-music come from?

    Guests:

    John Thorn, author and Official Baseball Historian for Major League Baseball

    Nancy Faust, former organist for the Chicago White Sox

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    Correction: An earlier version of this episode incorrectly said that the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1952. The team moved ahead of the 1958 season.

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    32 分
  • Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?

    Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?
    2026/09/08
    Calling someone a "Luddite" is usually an insult – shorthand for someone who is behind the times. But the real Luddites weren't just afraid of change; they were a labor movement fighting to save their jobs from being replaced by machines. Today, with the rise of AI, many feel the same kind of existential threat and some are even pushing for a Luddite Renaissance. In this episode, Throughline takes on a listener's question to explore what the 19th-century Luddite rebellion can teach us about technology and human agency.

    Guests:

    Katrina Navickas, history professor at the University of Hertfordshire and author of the book Protest and the politics of space and place, 1789–1848

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    17 分
  • The school report that changed public education

    The school report that changed public education
    2026/09/03
    In 1966, the federal government commissioned a massive survey aimed at solving educational inequality. Instead, the explosive Coleman Report unleashed a 60-year debate over race, resources, and what education in America is actually for. This is the story of how the report came together… and the policy whirlwind that followed.

    Guests:

    Victoria Cain, Associate Professor of History, Northeastern University

    Thomas Kane, Walter H. Gale Professor of Education and Economics, Harvard University

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    37 分
  • The SAT's 100-year grip on higher ed

    The SAT's 100-year grip on higher ed
    2026/09/01
    For generations, the SAT has loomed large in the lives of teenagers. The quest for a perfect or near-perfect score has filled many test takers with dread. In this episode, a listener's question makes us wonder... who decided the SAT was the best and brightest way to filter students? And how did it become the pathway to higher education in America?

    Guests:

    Nicholas Lemann, author of The Big Test and Higher Admissions

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    19 分
  • The pillage that fueled America's tech booms

    The pillage that fueled America's tech booms
    2026/08/27
    Cobalt mining is one of the world's most dangerous jobs. And it's also one of the most essential: cobalt is what powers the batteries in your smartphone, your laptop, the electric car you felt good about buying. More than three-quarters of the world's cobalt supply lies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose abundant resources have drawn greed and grifters for centuries. This week on our series Hidden Histories, we reveal the fight for control of those resources, and for the dignity of the people who produce them. (This episode originally aired in 2023)

    Guests:

    Siddharth Kara, author of Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives

    Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold’s Ghost

    Ramona Austin, art historian and former curator at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Dallas Museum of Art

    Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, African and global studies Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina and former UN ambassador for the Democratic Republic of Congo

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    52 分
  • How Korean culture went global

    How Korean culture went global
    2026/08/20
    This year, K-pop Demon Hunters picked up a couple of Oscars, the pop group BTS made its triumphant return to sold out crowds, and K-pop took center stage at the World Cup final. It’s all part of Korea’s 50-year game plan to achieve global cultural dominance. This week on our Hidden Histories series, we dig into the government policy that leveraged sports, screens, and sex to transform Korea’s economy and influence.

    Guests:

    Michael Kim, professor at Yonsei University in Seoul

    John Dimoia, professor of Korean history at Seoul National University

    Heijin Lee, professor of women and gender studies at the University of Hawaii

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    48 分
  • The blatant betrayal that erased the Tupperware queen from history

    The blatant betrayal that erased the Tupperware queen from history
    2026/08/13
    Brownie Wise revolutionized how we store our food. She was one of the first female corporate executives in U.S. history. But she’s not a household name. This week on our series Hidden Histories, the rise and fall of the queen of plastics—and one of corporate America's most dramatic betrayals. (This episode originally aired in 2025)

    Guests:

    Alison Clarke, author of Tupperware, the Promise of Plastic in 1950s America

    Bob Kealing, author of Life of the Party: The Remarkable Story of How Brownie Wise Built, and Lost, a Tupperware Party Empire

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    49 分
  • Lies, theft, and cover-up: the history of Monopoly you've never heard

    Lies, theft, and cover-up: the history of Monopoly you've never heard
    2026/08/06
    Monopoly is one of the best-selling board games of all time. It heralds free market economics and celebrates the American dream. That's a far cry from the original intent. This week on our series Hidden Histories, we go back in time to reveal the swindling and cover ups that robbed Monopoly's inventor of her fair share and turned her scathing critique of capitalism into her worst nightmare. (This episode originally aired in 2022)

    Guests:

    Mary Pilon, author of The Monopolists: Obsession, Fury, and the Scandal Behind the World's Favorite Board Game

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    50 分