Kids (and adults) around the world are counting the days to the July release of the next Harry Potter film. What to read while you're waiting? Tales of magic and wizardry go back thousands of years. This time on To the Best of Our Knowledge, we'll introduce you to some you may not be familiar...Read more
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Episode Archives
Where did we come from, and where are we going? Whether it's the Garden of Eden and Armageddon, or the Big Bang and the Big Freeze, we can't help but ponder our place in the universe. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, we consider the universal course of time, from the beginning to...Read more
Piano lessons. For many of us those two words evoke only bad memories from our childhood. Piano lessons are shorthand for the oppression of children by mean and tyrannical adults. And no one captures this better than Dr. Seuss, the champion of all kids, underdogs and Whozits. In this hour of To...Read more
Did you know that novelist Thomas Hardy had a second career as a poet? Or that many people don't find their artistic passions until after the age of 85? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, we talk about change over time - that is, how change is really a lifelong project. A former monk...Read more
For journalists, the first days of Donald Trump’s presidency have been a bit surreal. We find ourselves wondering how legendary muckrakers might have reacted to some of these first press briefings. So delving into the TTBOOK...Read more
Attention all readers of fiction! This is something you really want to hear. To the Best of Our Knowledge devotes itself to some of the great reads of the last year. Colum McCann talks about his National Book Award-winning novel, and we'll hear from fellow finalist Jayne Anne Phillips. We'll...Read more
On a scale of one to ten, how happy would you say you are right now? If someone could teach you how to be even happier, would you be interested? Next time on To the Best of Our Knowledge, how to boost your happiness IQ. Also, eating for pleasure, with chef and food writer Deborah Madison. ...Read more
Has the news of government surveillance gotten you thinking that Big Brother is watching? What can we do to protect our information, online and in the real world? We examine privacy - what it means and how it's changing.Read more
The mind and the body meet in the brain. In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, two of the world’s top brain doctors claim that what you feel affects how you feel. Dr. Norman Rosenthal, the man who discovered Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), says there’s an Emotional...Read more
Somewhere along the way, did we ruin poetry? Have the heartfelt angst of young lovers and the epic elegies of heroes become elitist and academic? But poetry is back, and we have new technology to thank.Read more
We’re exploring love by the numbers, this week. 36 questions, 40 first dates, and 43 equations – it’s all part of the new mathematical science of love.Read more
What would the Old Masters make of the exhibitions that get some elected officials so worked up? They might have liked them! In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, new art and old masters. Simon Schama paints Rembrandt as a prankster. We’ll uncover the political...Read more
Who doesn’t love a good book? We all know a great novel can change the way we see the world, but what about the way we treat each other? This week, we explore the benefits of reading fiction, and find out if it makes us more moral.
And if you're wondering if movies can make us more...Read more
What's the hot new thing in fiction? Fire! Today, novelists Jesse Ball and Joe Hill talk about their incendiary new fiction. And we meet a pyromaniac-turned-firefighter who can really light up a page. Join us for an hour of flammable fiction.Read more
Nearly 2500 years ago, Socrates celebrated the pursuit of wisdom, and famously said “the unexamined life is not worth living.” But does rigorous self examination actually lead to a happy or fulfilled life? It didn’t seem to work some of history’s most famous philosophers, including...Read more
Music and social change go hand in hand. We explore the secret history of protest music. Songs and social movements you might have missed -- from the early days of rock and roll to the non-violent hip hop message of FM Supreme.Read more
He’s been called the “Godfather of hip-hop.” He rose from selling drugs on the streets to running a Fortune 500 company. He founded Def Jam Records and produced acts like Run DMC, Public Enemy, and LL Cool J. Next time on To the Best of Our Knowledge, Russell Simmons and hip-hop. Also, the...Read more
Reality is catching up to science fiction. But there are still new science-fiction writers who are thinking the unthinkable and daring to go beyond the limits of our imaginations.Read more
Being a kid has never been cooler. In fact, it’s SO cool, it’s not just for the twelve and under set anymore. These days more adults watch the Cartoon Network than CNN, Care Bears are making a comeback, and Scoobie-Doo underpants come in grown-up sizes. In this hour of To the Best of Our...Read more
Have you ever heard of Dan Rice? Probably not. But if you were alive around the middle of the nineteenth century chances are you would know his name. That’s when Dan Rice made his mark in “the show business.” In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, the life and times of Dan Rice. And...Read more
With shows in Milan, Paris and New York, it's fashion month across the Western World, and people are turning their eyes to runways. But does fashion really matter? Truth is, the garment industry is worth trillions of dollars, and employs millions of people. In this hour, we take a look at the...Read more
Couples know the frightening statistic: 50 percent of today’s marriages will fail. And the real victims are the children. As they grow up they are more likely to be aggressive or depressed, end up in mental health hospitals, or get divorced themselves. In this hour of To the...Read more
George Orwell wrote "1984" in response to two of the reigning ideologies of his day - fascism and communism. Does his dystopian story of Big Brother and Doublethink still matter today? In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge we'll talk with actor Tim Robbins, who recently staged a...Read more
Albert Einstein died more than half a century ago, but there's still a raging debate over what he thought about religion. He once said "Science without religion is lame, religion without science is blind." In this hour of To the Best of Our Knowledge, what exactly did Einstein conclude about...Read more