Legendary showman P.T. Barnum once owned a slave named Joice Heth. Barnum claimed she was 161 years old and a former nanny to George Washington. Benjamin Reiss tells the story in his book "The Showman and the Slave: Race, Death, and Memory in Barnum's America."
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Stephen Thompson is an editor at The Onion newspaper, and editor of “The Onion A.V. Club: The Tenacity of the Cockroach.”
Tim Flannery tells Steve Paulson about the asteroid crashes and vanished fauna in our continent’s past.
Journalist Ted Conover tells Steve Paulson that wise guards accept that they rule with the consent of the prisoners, and recalls a few of his most dramatic encounters with inmates.
Around the country Governors of both parties are balancing their state budgets by making public sector employees pay more. Why?
What do you do when you’re an African-American filmmaker living in a country full of people who dress up in blackface at Christmastime? You pick up a camera. Roger Ross Williams talks about his new documentary, "Blackface." It's about the traditional Dutch celebration of "Black Pete" -- a Santa's helper who dresses in blackface, an Afro wig, red lipstick and big hoop earrings.
The contemporary art world was shocked in 2010 when the prestigious Turner prize went to a voice installation, the work of the Scottish artist Susan Philipsz.
Ry Cooder made history with the record album “Buena Vista Social Club.” He’s been back to Cuba several times to make music and has a new album called “Mambo Sinuendo.”
Pages
