Audio

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

The Western. The 2nd Amendment. Guns are a part of our national DNA - like apple pie and baseball. Pamela Haag says not so fast. In her book "The Gunning of America," she argues that early gun barons --with iconic names like Colt and Remington -- created the American culture.

She told Charles Monroe-Kane to look no further than the Rifle King himself, the manufacturer of the Winchester Repeater Rifle, Oliver Winchester.

 

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Since her creation in 1941, Wonder Woman has become one of the most popular superheroes of all time, as well as an beloved icon of second-wave feminism. It also turns out she has a fascinating origin story that intersects with the Women's movement of the early 20th century, the lie detector, and even involves the founders of Planned Parenthood. Historian Jill Lepore tells Steve Paulson about these connections, and talks about Wonder Woman's eccentric creator.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Biologist Steven Austad is so confident human beings will soon live to be 150 years old that he’s bet on it with a colleague: Jay Olshansky, who says we’re already living way past our expiration date!

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

There’s a Modern Caveman Movement afoot. And their inspirational leader is 76 year-old Arthur De Vany. A man who says we all should be mimicking our caveman ancestors.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Tom Farley, older brother of comedian Chris Farley, is the co-author (with Tanner Colby) of "The Chris Farley Show: A Biography in Three Acts." He tells Jim Fleming that the young Chris was always funny, but was funnier when he was sober.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Susan Friedman tells Anne Strainchamps about her friendship, initiated and maintained via e-mail over the internet, with a young woman scholar in Iraq.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

Maybe people 30,000 years ago weren't so different from us. That's one of Werner Herzog's takeaways from seeing the ancient paintings in Chauvet Cave. The renowned filmmaker describes his own experience of awe when he encountered this prehistoric art.

To The Best Of Our Knowledge

We know a lot about how slaves looked at books because of the hundreds of slave narratives they wrote.  Scholar Cherene Sherrard-Johnson says a fundamental trope in those narratives is what’s called “the Talking Book.” 

Pages

Subscribe to Audio