Before the airplane was invented, ballooning was all the rage, and many people thought this was the future of air travel. Cultural historian Richard Holmes describes the remarkable history of the hot air balloon.
Intelligent. Optimistic. Curious.
Audio
Retired US Air Force pilot Bruce Black talks about his experience flying drones in places like Iraq and Afghanistan.
Rosalind Wiseman and Rachael Simmons say that girls’ popularity with other girls is influenced by the politics of the social pecking order and that the effects of being ostracized can be devastating.
Thomas Hine is the author of “I Want THAT: How We All Became Shoppers.” He tells Anne Strainchamps how our culture grooms men and women to behave differently as shoppers and exploits the traits of both sexes.
Olivia Laing says John Cheever's "The Swimmer" is one of the finest short stories every written.
Tissa Hami is one of the world's few female Muslim stand-up comics.
Stephen Marche is the author of "How Shakespeare Changed Everything." He tells Anne Strainchamps why he thinks Shakespeare is the most important figure in history.
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