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In 1923, an Indian American man named Bhagat Singh Thind told the U.S. Supreme Court that he was white, and therefore eligible to become a naturalized citizen. He based his claim on the fact that he was a member of India’s highest caste and identified as an Aryan. His claims were supported by the so-called […]
Bas Czerwinski/AFP via Getty Images Bas Czerwinski/AFP via Getty Images International courts investigating alleged war crimes have made headlines often in recent months. An arrest warrant has been issued for Russian President Vladimir Putin; arrest warrants have also been requested for senior Hamas and Israeli officials, including Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Hamas leader […]
Corruption. Wealth. Authoritarianism. Torture. These are the words many people associate with Ferdinand Marcos, the former dictator of the Philippines, and his wife, Imelda. But in 1965, on the day of his presidential inauguration, clad in bright white traditional Filipino clothing, Ferdinand and Imelda were the picture of hope and progress: the Camelot of the […]
For nearly thirty years, the South African government held a man it initially labeled prisoner number 46664, the anti-apartheid activist Nelson Mandela. But in 1994, Mandela transformed from the country’s ‘number one terrorist’ into its first Black president, ushering in a new era of democracy. Today, though, many in South Africa see Mandela’s party, the […]
There’s a powerful fantasy in American society: the fantasy of the ideal mother. This mother is devoted to her family above all else. She raises the kids, volunteers at the school, cleans the house, plans the birthday parties, cares for her own parents. She’s a natural nurturer. And she’s happy to do it all for […]
From public radio producer, Nate DiMeo, comes The Memory Palace, a finalist for the 2016 Peabody Award and one of iTunes Best Podcast of 2015. Short, surprising stories of the past, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hysterical, often a little bit of both. “The most potent pieces of audio being produced today.” – The AvClub thememorypalace.us The […]
Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images The Fourth Amendment is the part of the Bill of Rights that prohibits “unreasonable searches and seizures.” But — what’s unreasonable? That question has fueled a century’s worth of court rulings that have dramatically expanded the power of individual police officers in the U.S. Today on the show, how […]
JUNIOR KANNAH/AFP via Getty Images JUNIOR KANNAH/AFP via Getty Images It’s hot. A mother works outside, a baby strapped to her back. The two of them breathe in toxic dust, day after day. And they’re just two of thousands, cramped so close together it’s hard to move, all facing down the mountain of cobalt stone.Cobalt […]
From public radio producer, Nate DiMeo, comes The Memory Palace, a finalist for the 2016 Peabody Award and one of iTunes Best Podcast of 2015. Short, surprising stories of the past, sometimes heartbreaking, sometimes hysterical, often a little bit of both. “The most potent pieces of audio being produced today.” – The AvClub thememorypalace.us The […]
American lawyer and consumer activist Ralph Nader, whose book ‘Unsafe at Any Speed’, led to the passage of improved car safety regulations. He is at a Senate hearing at Washington triggered by his publication. Keystone/Getty Images hide caption toggle caption Keystone/Getty Images American lawyer and consumer activist Ralph Nader, whose book ‘Unsafe at Any Speed’, […]