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Throughline

Throughline

By: NPR
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 Throughline is a time machine. Each episode, we travel beyond the headlines to answer the question, "How did we get here?" We use sound and stories to bring history to life and put you into the middle of it. From ancient civilizations to forgotten figures, we take you directly to the moments that shaped our world. Throughline is hosted by Peabody Award-winning journalists Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei.

Subscribe to Throughline+. You'll be supporting the history-reframing, perspective-shifting, time-warping stories you can't get enough of - and you'll unlock access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org/throughlineCopyright 2019-2021 NPR - For Personal Use Only Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • A History of Settlements

    A History of Settlements
    Aug 28 2025
    The Israeli government recently approved a new settlement project in the occupied West Bank that would effectively cut it in half. The plan is illegal under international law and has been widely condemned. To get a sense of why settlements continue to be such a big issue for both Palestinians and Israelis, we wanted to bring you this episode about their history that’s part of our series, "The Cycle." This episode originally published in October 2024.

    Guests:
    Khaled El-Gindy, senior fellow at the Middle East Institute in Washington, D.C.

    Sara Yael Hirschhorn, author of City on a Hilltop, American Jews and the Israeli Settler Movement

    Gideon Aran, former anthropology and sociology professor at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem

    Avi Shlaim, author of The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World

    Diana Buttu, former spokesperson for the Palestine Liberation Organization

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    53 mins
  • A Primer On The Federal Reserve's Independence

    A Primer On The Federal Reserve's Independence
    Aug 26 2025
    President Donald Trump has been loudly critical of Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell for years now. Since January, the President has accused him of playing politics by keeping interest rates high. Trump has also threatened to oust Powell — which would mark an extraordinary shift away from the independence of the central bank.Today from our friends at The Indicator from Planet Money: a short history of the Federal Reserve and why it’s insulated from day-to-day politics; how the Fed amassed a ton of power in recent years; and a Trump executive order that took some of that power away.

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    21 mins
  • The Queen of Tupperware

    The Queen of Tupperware
    Aug 21 2025
    Who ushered housewives into the workforce and plastic storage containers into America’s kitchens? Today on the show, the rise and fall of Brownie Wise, the woman behind Tupperware's plastic empire — and a revolution in women’s work.

    Guests:
    Alison Clarke, author of Tupperware, the Promise of Plastic in 1950s America
    Bob Kealing, author of Life of the Party: The Remarkable Story of How Brownie Wise Built, and Lost, a Tupperware Party Empire

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    49 mins
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