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Radio Diaries

Radio Diaries & Radiotopia

First-person diaries, sound portraits, and hidden chapters of history from Peabody Award-winning producer Joe Richman and the Radio Diaries team. From teenagers to octogenarians, prisoners to prison guards, bra saleswomen to lighthouse keepers. The extraordinary stories of ordinary life. Radio Diaries is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Learn more at radiotopia.fm

Copyright © 2017. All rights reserved.

First-person diaries, sound portraits, and hidden chapters of history from Peabody Award-winning producer Joe Richman and the Radio Diaries team. From teenagers to octogenarians, prisoners to prison guards, bra saleswomen to lighthouse keepers. The extraordinary stories of ordinary life. Radio Diaries is a proud member of Radiotopia, from PRX. Learn more at radiotopia.fm

Copyright © 2017. All rights reserved.
86hr 53min
Thumbnail for "The Massacre at Tlatelolco".
In October 1968, a peaceful student protest ended up being one of the darkest days in Mexico's history.
Thumbnail for "American Migrant".
The story of a woman who was part of one of the largest migrations in American history.
Thumbnail for "The Longest Game".
Thumbnail for "When Borders Move".
Thumbnail for "Guest Spotlight: The Phantom of the World's Fair".
Thumbnail for "HOUR SPECIAL: Stories from the Unmarked Graveyard".
A special, hour-long episode featuring four stories from our series The Unmarked Graveyard.
Thumbnail for "The Almost Astronaut (Revisited)".
Thumbnail for "The End of Smallpox".
Thumbnail for "Meet Miss Subways".
Thumbnail for "The Gospel Ranger".
Thumbnail for "Mandela's Election: 30 Years Later".
This month marks 30 years since Nelson Mandela became South Africa's first democratically elected president. But Mandela's journey from prison to presidency wasn't all that simple.
Thumbnail for "Working, Then and Now ".
50 years ago, radio broadcaster Studs Terkel went around the country with a tape recorder, and asked people what they did for a living. The book, "Working," became an unexpected bestseller — but the recordings of these interviews went unheard for decades.
Thumbnail for "My Iron Lung (Revisited)".
Paul Alexander, one of two people in the U.S. still relying on an iron lung to survive, died recently. Today, we revisit the stories of Paul Alexander and Martha Lillard.
Thumbnail for "My So-Called Lungs (Revisited)".
We're revisiting one of our favorite stories from years ago — with a new twist. Laura Rothenberg lived with cystic fibrosis, and knew she would die young — she documented this in her audio diary 20 years ago. But that diary wasn't all she left behind.
Thumbnail for "The Rise and Fall of Black Swan Records".
In 1921, a man named Harry Pace started the first major Black-owned record company in the U.S., launching the careers of hitmakers like Ethel Waters. But then, Pace's own life took a mysterious turn.
Thumbnail for "Guest Spotlight: Parakeet Panic".
The story of when invasive parakeets spread in New York City, and the government decided to kill them all. From Pushkin's The Last Archive.
Thumbnail for "The Drum Also Waltzes".
Max Roach is considered one of the most important drummers in history. Sam Pollard and Ben Shapiro have a new, award-winning film about his life and music.
Thumbnail for "The Unmarked Graveyard: Live at WNYC".
A behind the scenes look at The Unmarked Graveyard, as told by our producers and our story subjects — live from WNYC's Greene Space.
Thumbnail for "The Man on the President's Limo".
There are many photos from the day JFK was assassinated, but one image in particular resonated with people: a photo of a man jumping onto the presidential limousine.
Thumbnail for "The Unmarked Graveyard: LaMont Dottin".
A missing persons case that fell through the cracks of the NYPD, while a mother desperately searched for her son.
Thumbnail for "The Unmarked Graveyard: Hisako Hasegawa".
Hisako Hasegawa lived in a Manhattan hotel room for more than 40 years. It's also where she died.
Thumbnail for "The Unmarked Graveyard: Cesar Irizarry".
Angel Irizarry is a former detective who has been trying to track down a missing member of his own family.
Thumbnail for "The Unmarked Graveyard: Dawn Powell".
Dawn Powell was a well-known writer, admired by Ernest Hemmingway. Then her books — and body — disappeared.
Thumbnail for "The Unmarked Graveyard: Documenting an Invisible Island".
Melinda Hunt has spent 30 years documenting Hart Island and advocating for families with loved ones buried there.
Thumbnail for "The Unmarked Graveyard: Angel Garcia".
Annette Vega has been searching for her biological father for 30 years. That search is coming to the end.
Thumbnail for "The Unmarked Graveyard: Noah Creshevsky".
Before Noah Creshevsky died, he had to decide where his body would end up. He chose Hart Island.
Thumbnail for "The Unmarked Graveyard: Neil Harris Jr.".
Untangling mysteries from Hart Island, America's largest public cemetery.
Thumbnail for "TRAILER: The Unmarked Graveyard".
Untangling mysteries from Hart Island, America's largest public cemetery.
Thumbnail for "The Longest Game".
In the spring of 1981, two teams met for a standard minor league baseball match. They didn't know they'd be playing the longest game in baseball history.
Thumbnail for "The Girls of the Leesburg Stockade".
In July, 1963, at least 15 Black teenage girls were jailed for protesting segregation.
Thumbnail for "Busman's Holiday".
One day in 1947, an NYC bus driver showed up for his daily bus route, but instead of turning right, he turned left.
Thumbnail for "Guest Spotlight: Buffalo Extreme".
A year after the racist mass shooting in Buffalo, New York, a group of girls from a local cheer team share their stories.
Thumbnail for "The Gospel Ranger".
This is the story of a song, "Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down," and of a pentecostal preacher who helped inspire the birth of Rock & Roll.
Thumbnail for "The Longest Game ".
In the spring of 1981, two youthful baseball teams met for a standard minor league baseball match. They didn't know they'd be playing the longest game in baseball history.
Thumbnail for "Meet Miss Subways".
Most beauty pageants promote a fantasy of the 'ideal' woman. But for 35 years, one contest in New York City celebrated the everyday working girl.
Thumbnail for "The Ski Troops of WWII".
A story about the 10th Mountain Division, a World War II military experiment to train skiers and climbers.
Thumbnail for "Sofia's Choice: A Ukrainian Diary, One Year Later".
Sofia Bretl's mother lived in Kharkiv, Ukraine when war broke out. Now their family faces a difficult choice, whether to leave their homes and loved ones behind.
Thumbnail for "Living with Dying".
On Valentine's Day 2020, Peter Fodera's heart broke. Peter and his daughter Juliana share that story on today's podcast.
Thumbnail for "The Rise and Fall of Black Swan Records".
In 1921, a man named Harry Pace started the first major Black-owned record company in the U.S., launching the careers of hitmakers like Ethel Waters. But then, Pace's own life took a mysterious turn.
Thumbnail for "The Real Refugees of Casablanca".
Eighty years after the release of Casablanca, we look back at its refugee actors who played characters much like themselves.
Thumbnail for "The History Of Now".
Taking a look back at stories from the past year.
Thumbnail for "A Guitar, A Cello and the Day that Changed Music ".
On November 23, 1936, a cello prodigy and a legendary blues artist made recordings that would change music history.
Thumbnail for "Banging on the Door: The Election of 1872".
In 1872, almost 50 years before women would get the right to vote, the first woman ran for president of the United States: Victoria Woodhull.
Thumbnail for "The Square Deal".
100 years ago, George F. Johnson ran the biggest shoe factory in the world: the Endicott-Johnson Corporation. But Johnson wasn't only known for his shoes - he had an unusual idea about how a boss should treat his workers.
Thumbnail for "Guest Spotlight: Ear Hustle".
A story from our fellow Radiotopia show, Ear Hustle, about how being incarcerated can mess with your senses.
Thumbnail for "Working, Then And Now".
Revisiting interviews by Studs Terkel for his 1974 bestseller, "Working."
Thumbnail for "The Longest Game ".
In the spring of 1981, two youthful baseball teams met for a standard minor league baseball match. They didn't know they'd be playing the longest game in baseball history.
Thumbnail for "Rumble Strip: Finn and the Bell".
A story from the Rumble Strip podcast about death, life, and a teenager named Finn Rooney.
Thumbnail for "The Almost Astronaut".
The story of how Ed Dwight went from being an Air Force captain to almost becoming the first Black astronaut in the world.
Thumbnail for "The General Slocum".
On June 15, 1904, more than 1,300 New York City residents set out for a church outing on Long Island. They would never make it.
Thumbnail for "The End of Smallpox".
The story of the last case of the deadliest form of smallpox.
Thumbnail for "The Story of Jane".
Before Roe v. Wade, thousands of women turned to the Jane collective for abortions.
Thumbnail for "The Greatest Songwriter You've Never Heard Of ".
You probably don't know her name, but you definitely know her songs. Rose Marie McCoy would've turned 100 years old today. On this episode of the Radio Diaries Podcast, we’re remembering the woman behind smash hits by Tina Turner, Elvis Presley, and more.
Thumbnail for "Identical Strangers".
What would happen if, at age 35, you found out you had an identical twin?
Thumbnail for "Sofia's Choice: A Ukrainian Diary ".
Close to 4 million people have fled Ukraine over the last month. Sofia Bretl's mother, however, refused to leave, even while living in one of the hardest hit cities.
Thumbnail for "The Forgotten Story of Clinton Melton".
This week the Senate unanimously passed antilynching legislation for the first time, so we're revisiting the story of Clinton Melton, who was murdered in Mississippi in 1955.
Thumbnail for "Claudette Colvin: Making Trouble Then and Now".
Nine months before Rosa Parks, a 15-year-old girl refused to give up her seat to a white passenger on a segregated bus in Montgomery, AL. 66 years later, she wants her criminal record cleared for good.
Thumbnail for "A Voicemail Valentine".
In this Valentine's Day special we bring you some of the earliest voicemails, about matters of the heart.
Thumbnail for "Diary of a Saudi Girl: Then & Now".
We first met Majd when she was 19, juggling school and marriage proposals. In the last 8 years, her life has taken some giant leaps.
Thumbnail for "A Museum of Sound".
A journey back to the beginning of recorded sound and the strange, random, beautiful things people captured. This episode is a collaboration with World According to Sound.
Thumbnail for "A Real Life West Side Story".
A new movie version of West Side Story is hitting theaters this week. We bring you a story about the real youth gangs of 1950s Manhattan.
Thumbnail for "A Guitar, A Cello, and the Day that Changed Music".
On November 23, 1936, Pablo Casals and Robert Johnson both made recordings that would change music history.
Thumbnail for "A Wrench in the Works".
Sometimes, we make mistakes. Human error. It happens all the time. It just doesn’t always happen in a nuclear missile silo.
Thumbnail for "My Iron Lung".
Martha Lillard is one of only two people in the U.S. who still depends on an iron lung to survive.
Thumbnail for "When Borders Move".
Stories from a shifting Rio Grande, and what happens when — instead of people crossing the border — the border crosses the people.
Thumbnail for "The Two Lives of Asa Carter".
Asa Carter and Forrest Carter couldn't have been more different. But they shared a secret.
Thumbnail for "When Ground Zero was Radio Row".
Before 9/11, and before the twin towers were built, the neighborhood now known as Ground Zero sparked a radio revolution.
Thumbnail for "Last Witness: The Kerner Commission".
Former Senator Fred Harris is the last surviving member of the 1968 Kerner Commission.
Thumbnail for "Prisoners of War".
Long Binh Jail was a notorious American military prison during the Vietnam War, built to hold American soldiers who had broken military law. In the summer of 1968, the overcrowded jail erupted.
Thumbnail for "The Gospel Ranger".
This is the story of a song, "Ain't No Grave Gonna Hold My Body Down," and of a pentecostal preacher who helped inspire the birth of Rock & Roll.
Thumbnail for "The Rise and Fall of Black Swan Records".
The story of the first major Black-owned record company in the United States.
Thumbnail for "From the Archive: Josh's Diary".
Josh has Tourette's Syndrome, a brain disorder that often causes physical and verbal ticks. This is his teenage diary from 1996.
Thumbnail for "The Tulsa Race Massacre, 100 Years Later".
On the centennial of the Tulsa Race Massacre, we revisit an interview with one of the last survivors.
Thumbnail for "Juan, 25 Years Later".
We continue celebrating 25 years by catching up with Juan, one of our first diarists.
Thumbnail for "25 Years of Radio Diaries".
On our show's 25th anniversary we catch up with Amanda, our very first radio diarist.
Thumbnail for "Busman's Holiday".
In 1947, a NYC bus driver became the most famous bus driver in the country.
Thumbnail for "The Last Place: Diary of a Retirement Home".
For the past year, assisted living facilities have been mostly closed to visitors. Today, we bring you audio diaries from inside one retirement home.
Thumbnail for "Fly Girls".
During WWII, 1,074 women were trained to fly planes as part of the war effort. They were called the Women Airforce Service Pilots... WASPs.
Thumbnail for "Burma '88: Buried History".
More than 30 years ago, university students in Burma sparked an uprising against the word's longest military dictatorship.
Thumbnail for "Living with Dying".
On Valentine's Day 2020, Peter Fedora died... briefly. His daughter knows what it's like to come back to life. She's done it 21 times.
Thumbnail for "Teen Contender: Then & Now".
Claressa Shields was a 16-year-old from Flint, Michigan, with a dream. Today, she's 25 and a two-time Olympian.
Thumbnail for "America Vs. America".
On March 1, 1954, four young Puerto Rican New Yorkers launched an attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Thumbnail for "Love from Six Feet Apart (Revisited)".
A dispatch from the pizzeria + love from 6 feet apart... updates on our Hunker Down Diaries
Thumbnail for "Love at First Quarantine, The Sequel".
8 months ago, Gali & Josh decided to quarantine together after their very first date. Today, we're checking back in.
Thumbnail for "Centenarians (Still) in Lockdown".
An update from two centenarians in Sarasota, Florida where COVID cases are surging. This story has won a Third Coast Award for Best Documentary Short.
Thumbnail for "How to Lose an Election: A History".
In 1896, William Jennings Bryan gave the first public concession speech and there's been one in every election since.
Thumbnail for "When Nazis Took Manhattan".
80 years ago, 20,000 American Nazis threw a party at Madison Square Garden.
Thumbnail for "March of the Bonus Army".
In 1932, 20,000 WWI veterans set up a tent city in Washington. They called themselves the Bonus Army.
Thumbnail for "The Forgotten Story of Clinton Melton".
A murder in the shadow of Emmett Till
Thumbnail for "The Infamous Words of George Wallace".
Over 50 years ago, Alabama Governor George Wallace delivered one of the most vehement rallying cries against racial equality in American history. A lot of people have commented on the similarities between that time and now. Congressman John Lewis was one of them.
Thumbnail for "The Final Frontline".
Queens funeral directors take a moment to reflect and prepare for a second wave. Part of Hunker Down Diaries.
Thumbnail for "Quarantined in the Pizzeria".
Francesca Montanaro is 11 years old and finished 5th grade at her father's pizza shop in the Bronx. Part of our series, Hunker Down Diaries.
Thumbnail for "Lockdown in Lockup".
The five largest clusters of coronavirus are in correctional institutions. Moe Monsuri shares his experience of the pandemic from behind bars. Part of our Hunker Down Diaries series.
Thumbnail for "Home is Where You Park Your Mini Van".
Back in March, as the pandemic hit, Naida Lavon found herself living in her car on the streets of Portland, Oregon. Part of our Hunker Down Diaries seres.
Thumbnail for "The Words of Renault Robinson, Then and Now".
Renault Robinson was one of Chicago's few black police officers in the 1970s. When you listen to his words from the 1970s, and from 50 years later, what's most striking is how much things haven't changed.
Thumbnail for "Love at First Quarantine".
Gali and Joshua decided to quarantine together in NYC, after their very first date. Part of our series, Hunker Down Diaries.
Thumbnail for "Love from Six Feet Apart ".
Wendy is an ER doctor, her husband is immunocompromised. They live together, but six feet apart. Part of our series Hunker Down Diaries
Thumbnail for "Centenarians in Lockdown".
Part of a new series Hunker Down Diaries. This week, we celebrate a 100th birthday in lockdown.
Thumbnail for "Soul Sister".
Soul Sister: The Limits of Empathy
Thumbnail for "The Long Haul: Busman's Holiday".
The story of William Cimillo, the NYC bus driver who in 1947 went on a 1,300 mile detour to Florida.
Thumbnail for "History Had Me Glued to the Seat".
You know the story of Rosa Parks. But have you heard of Claudette Colvin?
Thumbnail for "Voicemail Valentine".
❤️Audio love letters from 1930s and 1940s ❤️
Thumbnail for "My So-Called Lungs".
Laura Rothenberg spent most of her life knowing she was going to die young.
Thumbnail for "The Teenage Diaries Revisited Hour Special".
Back in the 1990s, Joe Richman gave tape recorders to a bunch of teenagers and asked them to report on their own lives. These stories became the series “Teenage Diaries.” 16 years later, in “Teenage Diaries Revisited,” we check back in with this group to see what’s happened in their lives.
Thumbnail for "Thembi's Diary, Revisited".
Thembi Ngubane carried a tape recorder from 2004 to 2005 to document her life. She was willing to speak out at a time when few South Africans were willing to say, “I have AIDS.”
Thumbnail for "The Last Witness".
For this episode, Radiotopia gave all of us in the network a prompt: if we were to create another show, any show, what would it be? Well, we’d make an obituary show.
Thumbnail for "The Press is the Enemy".
On November 13, 1969, Spiro Agnew delivered the most famous speech ever given by a vice president. His message: the media is biased.
Thumbnail for "The View from the 79th Floor".
On July 28, 1945 an Army bomber pilot on a routine ferry mission found himself lost in the fog over Manhattan. A dictation machine in a nearby office happened to capture the sound of the plane as it hit the Empire State Building at the 79th floor.
Thumbnail for "The Dropped Wrench".
Sometimes, we make mistakes. Human error. It happens all the time. It just doesn’t always happen in a nuclear missile silo.
Thumbnail for "Prisoners of War".
The forgotten story of an uprising at an American military prison in Vietnam.
Thumbnail for "The Working Tapes of Studs Terkel".
In the early 1970's, author Studs Terkel went around the country with a reel-to-reel tape recorder interviewing people about their jobs.
Thumbnail for "Stories from a Vanishing New York".
It's not easy being last.
Thumbnail for "Shirley Chisholm: Unbought and Unbossed".
Today…there’s “The Squad.” But 50 years ago, there was only one woman of color in the U.S. Congress, and she was the first. Shirley Chisholm, of New York City, was elected to Congress in a historic victory in 1968. And like the squad...Chisholm made her voice heard.
Thumbnail for "The Square Deal".
Some people call it "Welfare Capitalism." George F. Johnson calls it "The Square Deal."
Thumbnail for "Amanda's Diary: Revisited".
This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Stonewall uprising, a turning point in the gay rights movement. Here at Radio Diaries we have our own small time capsule of how much has changed since then. The very first audio diary we ever did, with Amanda Brand.
Thumbnail for "Last Witness: Surviving the Tulsa Race Riot".
Olivia Hooker was six-years-old during the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921.
Thumbnail for "Juan's Diaries: Undocumented, Then and Now".
Many years ago, we gave Juan a recorder to document his life as an undocumented teenager. Almost two decades later, he documents his life again, as an undocumented adult.
Thumbnail for "The Bonus Army".
In 1932, 20,000 WWI veterans set up a tent city in Washington. They called themselves the Bonus Army.
Thumbnail for "The Working Tapes".
In the early 1970’s, author Studs Terkel went around the country with a reel-to-reel tape recorder interviewing people about their jobs.
Thumbnail for "The Story of Jane".
In the decade before Roe vs. Wade, an underground collective of women in Chicago performed 11,000 abortions.
Thumbnail for "The Ski Troops of WWII".
The men of the 10th Mountain Division led a series of daring assaults against the Nazis in the mountains of Italy. After returning home, many of these soldiers helped to create the modern ski industry.
Thumbnail for "When Nazis Took Manhattan".
80 years ago, 20,000 American Nazis threw a party at Madison Square Garden.
Thumbnail for "A Voicemail Valentine".
Audio love letters from 1930s and 1940s.
Thumbnail for "The Border Wall".
Stories about walls and borders, and what happens when – instead of people crossing the border – the border crosses the people.
Thumbnail for "Thembi's Diary".
Thembi Ngubane carried a tape recorder from 2004 to 2005 to document her life. She was willing to speak out at a time when few South Africans were willing to say, “I have AIDS.”
Thumbnail for "Bonus Episode: Hear the World Differently".
There’s an old saying that “sound is like touch from a distance.” We think it’s a perfect metaphor for what we do at Radio Diaries.
Thumbnail for "A Guitar, A Cello, and the Day that Changed Music".
November 23, 1936 was a good day for recorded music. Two men – an ocean apart – sat before a microphone and began to play.
Thumbnail for "The Song That Crossed Party Lines".
Our country is so politically polarized these days, it’s hard to remember a time when Republicans and Democrats could agree on anything at all. But once upon a time (80 years ago), there was a song that brought red and blue together.
Thumbnail for "Campaigning While Female".
Stories of three women who launched bids to be President of the United States: Victoria Woodhull, Margaret Chase Smith, and Shirley Chisholm.
Thumbnail for "Serving Time 9-5: Diaries from Prison Guards".
Audio diaries from prison guards at Polk Youth Institution in North Carolina.
Thumbnail for "Matthew and the Judge".
We gave Judge Jeremiah, a Rhode Island juvenile court judge, and Matthew, a 16-year-old repeat offender, tape recorders. Through their audio diaries, Matthew and the judge tell the same story from two different sides of the bench.
Thumbnail for "Prisoners of War".
An uprising at an American military prison in Vietnam.
Thumbnail for "Last Witness: Mission to Hiroshima".
Russell Gackenbach is the only surviving crew member from the mission to bomb Hiroshima.
Thumbnail for "Nelson Mandela at 100".
Award-winning audio series documenting the struggle against apartheid.
Thumbnail for "Busman’s Holiday".
The story of William Cimillo, the NYC bus driver who went on a 1,300 mile detour to Florida.
Thumbnail for "Last Witness: The General Slocum".
Adele Wotherspoon is the last survivor of the General Slocum disaster of 1904.
Thumbnail for "Last Witness: Surviving the Tulsa Race Riot".
Olivia Hooker is the last surviving witness to the Tulsa Race Riot of 1921.
Thumbnail for "Fly Girls".
The story of the WASPs, Women Air Force Service Pilots.
Thumbnail for "Strange Fruit, Revisited".
James Cameron is the only known person to have survived a lynching in America.
Thumbnail for "Crime Pays".
There's a program in Richmond, CA that has a controversial method of reducing gun violence in their city: paying criminals to not commit crimes. Sounds crazy, but the even crazier part is...it works. 
Thumbnail for "The Green Book".
A guide to "traveling while Black" during Jim Crow. A story from our friends and fellow Radiotopians at 99% Invisible.
Thumbnail for "Deported: Weasel’s Diary".
At 26-years-old, Jose William Huezo Soriano—a.k.a. Weasel—was deported back to his parents’ home country, El Salvador, a country he hadn’t seen since he was 5. This is his audio diary.
Thumbnail for "Nine Months Before Rosa Parks".
You've heard of Rosa Parks, but do you know about Claudette Colvin? 
Thumbnail for "A Voicemail Valentine".
Audio love letters from the 1930s and 1940s.
Thumbnail for "The Story of Jane".
Before Roe vs. Wade, an underground abortion service in Chicago helped women get abortions.
Thumbnail for "The Dropped Wrench".
Sometimes, we make mistakes. Human error. It happens all the time. It just doesn’t always happen in a nuclear missile silo.   A collaboration with This American Life.
Thumbnail for "Majd’s Diary: Two Years in the Life of a Saudi Girl".
Majd wants to be a scientist. Her family wants to arrange her marriage.
Thumbnail for "Under the Radar".
16 years after recording his teenage diary, Juan now lives in Colorado. He has a house, a good job, and three American kids. But...he’s still undocumented.
Thumbnail for "Juan’s Story, Live at the Moth".
Juan crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally as a teen, and settled with his family in Texas. In 1996, he recorded an audio diary for our Teenage Diaries project. Now he tells his story live at The Moth.
Thumbnail for "The Two Lives of Asa Carter".
Asa Carter and Forrest Carter couldn’t have been more different. But they shared a secret.
Thumbnail for "The Last Place".
When you spend so much of your life getting to the next stage, thinking about the next move, what is it like to find yourself at...the Last Place? In this episode, we bring you audio diaries from a retirement home.
Thumbnail for "The Working Tapes of Studs Terkel (Hour Special)".
For Labor Day, we're bringing you a special, one hour episode of our series The Working Tapes of Studs Terkel.
Thumbnail for "Willie McGee and The Traveling Electric Chair".
A granddaughter's search for the truth.
Thumbnail for "Miss Subways".
Most beauty pageants promote the fantasy of the ideal woman. But this contest celebrated something different: the everyday working girl.
Thumbnail for "Mexico ’68 and the Tlatelolco Massacre".
A Movement, a Massacre, and Mexico’s Search for the Truth
Thumbnail for "The Rubber Room".
Meet the NYC teachers who are "doing time."
Thumbnail for "The Oddest Town in America".
Gibsonton, Florida: Where the Sideshow went to Retire
Thumbnail for "Radio Diaries Live at the Moth".
For Mother's day, we're bringing you our diarist Melissa's story, as she told it live at The Moth.
Thumbnail for "The Gospel Ranger".
Outside the Appalachian mountains, his name was barely known. But Brother Claude Ely influenced some of the pioneers of rock & roll.
Thumbnail for "Remembering Robben Island".
Anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada served more than 2 decades in prison alongside Nelson Mandela. He died this week, at the age of 87.
Thumbnail for "The Vietnam Tapes of Michael A. Baronowski".
In 1966, a young Marine took a reel-to-reel tape recorder with him into the Vietnam War.
Thumbnail for "Weasel’s Diary, Revisited".
At 26-years-old, Jose William Huezo Soriano—a.k.a. Weasel—was deported back to his parents' home country, El Salvador, a country he hadn't seen since he was 5.
Thumbnail for "The Last Civil War Widows".
Two of the last surviving Civil War widows.
Thumbnail for "The Border Wall (Updated)".
What happens when, instead of people crossing the border, the border crosses the people.
Thumbnail for "Strange Fruit (Updated)".
British Singer Rebecca Ferguson wanted to sing the song "Strange Fruit" at Donald Trump's Inauguration. This is the story behind the song.
Thumbnail for "Busman’s Holiday".
In 1947, a New York City bus driver who took his municipal bus on a 1,300 mile detour.
Thumbnail for "The Working Tapes – Part 4".
Three generations of father-son auto mechanics....a new story from our series, The Working Tapes.
Thumbnail for "March of the Bonus Army".
In 1932, in the midst of the Great Depression, a group of World War I veterans set up an encampment in Washington D.C. vowing to stay until they received their government bonuses.
Thumbnail for "The Song that Crossed Party Lines".
The story of a quirky song...that had the power to bring Democrats, Republicans, and Communists together in 1940.
Thumbnail for "The Working Tapes – Part 3".
A private eye, a jockey, a hotel piano player....voices from The Working Tapes.