All episodes
The show, episode by episode
Throughline
NPR
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.…
452 episodes tracked Similar shows
81%Lies, theft, and cover-up: the history of Monopoly you've never heard
Throughline · 49m
66%The song that fueled protests and a legacy of hope
Throughline · 19m
76%The lightbulb conspiracy is both real and everywhere
Throughline · 31m
78%The license to be funny in America
Throughline · 20m
73%The architect of modern China
Throughline · 37m
83%The Chinafication of Walmart
Throughline · 17m
75%Listen to "We Keep Us Safe" on NPR's Embedded podcast
Throughline · 3m
75%Route 66 and the quest to connect America
Throughline · 50m
69%How wheelchairs, a river, and a spaceship challenged the status quo
Throughline · 19m
63%The ongoing battle over asylum in America
Throughline · 53m
67%American history through song
Throughline · 22m
74%The story of July 4th is messier than you remember
Throughline · 34m
72%The genius and murkiness of the Constitution
Throughline · 21m
69%From Hormuz to Suez: the chokepoints of global power
Throughline · 50m
72%Prosperity gospel and the American dream
Throughline · 15m
79%How the Supreme Court claimed supreme power
Throughline · 53m
75%Captain America and the nation's conscience
Throughline · 13m
81%The shifting line between free speech and a criminal threat
Throughline · 36m
66%The uncensored war
Throughline · 17m
79%The World Cup was supposed to bring world peace
Throughline · 52m
63%Bayard Rustin and the March on Washington
Throughline · 22m
67%History's playbook for taming the beast of inflation
Throughline · 47m
70%Yuri Kochiyamas’s lifetime of activism
Throughline · 20m
68%Prediction markets are making a 150-year comeback
Throughline · 51m
83%Frances Perkins Goes To Washington
Throughline · 16m
76%War by remote control, how drones changed modern warfare
Throughline · 50m
72%Four voices from the Great Depression
Throughline · 18m
75%How our memory of war can shape the future
Throughline · 48m
66%The origins of the Socialist Party of America
Throughline · 17m
72%Gladiators, real housewives and the pull of reality TV
Throughline · 51m
72%The fight that shook America
Throughline · 15m
76%The billionaires' utopia blueprint
Throughline · 48m
75%Why the wall was built
Throughline · 13m
69%The original clickbait king
Throughline · 48m
65%How the US became America
Throughline · 15m
65%Will AI destroy us... or save us?
Throughline · 51m
71%Who gets to be an American citizen?
Throughline · 15m
70%Al Capone and the transformation of the IRS
Throughline · 51m
66%What the banana tells us about US history
Throughline · 14m
61%How Saudi Arabia shaped Silicon Valley
Throughline · 49m
71%The Ojibwe Nation
Throughline · 16m
78%Why is Cuba in crisis?
Throughline · 48m
68%The confederates who left the USA
Throughline · 17m
78%3 key moments that led to the U.S.-Iran war
Throughline · 48m
69%Everyone should have a voice
Throughline · 22m
69%Iran and the Jewish people: An alliance before war
Throughline · 51m
77%We the People, Redefined
Throughline · 18m
61%Why Super PACs have more power than ever in elections
Throughline · 50m
75%How the Civil War changed how we vote
Throughline · 16m
62%Who profits from migrant detention?
Throughline · 50m
79%The lasting legacy of the slave patrols
Throughline · 16m
79%How Bad Bunny took Puerto Rican independence mainstream
Throughline · 48m
76%The right to free speech
Throughline · 21m
73%The Man Who Took On The Klan
Throughline · 48m
74%Becoming Supreme | America in Pursuit
Throughline · 13m
79%James Baldwin's Fire
Throughline · 42m
66%Signed, Sealed & Delivered | America in Pursuit
Throughline · 10m
75%Iran Protests Explained
Throughline · 47m
71%The Deadliest Ally | America in Pursuit
Throughline · 10m
69%Ken Burns and the American Revolution
Throughline · 50m
64%Your 15-Minute Guide to 250 Years | America in Pursuit
Throughline · 15m
68%El Libertador (Venezuela update)
Throughline · 54m
67%Winter Book Club: Octavia Butler’s Visionary Fiction
Throughline · 1h 03m
67%Winter Book Club: Why You'll Love 'Dune'
Throughline · 31m
75%Winter Book Club: A Christmas Carol
Throughline · 49m
78%Winter Book Club: The Story of Us?
Throughline · 44m
83%Pride, Prejudice, and Peer Pressure
Throughline · 52m
70%The Bitter History of Chocolate
Throughline · 52m
68%The Mother of Thanksgiving
Throughline · 50m
66%What Happened to Vladimir Alexandrov?
Throughline · 14m
60%Democracy Dies in a Day
Throughline · 51m
64%The Creeping Coup
Throughline · 50m
76%Winter is Coming
Throughline · 52m
69%Prosecuting Genocide
Throughline · 50m
66%Throughline Dances
Throughline · 29m
72%The Internet Under the Sea
Throughline · 50m
76%The Rise of the Right Wing in Israel
Throughline · 51m
69%A History of Hamas
Throughline · 50m
64%From the Frontlines
Throughline · 51m
81%Throughline Sleeps
Throughline · 30m
77%The Anti-Vaccine Movement
Throughline · 49m
66%The Business of Migrant Detention
Throughline · 50m
61%Line. Fence. Wall.
Throughline · 49m
71%ICE
Throughline · 49m
69%A History of Settlements
Throughline · 53m
61%A Primer On The Federal Reserve's Independence
Throughline · 20m
74%The Queen of Tupperware
Throughline · 49m
72%We the People: Succession of Power
Throughline · 47m
83%We the People: Cruel and Unusual Punishment
Throughline · 47m
78%We the People: The Right to Remain Silent
Throughline · 49m
67%Embedded: The Network
Throughline · 40m
72%We The People: Canary in the Coal Mine
Throughline · 47m
61%Edward Said and the Question of Palestine
Throughline · 50m
66%What Makes Us Free?
Throughline · 49m
69%Does America Need a Hero?
Throughline · 51m
72%Iran and the U.S., Part Three: Soleimani's Iran
Throughline · 45m
65%Iran and the U.S., Part Two: Rules of Engagement
Throughline · 46m
71%What the Supreme Court Does in the Shadows
Throughline · 48m
75%Iran and the U.S., Part One
Throughline · 36m
63%Abortion Before Roe
Throughline · 51m
72%The First Department of Education
Throughline · 48m
67%The Woman Behind The New Deal
Throughline · 48m
74%We the People: Search and Seizure
Throughline · 48m
66%War Crimes
Throughline · 51m
83%The Tax Collector
Throughline · 51m
69%California's 'Bum Blockade'
Throughline · 51m
60%Motherhood
Throughline · 50m
77%The Deadly Story of the U.S. Civil Service
Throughline · 49m
67%The Alien Enemies Act
Throughline · 49m
79%When Things Fall Apart
Throughline · 49m
77%Get Rich Quick: The American Lottery
Throughline · 49m
65%We the People: The Right to Remain Silent
Throughline · 48m
69%Sesame Street
Throughline · 48m
67%Winter is Coming
Throughline · 51m
73%We the People: Succession of Power
Throughline · 47m
71%Health Insurance in America
Throughline · 52m
71%The Evolution of Presidential Power
Throughline · 51m
72%The Anti-Vaccine Movement
Throughline · 48m
70%The History of Birthright Citizenship
Throughline · 57m
77%The Kingdom Behind Glass
Throughline · 48m
77%We The People: Cruel and Unusual Punishment
Throughline · 47m
70%Ralph Nader, Consumer Crusader (Throwback)
Throughline · 46m
78%History of the Self: Dreams
Throughline · 49m
73%History of the Self: Aging
Throughline · 49m
82%History of the Self: Love
Throughline · 53m
67%Embedded: The Black Gate
Throughline · 27m
71%History of the Self: Smell and Memory
Throughline · 51m
69%Going to the Source of L.A.'s Water
Throughline · 26m
71%When Christmas Went Viral
Throughline · 49m
74%Seeking Asylum in the U.S.
Throughline · 52m
69%The Lord Of Misrule (Throwback)
Throughline · 49m
74%The Mother of Thanksgiving
Throughline · 50m
63%Behind the Scenes of Throughline
Throughline · 51m
70%The Electoral College (Throwback)
Throughline · 47m
72%A History of Settlements
Throughline · 54m
69%The Swing State Power Brokers
Throughline · 50m
77%How We Vote (Throwback)
Throughline · 54m
75%A History of Christian Nationalism
Throughline · 51m
63%The Battle For Jerusalem
Throughline · 50m
67%A History of Hezbollah (Throwback)
Throughline · 49m
76%When Things Fall Apart (Throwback)
Throughline · 49m
72%The Conspiracy Files
Throughline · 55m
60%How U.S. Unions Took Flight (Throwback)
Throughline · 46m
69%Water in the West
Throughline · 50m
83%We The People: Canary in the Coal Mine
Throughline · 46m
81%We The People: Equal Protection
Throughline · 49m
77%We The People: Legal Representation
Throughline · 49m
68%Tested: Questions of a Physical Nature
Throughline · 35m
66%We the People: Gun Rights
Throughline · 48m
73%We The People: Free Speech
Throughline · 48m
65%The Creeping Coup
Throughline · 50m
68%The Roots of Poverty in America
Throughline · 49m
74%Road to Rickwood: The Holy Grail of Baseball
Throughline · 57m
72%Pop Music's First Black Stars
Throughline · 49m
65%The Lavender Scare (Throwback)
Throughline · 51m
66%A History of Zionism
Throughline · 51m
70%The Whiteness Myth (Throwback)
Throughline · 49m
76%The Rules of War
Throughline · 51m
79%Mythos and Melodrama in the Philippines (Throwback)
Throughline · 51m
72%The Mandela Effect
Throughline · 54m
81%The Labor Of Love (Throwback)
Throughline · 51m
76%The 4th Amendment: Search and Seizure
Throughline · 48m
66%The Ghost in Your Phone (Throwback)
Throughline · 51m
76%Ralph Nader, Consumer Crusader
Throughline · 47m
78%The 14th Amendment
Throughline · 49m
82%The Land of the Fee (Throwback)
Throughline · 45m
78%A History of Hezbollah
Throughline · 49m
80%The Great Textbook War
Throughline · 47m
69%Radiolab: Worst. Year. Ever
Throughline · 38m
67%A Symphony of Resistance (Throwback)
Throughline · 55m
71%The Rise of the Right Wing in Israel
Throughline · 53m
74%The Right to An Attorney
Throughline · 50m
68%Dance Yourself Free (Throwback)
Throughline · 50m
74%Love, Throughline
Throughline · 53m
73%The Scent of History
Throughline · 51m
66%James Baldwin's Shadow (Throwback)
Throughline · 44m
71%Bonus: The Empty Grave of Comrade Bishop
Throughline · 49m
62%The Man Who Cured Aging
Throughline · 49m
74%The Right to Bear Arms
Throughline · 51m
71%When Things Fall Apart (Throwback)
Throughline · 49m
60%The Nostalgia Bone (2021)
Throughline · 56m
64%Editing Reality (2023)
Throughline · 52m
75%Apology: The Way Back (2023)
Throughline · 52m
71%Dare to Dissent
Throughline · 50m
72%The Lord Of Misrule
Throughline · 49m
81%A.D.A. Now! (2020)
Throughline · 58m
67%How U.S. Unions Took Flight
Throughline · 47m
73%A History of Hamas
Throughline · 51m
70%Grenada: Nobody's Backyard (2021)
Throughline · 57m
65%The Supreme Court's Shadow Docket
Throughline · 49m
68%The Three Faces of Ataturk
Throughline · 53m
67%The Dance of the Dead (2021)
Throughline · 50m
75%The Contradictions of Abraham Lincoln
Throughline · 49m
78%Two Miles Down The Road
Throughline · 55m
72%Tenochtitlán: A Retelling of the Conquest (2021)
Throughline · 52m
78%David v Goliath
Throughline · 51m
79%A Tale of Two Tribal Nations
Throughline · 51m
63%Silicon Island (2022)
Throughline · 48m
72%How Korean Culture Went Global (2022)
Throughline · 48m
75%By Accident of Birth (2022)
Throughline · 58m
69%The Characters That Built China (2022)
Throughline · 49m
79%The Lavender Scare
Throughline · 50m
71%Getting to Sesame Street (2022)
Throughline · 48m
77%The Hidden War
Throughline · 52m
69%All Wars Are Fought Twice (2022)
Throughline · 47m
70%No Bad Ideas?
Throughline · 51m
77%The Legacy of Henry Kissinger
Throughline · 49m
68%After Roe: A New Battlefield (2022)
Throughline · 51m
77%The Labor Of Love
Throughline · 52m
75%Affirmative Action
Throughline · 49m
80%Before Roe: The Physicians' Crusade (2022)
Throughline · 52m
76%The Ghost in Your Phone
Throughline · 51m
69%The Freedom of Speech
Throughline · 48m
77%History Is Over (2021)
Throughline · 50m
71%Mythos and Melodrama in the Philippines
Throughline · 51m
69%What's Your Worth?
Throughline · 49m
68%Cinco de Mayo and the Rise of Modern Mexico (2022)
Throughline · 50m
65%The Way Back
Throughline · 52m
69%Past is Prologue: Talking Taxes
Throughline · 50m
79%Student Loans: The Fund-Eating Dragon (2022)
Throughline · 50m
68%Throughline Presents: Louder Than A Riot
Throughline · 55m
71%The Mystery of Inflation (2022)
Throughline · 49m
77%Everyone Everywhere All At Once
Throughline · 49m
65%Meltdown (2020)
Throughline · 51m
67%A More Perfect Human
Throughline · 51m
75%Dance Yourself Free
Throughline · 50m
68%Of Rats and Men (2022)
Throughline · 51m
76%Throughline Presents: White Lies
Throughline · 46m
66%The Whiteness Myth
Throughline · 49m
68%The Real Black Panthers (2021)
Throughline · 51m
67%When Things Fall Apart
Throughline · 50m
73%Extremist Futures
Throughline · 48m
61%Do Not Pass Go (2022)
Throughline · 50m
67%Nancy Pelosi (2019)
Throughline · 23m
67%The Monster of We (2021)
Throughline · 58m
81%The New Gilded Age (2022)
Throughline · 50m
78%God Wants You To Be Rich (2021)
Throughline · 48m
67%Road to Partition
Throughline · 52m
76%400 Years of Sweetness
Throughline · 52m
68%The Nostalgia Bone (2021)
Throughline · 56m
71%La Última Copa: El sueño del pibe
Throughline · 41m
76%The Last Cup: The Kid's Dream
Throughline · 41m
66%Qatar's World Cup
Throughline · 51m
72%Dreams, Creatures, and Visions
Throughline · 48m
75%The Most Sacred Right (2020)
Throughline · 1h 02m
70%The State of Disunion
Throughline · 48m
70%The Woman Question
Throughline · 49m
70%The Dance of the Dead (2021)
Throughline · 49m
71%Silicon Island
Throughline · 46m
73%Editing Reality
Throughline · 51m
70%Five Fingers Crush the Land (2021)
Throughline · 55m
67%Getting to Sesame Street
Throughline · 48m
66%How Korean Culture Went Global
Throughline · 47m
66%American Socialist (2020)
Throughline · 1h 01m
70%Drone Wars (2021)
Throughline · 1h 00m
68%Afghanistan: The Rise of the Taliban (2021)
Throughline · 54m
63%Afghanistan: The Center of the World (2021)
Throughline · 55m
80%The Mystery of Inflation
Throughline · 49m
66%Nikole Hannah-Jones and the Country We Have (2021)
Throughline · 49m
71%Student Loans: The Fund-Eating Dragon
Throughline · 50m
71%The Long Hot Summer (2020)
Throughline · 41m
72%Throughline Presents: School Colors
Throughline · 51m
68%Do Not Pass Go
Throughline · 50m
64%The Evangelical Vote (2019)
Throughline · 50m
70%After Roe: A New Battlefield
Throughline · 52m
72%By Accident of Birth
Throughline · 58m
67%The Modern White Power Movement (2020)
Throughline · 47m
76%The Characters That Built China
Throughline · 48m
73%Before Roe: The Physicians' Crusade
Throughline · 53m
69%Bonus: The Forgotten Mothers of Civil Rights History
Throughline · 49m
70%The Shadows of the Constitution (2020)
Throughline · 42m
65%Cinco de Mayo and the Rise of Modern Mexico
Throughline · 49m
80%The New Gilded Age
Throughline · 49m
71%Force of Nature (2021)
Throughline · 48m
76%The Everlasting Problem (2020)
Throughline · 54m
80%Capitalism: What Makes Us Free? (2021)
Throughline · 50m
62%The Land of the Fee (2021)
Throughline · 44m
74%All Wars Are Fought Twice
Throughline · 47m
74%Our Own People (2021)
Throughline · 50m
77%Ukraine's Dangerous Independence
Throughline · 43m
80%Of Rats and Men
Throughline · 50m
74%There Are No Utopias
Throughline · 48m
72%Marcus Garvey: Pan-Africanist (2021)
Throughline · 59m
64%Pirates of the Senate
Throughline · 51m
66%A Story Of Us?
Throughline · 45m
71%Russia's Longest Leader: Vladimir Putin (2019)
Throughline · 32m
60%Throughline Sleeps
Throughline · 29m
69%The Way We Dream
Throughline · 50m
64%Bayard Rustin: The Man Behind the March on Washington (2021)
Throughline · 1h 10m
67%The Anatomy of Autocracy: Timothy Snyder (2021)
Throughline · 34m
67%The Electrical Grid (2020)
Throughline · 40m
69%Bonus: On Our Watch
Throughline · 47m
73%American Socialist (2020)
Throughline · 1h 01m
76%The Monster of We
Throughline · 57m
78%History Is Over
Throughline · 48m
73%A Symphony of Resistance (2021)
Throughline · 55m
71%Fighting Fires and Family Secrets
Throughline · 40m
62%Nikole Hannah-Jones and the Country We Have
Throughline · 50m
60%Aftermath (2020)
Throughline · 54m
70%Bonus: The Deep History of Dune
Throughline · 44m
Showing the 300 most recent of 452 tracked episodes.
One buzzing episode in your inbox every morning. Free.
One email a day, unsubscribe anytime. No spam, ever.