Devin Katayama appears in the following:
The Mother of Thanksgiving
Thursday, November 21, 2024
The Thanksgiving story most of us hear is about friendship and unity. And that's what Sarah Josepha Hale had on her mind when she sat down to write a letter to President Lincoln in 1863, deep into the Civil War. Hale had already spent years campaigning for a national day of thanksgiving, using her platform as editor of one the country's most widely-read magazines and writing elected officials to argue that Americans urgently needed a national story. But she'd gotten nowhere – until now.
Five days after reading her letter, Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. At the time, no one was talking about Pilgrims and Native Americans. But that too would change.
Today on the show: a Thanksgiving story you may not have heard, how it happened, and what it leaves out.
Five days after reading her letter, Lincoln declared Thanksgiving a national holiday. At the time, no one was talking about Pilgrims and Native Americans. But that too would change.
Today on the show: a Thanksgiving story you may not have heard, how it happened, and what it leaves out.
The Electoral College (Throwback)
Thursday, November 07, 2024
What is it, why do we have it, and why hasn't it changed? Born from a rushed, fraught, imperfect process, the origins and evolution of the Electoral College might surprise you and make you think differently about not only this upcoming presidential election, but our democracy as a whole.
From the Warehouse to the world: Chicago and the birth of house music
Thursday, March 02, 2023
For the people who were there when it was invented in small clubs and basement parties in Chicago in the 1980s, house music was a force of nature. Four decades later, its impact is bigger than ever.
The story of 'Monopoly' and American capitalism
Wednesday, February 01, 2023
Monopoly has been one of the best-selling board games in the United States for nearly a century now. And sure, maybe it's just a board game. But author Mary Pilon says Monopoly is much more than that.
In Oakland, Fighting to Preserve Community Culture
Thursday, March 10, 2016
Oakland is now the fifth most expensive rental market in the U.S. And longtime residents struggle to preserve their history and culture.
Danny Trejo: From The Big House To The Big Screen
Sunday, August 03, 2014
Trejo is famous for playing rough, macho tough guys. A distinctive tattoo helped him get his first role, as a convict. He was perfect for the part: Before he was in movies, Trejo was in prison.
In Louisville, Ky., Minecraft Teaches Math
Sunday, August 03, 2014
The Common Core standards have generated lots of attention and controversy, but what do they look like in a classroom? The NPR Ed team continues its summer series from a fifth-grade math lesson.
Confessions Of A Kentucky Derby Gate-Crasher
Saturday, May 04, 2013
On Saturday night, 150,000 people will pack Louisville's Churchill Downs to watch the Kentucky Derby. But only a few will celebrate the victory from the winner's circle.
Stephen Johnstone has experienced that celebration many times. He's been in the winner's circle with the winning families, jockeys and governors — but ...
