The Rest Is History
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History
Throughline
by NPR
Today: #6 in History on our combined chart.
Chart positions today
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Ranking history
History builds daily. We started tracking this show on the All podcasts chart recently, so the trend line appears after a second day of data.
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| Date | Pocket Casts |
|---|---|
| Oct 1 | #30 |
About the show
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 journalist Rund Abdelfatah. Support public media by joining NPR+ at plus.npr.org. You’ll get perks for over 25 NPR podcasts, including sponsor-free listening for Throughline.
Latest episodes
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How To Avoid The End of the World
October 1, 2026 · 52 minWe live in a moment with almost daily reminders of how fragile life on Earth is whether it be from climate change, nuclear weapons or AI. In this episode, we bring you a story from the not-so-distant past when we learned what drove…
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Forty years of what if
September 29, 2026 · 21 minOn January 28, 1986, the Space Shuttle Challenger exploded 73 seconds after liftoff. All seven astronauts onboard died. Brian Russell, an engineer who worked on the shuttle, had spent months warning NASA that freezing temperatures could…
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Democratic Socialism. Hope or Hopeless?
September 24, 2026 · 50 minThe Democratic Socialists of America (DSA) is having a big moment. Its candidates and its membership are both surging. Before Zohran Mamdani and AOC, there was its founder, Michael Harrington, a.k.a 'the man who discovered poverty.' In…
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How two swing states changed American voting
September 17, 2026 · 50 minToday on the show, the balance of Congressional power is up for grabs in this midterm election. It could be determined by a small number of voters in a few battleground states. Blueprints from the past could be the guide for big wins. The…
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How baseball got its beat
September 10, 2026 · 32 minMajor League Baseball’s postseason is just a few weeks away, and here on Throughline we know the power of a good walk-up song. But how did baseball become such a musical sport? And where did the idea for walk up-music come…
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Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?
September 8, 2026 · 17 minCalling someone a "Luddite" is usually an insult – shorthand for someone who is behind the times. But the real Luddites weren't just afraid of change; they were a labor movement fighting to save their jobs from being replaced by machines…
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The school report that changed public education
September 3, 2026 · 37 minIn 1966, the federal government commissioned a massive survey aimed at solving educational inequality. Instead, the explosive Coleman Report unleashed a 60-year debate over race, resources, and what education in America is actually for…
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The SAT's 100-year grip on higher ed
September 1, 2026 · 19 minFor generations, the SAT has loomed large in the lives of teenagers. The quest for a perfect or near-perfect score has filled many test takers with dread. In this episode, a listener's question makes us wonder... who decided the SAT was…