Mandela was a lawyer, freedom fighter, leader of the African National Congress, and finally, president.
Working, Then and Now
We present a special, one hour episode of our series The Working Tapes of Studs Terkel.
My So-Called Lungs (Revisited)
Laura Rothenberg tried to live a normal life, with lungs that betrayed her and the awareness that she might not live to see her 30th birthday.
The Longest Game
In the spring of 1981, the Pawtucket Red Sox and the Rochester Red Wings met for a minor league game …
The Gospel Ranger
Outside the Appalachian mountains, his name was barely known. But Claude Ely influenced some of the pioneers of rock & roll.
Meet Miss Subways
Beauty pageants promote the fantasy of the ideal woman. But for 35 years, the Miss Subways contest in New York City celebrated the everyday working girl.
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.
Living with Dying
On Valentine’s Day 2020, Peter Fodera’s heart broke. He nearly died. Peter sat down with his daughter who knows a thing or two about death.
Guest Spotlight: Ear Hustle
The season premiere of Ear Hustle season 10. A beautiful exploration of the 5 senses behind bars.
Fly Girls, the Women Airforce Service Pilots of WWII
In the early 1940s, the government launched an experimental program to train women pilots. They were known as the WASPs, the Women Airforce Service Pilots.
Teen Contender: Then & Now
16-year-old Claressa Shields recorded an audio diary as she fought to make it on the first ever women’s Olympic boxing team. Nearly 10 years later, we bring you an update.
America Vs. America
On March 1, 1954, four young Puerto Rican New Yorkers launched on attack on the U.S. Capitol.
Love from Six Feet Apart (Revisited)
Checking in on two Hunker Down Diaries: the couple social distancing under the same roof. And a dispatch from the pizzeria.
Love at First Quarantine, The Sequel
Eight months ago, Gali and Joshua decided to quarantine together after their very first date. Today, we’re checking back in.
Centenarians (Still) in Lockdown
It’s been 9 months since 107-year-old Joe Newman and 100-year-old Anita Sampson, recorded themselves for our series Hunker Down Diaries. …
How to Lose an Election: A History
In every U.S. presidential election since 1896, the losing candidate has given a concession speech.
Centenarians in Lockdown
Winner of the 2020 Third Coast Festival Award! Joe Newman is 107 years old. He recorded himself and his fiancé, Anita Sampson on her 100th birthday.
When Nazis Took Manhattan
In February 1939, 20,000 people gathered for a Nazi rally at Madison Square Garden. On the stage hung a banner of George Washington between two huge swastikas.
The Forgotten Story of Clinton Melton
Emmett Till’s murder is considered the spark that ignited a burgeoning Civil Rights movement. But there was another brazen murder of a Black man that happened just three months later, in a neighboring town in the Delta.
FromAudio History ProjectHistories
Segregation Now, Segregation Forever: The Infamous Words of George Wallace
Radio Diaries tells the story behind those infamous words, and the man who delivered them.
Quarantined in the Pizzeria
COVID-19 has forced many families to improvise childcare. For some, it’s been like a four month long ‘bring your child to work’ day.
Lockdown in Lockup
Moe Monsuri shares his experience of the pandemic from behind bars at Sing Sing prison. Part of our new series Hunker Down Diaries.
Home is Where You Park Your Mini Van
As the pandemic hit, Naida Lavon found herself without a home and without a job. Part of our Hunker Down Diaries series.
Soul Sister: The Limits of Empathy
A story about the limits of empathy. A collaboration with NPR’s Code Switch.
March of the Bonus Army
In 1932, 20,000 WWI veterans set up a tent city in Washington. They called themselves the Bonus Army.
The Words of Renault Robinson
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.
Love at First Quarantine
Gali and Joshua made the surprising decision to quarantine together, after their very first date. Part of our series Hunker Down Diaries.
Love from Six Feet Apart
Part of our series Hunker Down Diaries. Wendy is an ER Doctor. Her husband is immunocompromised. During the pandemic, they are living together… six feet apart.
Busman’s Holiday
The story of William Cimillo, a New York City bus driver who snapped one day in 1947, left his regular route in the Bronx, and drove his municipal bus down to Florida.
Claudette Colvin: “History Had Me Glued To The Seat”
You know the story of Rosa Parks. But have you heard of Claudette Colvin?
Podcast: My So-Called Lungs
Laura Rothenberg tried to live a normal life, with the awareness that she might not live to see her 30th birthday.
Thembi’s AIDS 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 very few South Africans were willing to say, “I have AIDS.”
Podcast: The Press is the Enemy
50 years ago, Spiro Agnew delivered what may be the most famous speech ever given by a vice president. His message: the media is biased.
The View From the 79th Floor
On the Radio Diaries Podcast, we tell the story of the plane that crashed into the Empire State Building.
The Dropped Wrench
Sometimes we make mistakes. They just don’t always happen in a nuclear missile silo. This story was produced in collaboration with This American Life.
Prisoners Of War
During the war in Vietnam, there was a notorious American prison on the outskirts of Saigon…a prison for American soldiers.
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.
Stories from a Vanishing NYC
On the Radio Diaries podcast, we pay a visit to Walter the Seltzer Man, and also remember Selma Koch, the iconic bra fitter in the Upper West Side’s Town Shop.
Podcast: The Square Deal
Some people called it “Welfare Capitalism.” George F. Johnson called it “The Square Deal.”
Amanda’s Diary, Revisited
Amanda was our very first diarist. Her story was about being a gay teenager, with parents who were having a really hard time with the idea.
FromLast Witness
Remembering Olivia Hooker
Olivia Hooker was one of the last surviving witnesses to the Tulsa Race Massacre of 1921.
Juan’s Diaries: Undocumented, Then and Now
This week on the podcast, listen to Juan’s diaries of living under the radar in America.
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.
When Nazis Took Manhattan
On February 20, 1939, 20,000 American Nazis rallied at Madison Square Garden in New York City. The event was billed as a “Pro-American” rally, but it championed Hitler and fascism.
The Border Wall
What happens when, instead of people crossing the border, the border crosses the people?
Hearing the World Differently
In this bonus episode, cellist Bernard Greenhouse teaches us how to cut through the noise.
A Guitar, A Cello, and The Day That Changed Music
November 23, 1936, was a very good day for recorded music.
Ballad for Americans
How a ten minute operatic folk cantata managed to unite Democrats, Republicans and Communists.
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.
Podcast: 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 opposite sides of the bench.
FromLast Witness
Last Witness: Mission to Hiroshima
Russell Gackenbach is the only surviving member of the crew that dropped the atomic bomb on Hiroshima. This is his story.
Nelson Mandela At 100
Nelson Mandela would have been 100 years old this week. And we’re marking the anniversary by bringing you our documentary, Mandela: An Audio History.
FromLast Witness
Last Witness: The General Slocum
In 1904, a steamship on its way to a church picnic sank in the East River. More than 1,000 people, many of them women and children, died in the disaster.
Strange Fruit, Revisited
James Cameron is the only known person to have survived a lynching in America.
Crime Pays
A program in Richmond, CA that is trying 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.
The Green Book
A guide to “traveling while Black” during Jim Crow. A story from our friends and fellow Radiotopians at 99% Invisible.
A Diary of Deportation
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.
Juan, Live at the Moth
Juan crossed the U.S.-Mexico border illegally, and settled with his family in Texas, right by the Rio Grande river.
On Our Podcast: The Two Lives of Asa Carter
Asa Carter and Forrest Carter couldn’t have been more different. But they shared a secret.
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? On this episode of the Radio Diaries Podcast, we bring you audio diaries from a retirement home.
Willie McGee and the Traveling Electric Chair
Bridgette McGee is unearthing everything she can about her grandfather’s life – and his death.
See Photos of Mexico ’68
A photo slideshow of the Mexican student movement leading up to the Tlatelolco Massacre of 1968.
A Movement, a Massacre, and Mexico’s 50 Year Search for the Truth
The secret behind the 1968 massacre of students in Tlatelolco.
Radio Diaries Live at the Moth
In a special Mother’s Day podcast, we’re bringing you Melissa’s story, as she told it live at The Moth.
The Gospel Ranger
Outside the Appalachian mountains, his name was barely known. But Brother Claude Ely influenced some of the pioneers of rock & roll.
FromAudio History ProjectdocumentaryhistoryMandela: An Audio Historynelson mandelapodcast
Remembering Robben Island
Anti-apartheid activist Ahmed Kathrada served more than 2 decades in prison alongside Nelson Mandela. Kathrada died this week, at the age of 87.
Fromarchivaldocumentaryhistoryveteranvietnamwar
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.
The Last Civil War Widows
Daisy Anderson and Alberta Martin were two of the last surviving Civil War widows.
Strange Fruit and the Inauguration
British Singer Rebecca Ferguson wanted to sing Strange Fruit at Donald Trump’s Inauguration. This is the story behind the song.
The March to Washington (1932 Edition)
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 their voices were heard.
From Flint to Rio
How much does an Olympic gold medal really change things for a teenager in Flint? Listen to Claressa Shields’ story.
Contenders: The ‘Veep’
Throughout American history, only 14 VPs have ever gone on to the presidency. The rest have been mostly forgotten. And not many people would remember the name Alben Barkley, except for two things: his nickname, the “Veep,” and the remarkable circumstances of his death.
Contenders: Say it Like You Mean it
Throughout American history, one of the most important job qualifications for the office of President has been the ability to deliver a speech that will rally the people.
Before Hillary: Women who Fought for the White House
Three stories from our series Contenders: Portraits of America’s Most Original Presidential Candidates… who never won.
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.
A Mother’s Day Special
Our diarist Melissa Rodriguez tells her story live on stage at the The Moth. Hear her story on this week’s episode of The Moth Radio Hour.
A Mother, Then and Now
In our latest podcast, we catch up with Melissa, who recorded a diary about being a teen mom in 1996.
Radio Diaries Turns 20!
20 years ago, NPR’s All Things Considered began running my occasional series, Teenage Diaries… which then grew up to become …
The Man in the Zoo
On September 8th, 1906, New York’s Bronx Zoo unveiled a new exhibit that would attract thousands of visitors. Inside a cage, in the monkey house, was a man.
Identical Strangers
Paula Bernstein and Elyse Schein were born in New York City. Both were adopted as infants and raised by loving families. When they were 35 years old they met for the first time and found they were “identical strangers.”
Frankie’s Second Chance
As a teenager, Frankie was a high school football star whose picture was in his hometown newspaper every week. Years after graduating, Frankie was back in the paper—as a criminal. In his new audio diary, Frankie takes a recorder along as he tries to repair his relationship with his family.
Friday Night Lights
Football, Frankie said, had completely changed him. He was no longer seen as a loser. But the same couldn’t be said for the Valley Head Tigers. This week on The Radio Diaries Podcast, listen to Frankie’s teenage diary.
From Prison to President
Four years after Nelson Mandela was released from prison, he became president of South Africa. And yet, those 4 years were among the bloodiest and most painful for all South Africans – black and white – as they struggled toward the transition to majority rule.
Nelson Mandela 1918-2013
Nelson Mandela passed away on December 5, 2013 at the age of 95. On the Radio Diaries podcast, we are celebrating …
Leaving the Teenage Years Behind
Next year we will turn 20. On April 8th, 1996, I launched the Teenage Diaries series on NPR. Back then …
Holiday Party for the Mandela Archives!
Join us on December 9 at 7 PM to celebrate the life of Nelson Mandela and help preserve our audio archive of the struggle against apartheid. We’re hosting a holiday party with CultureHorde at Brooklyn’s Madiba Restaurant. Tickets are $75 and they include South African food and wine. There will be dancing!
Serving 9-5: Diaries from Prison Guards
Audio diaries from officers who work behind bars at North Carolina’s Polk Youth Institution.
Become a Citizen of Radiotopia
You’ll get the most creative, risk-taking, and best-sounding audio storytelling on the planet.
The Man Who Put the ‘P’ in NPR
In this golden age of podcasting, a conversation about the past and future of public radio with the author of the original NPR mission statement.
Strange Fruit
85 years ago, James Cameron escaped his own lynching. This is his story – and the story of the white residents of Marion, Indiana.
Mandela’s Prison Years
While working on our documentary, Mandela: An Audio History, we stumbled across the only known recording of Nelson Mandela during his 27 years in prison. Hear the story behind the tape on this episode of the Radio Diaries Podcast.
Podcast: Matthew and the Judge
Through their diaries, Matthew and Judge Jeremiah tell the same story from two different sides of the bench.