Throughline podcast

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. Throughline is hosted by Peabody Award-winning journalists Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei.Subscribe to Throughline+. You'll be supporting the history-reframing, perspective-shifting, time-warping stories you can't get enough of - and you'll unlock access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org/throughline

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 journalists Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei.Subscribe to Throughline+. You'll be supporting the history-reframing, perspective-shifting, time-warping stories you can't get enough of - and you'll unlock access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org/throughline

 

#394

El Libertator (Venezuela update)

On January 3rd, the U.S. military apprehended Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro and brou... more

2 hrs Ago

54 MINS

54:16

2 hrs Ago


#393

Winter Book Club: Octavia Butler’s Visionary Fiction

Octavia Butler gave us a new kind of science fiction: not only as one of the first writers... more

01 Jan 2026

1 HR 03 MINS

1:03:02

01 Jan 2026


#392

Winter Book Club: Why You'll Love 'Dune'

As a kid, Ramtin fell in love with Frank Herbert's 1965 epic sci-fi novel, Dune. Today, he... more

30 Dec 2025

31 MINS

31:20

30 Dec 2025


#391

Winter Book Club: A Christmas Carol

Christmas wasn't always a national shopping spree — or even a day off work. But when Charl... more

25 Dec 2025

49 MINS

49:20

25 Dec 2025


#390

Winter Book Club: The Story of Us?

What if the real story of human history is a story itself? To kick off our winter book clu... more

18 Dec 2025

44 MINS

44:59

18 Dec 2025


#389

Pride, Prejudice, and Peer Pressure

Rund takes Ramtin on a tour of the enduring world of Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice... ... more

11 Dec 2025

52 MINS

52:54

11 Dec 2025


#388

The Bitter History of Chocolate

What's better than holiday hot chocolate? If just thinking about it makes you feel all war... more

04 Dec 2025

52 MINS

52:15

04 Dec 2025


#387

The Mother of Thanksgiving

On today's show, a Thanksgiving story you might never have heard -- not about Pilgrims or ... more

27 Nov 2025

50 MINS

50:10

27 Nov 2025


#386

What Happened to Vladimir Alexandrov?

Rund Abdelfatah and Cristina Kim try to unravel the mystery of a Soviet scientist who was ... more

25 Nov 2025

14 MINS

14:46

25 Nov 2025


#385

Democracy Dies in a Day

How quickly can a government fall? Chile was once one of Latin America's oldest democracie... more

20 Nov 2025

51 MINS

51:51

20 Nov 2025


#384

The Creeping Coup

On the surface, the story of Sudan’s war is about two generals vying for power. But it’s a... more

13 Nov 2025

50 MINS

50:39

13 Nov 2025


#383

Winter is Coming

Late last month, President Trump announced that the United States would be restarting nucl... more

06 Nov 2025

52 MINS

52:18

06 Nov 2025


#382

Prosecuting Genocide

The word "genocide" can seem like it’s everywhere right now: So it can be easy to forget t... more

30 Oct 2025

50 MINS

50:48

30 Oct 2025


#381

Throughline Dances

Stuck in traffic? Glued to your desk chair? Folding yet another pile of your kids’ laundry... more

29 Oct 2025

29 MINS

29:51

29 Oct 2025