<em>Throughline</em> 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. <em>Throughline</em> is hosted by Peabody Award-winning journalist Rund Abdelfatah.<br><br><em>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 sponsor-free listening. Learn more at </em><a href="https://plus.npr.org/throughline"target="_blank" ><em>plus.npr.org/throughline</em></a>
Episodes
The genius and murkiness of the Constitution
Jun 30, 2026 · 21 min
From Hormuz to Suez: the chokepoints of global power
Jun 25, 2026 · 50 min
Prosperity gospel and the American dream
Jun 23, 2026 · 15 min
How the Supreme Court claimed supreme power
Jun 18, 2026 · 53 min
Captain America and the nation's conscience
Jun 16, 2026 · 13 min
The shifting line between free speech and a criminal threat
Jun 11, 2026 · 36 min
The uncensored war
Jun 9, 2026 · 17 min
The World Cup was supposed to bring world peace
Jun 4, 2026 · 52 min
Bayard Rustin and the March on Washington
Jun 2, 2026 · 22 min
History's playbook for taming the beast of inflation
May 28, 2026 · 47 min
Yuri Kochiyamas’s lifetime of activism
May 26, 2026 · 20 min
Prediction markets are making a 150-year comeback
May 21, 2026 · 51 min
Frances Perkins Goes To Washington
May 19, 2026 · 16 min
War by remote control, how drones changed modern warfare
May 14, 2026 · 50 min
Four voices from the Great Depression
May 12, 2026 · 18 min
How our memory of war can shape the future
May 7, 2026 · 48 min
The origins of the Socialist Party of America
May 5, 2026 · 17 min
Gladiators, real housewives and the pull of reality TV
Apr 30, 2026 · 51 min
The fight that shook America
Apr 28, 2026 · 15 min
The billionaires' utopia blueprint
Apr 23, 2026 · 48 min
Why the wall was built
Apr 21, 2026 · 13 min
The original clickbait king
Apr 16, 2026 · 48 min
How the US became America
Apr 14, 2026 · 15 min
Will AI destroy us... or save us?
Apr 9, 2026 · 51 min
Who gets to be an American citizen?
Apr 7, 2026 · 15 min
Al Capone and the transformation of the IRS
Apr 2, 2026 · 51 min
What the banana tells us about US history
Mar 31, 2026 · 14 min
How Saudi Arabia shaped Silicon Valley
Mar 26, 2026 · 49 min
The Ojibwe Nation
Mar 24, 2026 · 16 min
Why is Cuba in crisis?
Mar 19, 2026 · 48 min
The confederates who left the USA
Mar 17, 2026 · 17 min
3 key moments that led to the U.S.-Iran war
Mar 12, 2026 · 48 min
Everyone should have a voice
Mar 10, 2026 · 22 min
Iran and the Jewish people: An alliance before war
Mar 5, 2026 · 51 min
We the People, Redefined
Mar 3, 2026 · 18 min
Why Super PACs have more power than ever in elections
Feb 26, 2026 · 50 min
How the Civil War changed how we vote
Feb 24, 2026 · 16 min
Who profits from migrant detention?
Feb 19, 2026 · 50 min
The lasting legacy of the slave patrols
Feb 17, 2026 · 16 min
How Bad Bunny took Puerto Rican independence mainstream
Feb 12, 2026 · 48 min
The right to free speech
Feb 10, 2026 · 21 min
The Man Who Took On The Klan
Feb 5, 2026 · 48 min
Becoming Supreme | America in Pursuit
Feb 3, 2026 · 13 min
James Baldwin's Fire
Jan 29, 2026 · 42 min
Signed, Sealed & Delivered | America in Pursuit
Jan 27, 2026 · 10 min
Iran Protests Explained
Jan 22, 2026 · 47 min
The Deadliest Ally | America in Pursuit
Jan 20, 2026 · 10 min
Ken Burns and the American Revolution
Jan 15, 2026 · 50 min
Your 15-Minute Guide to 250 Years | America in Pursuit
Jan 13, 2026 · 15 min
El Libertador (Venezuela update)
Jan 8, 2026 · 54 min