Episodes

  • The World Cup was supposed to bring world peace

    The World Cup was supposed to bring world peace
    Jun 4 2026
    World Cup tickets are going for as high as $45,000. Not in most of our budgets. How did things get so out of hand when the tournament's founder intended to bridge class divides? Today on the show, the origins of the World Cup, from World War I to Mussolini’s fascist Italy, and how it grew into the multibillion-dollar spectacle the world is gearing up to watch.

    Guests:

    Jonathan Wilson, columnist at The Guardian and author of The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup

    Simon Kuper, columnist at the Financial Times and author of World Cup Fever

    Support shows like Throughline with NPR+. Sign up today at plus.npr.org

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
  • Bayard Rustin and the March on Washington

    Bayard Rustin and the March on Washington
    Jun 2 2026
    When people remember the March on Washington they often recall the giant crowds or Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. Less known is the person who made the event possible. Today on the show, the story of Bayard Rustin, the man behind the March on Washington.

    To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    23 mins
  • History's playbook for taming the beast of inflation

    History's playbook for taming the beast of inflation
    May 28 2026
    Gas. Meat. Flights. Houses. The cost of living is up. Inflation is rearing its head again. And as it rises higher, inflation risks devastating economies and draining savings accounts. So what can be done about it? This week, we explore the history of inflation in the U.S., how the government has responded, and who pays the price. This episode originally aired in 2022.

    Guests:

    John Cochrane, senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution

    Meg Jacobs, senior research scholar, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs


    Support shows like Throughline with NPR+. Sign up today at plus.npr.org

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    47 mins
  • Yuri Kochiyamas’s lifetime of activism

    Yuri Kochiyamas’s lifetime of activism
    May 26 2026
    Civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama lived a life dedicated to social justice for people of all backgrounds. Not only a pillar of the Asian-American movement, she also fought for Black liberation and the rights of political prisoners. Today on the show, how Yuri Kochiyama’s 50 years of activism was informed and practiced.

    To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    21 mins
  • Prediction markets are making a 150-year comeback

    Prediction markets are making a 150-year comeback
    May 21 2026
    Prediction market sites allow users to put money on everything from the war in Iran to the winner of the Super Bowl. But where did these markets come from? And what can that history tell us about where they might be going? Today on the show, how betting on popes and presidents long ago planted a seed for a “terrorism market” in the early 2000s, and how those early prediction markets shaped the industry that has taken hold today.

    Guests:

    Koleman Strumpf    , economics professor at Wake Forest University

    Paul Rhode, economic historian at the University of Michigan.

    Robin Hanson, Associate Professor of Economics at George Mason University and systems architect for the Policy Analysis Market

    Robert Forsythe, Professor of Finance at Wayne State University and co-founder of the Iowa Political Stock Market

    To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    52 mins
  • Frances Perkins Goes To Washington

    Frances Perkins Goes To Washington
    May 19 2026
    This week, we explore the life of the first woman Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins, and how in the midst of the Great Depression she helped reshape the nation by fighting for minimum wage, Social Security, and unemployment insurance.

    To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    16 mins
  • War by remote control, how drones changed modern warfare

    War by remote control, how drones changed modern warfare
    May 14 2026
    Drones are swarming battlefields in Ukraine, Iran, and beyond. Drone warfare is cheap, efficient, autonomous — and changing warfare forever. Today on the show, the past, present and future of battle by remote control. This episode originally published in 2021 and has been updated.

    GUEST:

    James Rodgers, war historian and author of several books about drones, including Drones: What Everyone Needs to Know

    To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    51 mins
  • Four voices from the Great Depression

    Four voices from the Great Depression
    May 12 2026
    A glimpse into life during the Great Depression from the people that lived it.

    To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.

    See pcm.adswizz.com for information about our collection and use of personal data for sponsorship and to manage your podcast sponsorship preferences.

    NPR Privacy Policy
    Show More Show Less
    19 mins