Episodes

  • Democratic Socialism. Hope or Hopeless?

    Democratic Socialism. Hope or Hopeless?
    Sep 24 2026
    The 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 this episode, we dig into Harrington’s evolution from devout Catholic to revolutionary socialist to Democratic party loyalist, and ask: did his push to compromise delay the dream or pave the way for it?

    Guests:
    Maurice Isserman, author of The Other American: The Life of Michael Harrington.

    Doug Greene, author of A Failure of Vision: Michael Harrington and the Limits of Democratic Socialism.

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    50 mins
  • How two swing states changed American voting

    How two swing states changed American voting
    Sep 17 2026
    Today 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 GOP has embraced a block-the-vote strategy set in motion in Arizona in the 1960s. And the Democrats are embracing a grassroots power base set up in Michigan in the 1970s.

    Guests:

    John A. Jenkins, author of The Partisan: The Life of William Rehnquist

    Tova Wang, Director of Research Projects in Democratic Practice at the Ash Center at the Harvard Kennedy School and author of The Politics of Voter Suppression: Defending and Expanding Americans' Right to Vote.

    Ismael Ahmed, co-founder of the Arab American Center for Economic and Social Services.

    Sally Howell, Professor of History with a focus on Arab American studies at the University of Michigan-Dearborn.

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    Correction: An earlier version of this episode incorrectly said that Michigan voters could send the first Arab American to the Senate. South Dakotan James Abourezk became the first Arab American U.S. senator in 1973.

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    50 mins
  • How baseball got its beat

    How baseball got its beat
    Sep 10 2026
    Major 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 from?

    Guests:

    John Thorn, author and Official Baseball Historian for Major League Baseball

    Nancy Faust, former organist for the Chicago White Sox

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    Correction: An earlier version of this episode incorrectly said that the Brooklyn Dodgers moved to Los Angeles in 1952. The team moved ahead of the 1958 season.

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    32 mins
  • Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?

    Is it time for a Luddite Renaissance?
    Sep 8 2026
    Calling 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. Today, with the rise of AI, many feel the same kind of existential threat and some are even pushing for a Luddite Renaissance. In this episode, Throughline takes on a listener's question to explore what the 19th-century Luddite rebellion can teach us about technology and human agency.

    Guests:

    Katrina Navickas, history professor at the University of Hertfordshire and author of the book Protest and the politics of space and place, 1789–1848

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    17 mins
  • The school report that changed public education

    The school report that changed public education
    Sep 3 2026
    In 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. This is the story of how the report came together… and the policy whirlwind that followed.

    Guests:

    Victoria Cain, Associate Professor of History, Northeastern University

    Thomas Kane, Walter H. Gale Professor of Education and Economics, Harvard University

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    37 mins
  • The SAT's 100-year grip on higher ed

    The SAT's 100-year grip on higher ed
    Sep 1 2026
    For 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 the best and brightest way to filter students? And how did it become the pathway to higher education in America?

    Guests:

    Nicholas Lemann, author of The Big Test and Higher Admissions

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    19 mins
  • The pillage that fueled America's tech booms

    The pillage that fueled America's tech booms
    Aug 27 2026
    Cobalt mining is one of the world's most dangerous jobs. And it's also one of the most essential: cobalt is what powers the batteries in your smartphone, your laptop, the electric car you felt good about buying. More than three-quarters of the world's cobalt supply lies in the Democratic Republic of Congo, whose abundant resources have drawn greed and grifters for centuries. This week on our series Hidden Histories, we reveal the fight for control of those resources, and for the dignity of the people who produce them. (This episode originally aired in 2023)

    Guests:

    Siddharth Kara, author of Cobalt Red: How the Blood of the Congo Powers Our Lives

    Adam Hochschild, author of King Leopold’s Ghost

    Ramona Austin, art historian and former curator at the Art Institute of Chicago and the Dallas Museum of Art

    Georges Nzongola-Ntalaja, African and global studies Professor Emeritus at the University of North Carolina and former UN ambassador for the Democratic Republic of Congo

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    52 mins
  • How Korean culture went global

    How Korean culture went global
    Aug 20 2026
    This year, K-pop Demon Hunters picked up a couple of Oscars, the pop group BTS made its triumphant return to sold out crowds, and K-pop took center stage at the World Cup final. It’s all part of Korea’s 50-year game plan to achieve global cultural dominance. This week on our Hidden Histories series, we dig into the government policy that leveraged sports, screens, and sex to transform Korea’s economy and influence.

    Guests:

    Michael Kim, professor at Yonsei University in Seoul

    John Dimoia, professor of Korean history at Seoul National University

    Heijin Lee, professor of women and gender studies at the University of Hawaii

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    48 mins