Ainissa Ramirez joins us to talk about eight inventions we often overlook – including an accurate clock – and how they changed the way we live.
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How Universities Contribute To Inequality
Anthony Carnevale, director of the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce, joins us to talk about how our higher education system contributes to inequality.
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We Ask A Lot Of Police — Here’s What We Can Outsource
Patrick Sharkey, professor of sociology and public affairs at New York University and founder of AmericanViolence.org, joins us to talk about strategies for offloading elements that stand in the way of effective policing.
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How Shakespeare Spun Tragedy And Comedy From An Epidemic
Stephen Greenblatt, John Cogan University Professor of the Humanities at Harvard University, joins us to talk about how an epidemic influenced Shakespeare.
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Busting The Myth Of The Texas Rangers
Doug J. Swanson, writing teacher at the University of Pittsburgh, member of Texas Institute of Letters and previous finalist for Pulitzer Prize, joins us to talk about separating legend from fact when it comes to the Texas Rangers.
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A Practical Guide To Fixing Our Democracy
David Litt, a speechwriter for President Obama, joins us to talk about how we became so disenfranchised and polarized – and about how we can address these issues.
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Madame Speaker: The Political Life Of Nancy Pelosi
Molly Ball, Time magazine’s national political correspondent and a political analyst for CNN, joins us to talk about Pelosi’s journey to becoming arguably the most influential woman in American political history.
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Meet The Formerly Enslaved Woman Who Secured Reparations
Rice University historian W. Caleb McDaniel joins us to tell the story of how Henrietta Wood ultimately sued and won the largest amount given in restitution for slavery.
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Why Debutantes Are Still A Thing
Kristen Richardson joins us to talk about what it is to become a debutante – and if the ritual still has a place in the 21st Century.
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The Trial And Error Of Evolution
Biologist Neil Shubin joins us to talk about the evolution of, well … evolution.
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Britain’s Long Road To Irrelevance
David Reynolds, professor of international history at Christ’s College, Cambridge and fellow of the British Academy, joins us to talk about Brexit in this historical context.
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A Vice-President’s Dream (Or Nightmare)
Jared Cohen, adjunct senior fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, joins us to talk about the vice-presidents who rose to the occasion when the president they served under died – and the ones who didn’t.
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