History

The Federal Income Tax Turns One-Hundred

Laura Knoy — Wed, 01 May 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Americans recently completed that annual ritual, when they file their returns to Uncle Sam. But over the century of this tax, there’s been lots of debate on its effectiveness and fairness. and a few states, including New Hampshire have decided not to do this at the state level. We’ll look at the history of the income tax and how it’s evolved.

Guests

A New Look At Calvin Coolidge

Brady Carlson — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 13:00:00 +0000

Biographer Amity Shlaes say our thirtieth president was deeper than his nickname Silent Cal suggests or what his critics called a man of few words and.. frequent naps.. but a visionary conservative who promoted ideas of limited government and individual responsibility and who oversaw an era of remarkable growth and optimism that preceded the Great Depression.

Guest

Keeping History Alive At The Fells

Deborah Schachter — Sat, 30 Mar 2013 04:09:00 +0000

The Measure Of Civilization

Virginia Prescott — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 14:07:08 +0000

IAN MORRIS, Professor of Classics and History at Stanford University and a Fellow of the Stanford Archaeology Center, is author of several books including, Why the West Rules—For Now: The Patterns of History, and What They Reveal About the Future, which was published in 2010, and his latest, The Measure of Civilization: How Social Development Decides the Fate of Nations. We spoke with professor Morris about his new book, the seminar he gave at Langley to members of the CIA, and his early heavy metal aspirations.

1763: A Landmark Year In New Hampshire History

Keith Shields — Mon, 11 Mar 2013 12:30:05 +0000

This year, 13 New Hampshire towns are celebrating their 250th anniversaries. As part of a new series called “250 Years In The Making: Stories From 13 New Hampshire Towns," NHPR’s Keith Shields will travel to each of these places, learn more about their founding and find the unique stories buried within their borders. But before we do, we begin with a look back two and a half centuries to the year 1763.

234 Years Later, Committee Passes Bill To Emancipate 14 Slaves

Amanda Loder — Wed, 06 Mar 2013 21:03:52 +0000

Back in 1779, 20 slaves made the case for their freedom before the New Hampshire General Court. After noting it wasn’t the right time, the body postponed the decision “to a more convenient opportunity.”

Lawmakers never took that opportunity, and 14 of the petitioners died as slaves.

But on Wednesday, a Senate committee unanimously passed the bill.

The Original Luddite

Virginia Prescott — Wed, 06 Feb 2013 18:44:14 +0000

We all have one: the friend who refuses to take part in social media, has only a landline, shuns digital cameras, the Mp3, and just about anything else with a computer chip. The hearty souls who refuse such technologies tend to inspire a lot of eye-rolling – with a measure of respect. For the rest of us, choosing the life of a Luddite hardly seems like an option. The history of the term “Luddite”, and the man for which it was coined is a surprisingly violent one, tracing back to the late 18^th century. Morgan Meis is a freelance writer and editor at “Three Quarks Daily." Recently, he wrote about the original Luddite, Ned Ludd, and he joins us to tell us more.

Historic Doodles And The Great Minds Who Drew Them

Bill Barry — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 16:35:43 +0000

Our conversation with Sunni Brown sparked an interest in history's doodles; here are some great minds that weren't afraid to scribble a shape or two on their stationary.

Franklin Pierce's Inaugural Day: Unique Touches And Great Challenges

Brady Carlson — Mon, 21 Jan 2013 19:20:56 +0000

Every American president has taken the same oath of office that President Barack Obama took earlier today - every president except one.

Word of Mouth 12.15.2012

Virginia Prescott — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:53:15 +0000

An anthropologist embeds herself with hackers. Santa opens shop in Hooksett. A Hobbit scholar explains why Tolkien fascinates. Women comedians find success on through podcasts. And the very interesting history...of boredom.

Word of Mouth 12.15.2012

Virginia Prescott — Fri, 14 Dec 2012 14:53:12 +0000

Part 1:

The History of Boredom May Interest You

Virginia Prescott — Tue, 11 Dec 2012 15:58:38 +0000

We spoke with Linda Rodriguez McRobbie about the history of boredom. Not surprisingly, scientists avoided studying the subject until the last century. Studies suggest that boredom can lead to depression and other adverse health conditions, even death.

To keep the doctors away, we've curated a motley assortment of "boring" film and television clips.

Word of Mouth 12.08.2012

Virginia Prescott — Fri, 07 Dec 2012 16:00:00 +0000

Word of Mouth's weekly program. This week's show features an art blog that uses Google Earth images to show the battlefields of drones, a radio show produced in an an insane asylum, Ty Burr's "Gods Like Us," and history's badass-iest nuns. Plus, webcast funerals!

Part 1:

4 Surprising Facts About Popular Board Games

Bill Barry — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 16:49:46 +0000

After researching our segment on the unknown origins of Monopoly, we decided to keep looking for other games with surprising backstories. We hope that they will inspire your game-based holiday gift-giving.

1. Clue was originally invented as a game to play in underground bunkers to wait out lengthy air raid drills during World War II.

The (Truly) Shocking History of Monopoly

Rebecca Lavoie — Tue, 04 Dec 2012 15:34:17 +0000

I hate Monopoly. Always have. The reason is simple: it's impossible to play the game and feel good, even if you win. Monopoly, simply put, is all about crushing your fellow players through bankruptcy, even if they're your own kids. Turns out, there might be a reason for my hatred of Monopoly.

The most popular game in the world, according to this amazing article in Harpers, is, simply put, theft.