A group of Black ministers convinced a local Richmond developer to build homes that would be available to all Americans, including Black Americans, in the early 1950s long before the Fair Housing Act. We trace the history of that activism and the fate of the community over the decades.
This story was reported by Ariana Proehl. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Amanda Font and Brendan Willard. Our Social Video Intern is Darren Tu. Additional support from Cesar Saldana, Jen Chien, Jasmine Garnett, Carly Severn, Jenny Pritchett and Holly Kernan.
Soon after the start of the space race, a major problem with space flight became obvious: it was really expensive.
The high cost of space flight was in large part due to the fact that every rocket and spacecraft was expendable. Every trip meant a new rocket and a new vehicle.
To solve this problem, in the early 1970s, the United States launched a new program to create a reusable spacecraft.
Learn more about the rise and fall of the Space Transportation System, aka the Space Shuttle on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
More than 30 years ago, ordinary residents of China protested in Beijing’s Tiananmen Square, where authorities reacted by reportedly killing at least 10,000.
Sean Lin, who traveled to Beijing to attend those protests in 1989, recalls those events as “a historical moment in [China’s] modern history.”
Lin, who served as a U.S. Army microbiologist and is currently an assistant professor in Fei Tian College’s Biomedical Science Department in Middletown, New York, recalls that “not only students actively joined the protests,” but “a lot of civilians from all walks of life all supported this movement.”
“At the time, I think the main theme is anti-corruption because after the Cultural Revolution ended, the Communist Party allowed certain levels of economy reform,” Lin says. “So, many of the party elites quickly get rich using their privilege, using their powers.”
He added: “So, immediately, the Chinese people see the society become polarized … I think it triggered a huge anger against the corruption level at the time.”
Lin brings this frame of reference to discussing the ongoing unrest in China triggered after at least 10 persons died and at least nine were hurt last Thursday in an apartment fire in northwestern China’s Xinjiang region during the nation’s COVID-19 lockdown.
“I think at that time in the 1980s, people definitely were very, very angry and upset about the corruption level. But at that time, nobody even … call for a step-down of the Communist Party,” Lin says.
“But now, 33 years later, I think people are totally disappointed and [have] totally lost any confidence in the Communist Party.”
Lin joins “The Daily Signal Podcast” to talk about his experience during the Tiananmen Square protests, his thoughts on the Biden administration’s response to the current protests in China, and his message to those protesting.
An exhibit that blended science and technology for an immersive art experience went on display in Washington, DC and New York City in 2021 and 2022. It invited visitors to explore the cells in their brain. The installation was a partnership between the Society for Neuroscience and technology-based art space, ARTECHOUSE. In this encore episode, producer Thomas Lu talks to neuroscientist John Morrison and chief creative officer Sandro Kereselidze about the Life of a Neuron.
Curious about other ways science intersects with art? Email us at ShortWave@NPR.org.
Bonnie Garmus' new novel Lessons In Chemistry has been getting a lot of buzz. Elizabeth Zott is a talented chemist but because it's the 1960s, she faces sexism in her quest to work as a scientist. So instead she has a cooking show that is wildly popular. Garmus told NPR's Scott Simon that the character of Elizabeth lived in her head for many years before she started writing this novel.
Soccer star Lionel Messi is currently hoping to lead Argentina to victory in the World Cup. His path to global fame was shaped by a crisis in Argentina's economy.
This episode was made in collaboration with NPR and Futuro Studios's The Last Cup podcast.
