Category: DailyShorts

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Curious City - Why telling “the proper stories” is vital to understanding the Piasa

Roadside attractions aren’t always the kitschy photo op we imagine them to be. Some have a complicated history that you can’t see from the side of the road. Last episode, we took a road trip to Southern Illinois to look into a metal, firebreathing dragon. Today, we’re looking at a different landmark in nearby Alton: the Piasa. Unlike the Kaskaskia dragon, the Piasa has a centuries-old history that starts with the Indigenous people of what is now the Mississippi River. The Piasa — as most people know it — is a mythical creature painted on the bluffs of the Mississippi. The image depicts a winged figure with antlers, fangs and talons. It’s a recreation of the original image which was destroyed in the 1850s because of quarrying on the bluffs. Through the centuries, different stories have been told about the meaning and origins behind this creature, including one that is popular but fabricated. Dr. Mark Wagner, director of the Center for Archaeological Investigations at Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, talks about the layered history of the mural. Logan Pappenfort, director of tribal relations for the Illinois State Museum, talks about why it’s important to uplift true cultural artifacts and says the real history behind them isn’t hard to uncover if you know where to look.
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Bay Curious - Why Are There so Many Abandoned Military Bases?

All around the edges of San Francisco Bay you'll find reminders of a once robust military presence in this area. The Presidio, Alameda Naval Air Station, Mare Island Naval Shipyard, Fort Baker and a slew of others—all of them closed. The Bay was once considered a strategic military stronghold, the 'Gateway to the Pacific,' but at some point that changed. This week, in the first installment of a two part story, Pauline Bartolone digs into the history of why the Bay Area's military presence has mostly disappeared.


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This story was reported by Pauline Bartolone. Bay Curious is made by Olivia Allen-Price, Katrina Schwartz, Amanda Font and Christopher Beale. Additional support from Jen Chien, Katie Sprenger, Paul Lancour, Maha Sanad, Holly Kernan and the whole KQED family.

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Everything Everywhere Daily - Caesar, Pompey, Crassus: The First Triumvirate (Encore)

In the year 60 BC, a very unlikely alliance was formed between three of Rome’s most powerful men. 

Gaius Julius Caesar, Gnaeus Pompeius Magnus, and Marcus Licinius Crassus agreed to put aside their differences for mutual gain. 

For many years the alliance worked, and the three men were able to run the Roman Republic….until it eventually fell apart.

Learn more about the First Triumvirate on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.


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NPR's Book of the Day - In ‘Welcome to Pawnee,’ Jim O’Heir reflects on his time on ‘Parks and Recreation’

Parks and Recreation changed the trajectory of actor Jim O'Heir's career. He landed a small part as Jerry Gergich on the NBC sitcom, ultimately becoming a series regular. Now, 10 years after the show wrapped, O'Heir is out with a memoir, Welcome to Pawnee. In today's episode, he speaks with NPR's Juana Summers about the moment the character clicked for him, the "Parks" family group text, and whether the series could work today.

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The Indicator from Planet Money - Who’s on the hook for California’s uninsurable homes?

The Southern California wildfires are devastating large swathes of Los Angeles, destroying homes and businesses and displacing thousands. In the state's strained insurance system, homeowners who can't get fire coverage from traditional insurers are left with just one option—the FAIR Plan.

Today on the show, we explain how the FAIR Plan works and the existential problems it now faces as the wildfires put new pressure on California's insurance market.

Related episodes:
When insurers can't get insurance

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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NPR's Book of the Day - Kate Kennedy’s ‘Cello’ is part memoir, part musical detective story

A new book from writer, BBC broadcaster and cellist Kate Kennedy tackles the stories of four cellists connected by a mutual musical obsession. Cello: A Journey Through Silence to Sound focuses on musicians like Lise Cristiani, the first female professional cello soloist, and Pál Hermann, a Jewish-Hungarian cellist captured by the Gestapo during World War II. In today's episode, Kennedy speaks with NPR's Daniel Estrin – also a cellist – about these musicians' histories and her own complicated relationship with her instrument.

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The Indicator from Planet Money - The race to produce lithium

Lithium is one of the hot commodities of the 21st century: needed for electric vehicles, semiconductors needed for AI, and grid-scale batteries. While the U.S. was once a pioneer in lithium production, it's fallen off — with others, including China, taking the reins. On our third and final episode of our grid battery series, we look at the race to produce the key ingredient in most of these batteries.

Related episodes:
How batteries are already changing the grid (Apple / Spotify)
How EV batteries tore apart Michigan (Update) (Apple / Spotify)
The surprising leader in EVs (Apple / Spotify)
How China became solar royalty (Apple / Spotify)

For sponsor-free episodes of The Indicator from Planet Money, subscribe to Planet Money+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org.

Fact-checking by Sierra Juarez. Music by Drop Electric. Find us: TikTok, Instagram, Facebook, Newsletter.

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