The central character of New York Times correspondent Ed Wong's memoir, At the Edge of Empire, is not Wong himself — it's his father, who studied in Beijing in the 1950s and staunchly supported the Chinese Communist Revolution. Wong's book traces his father's disillusionment with Mao's government and eventual move to the U.S. In today's episode, he speaks with NPR's Mary Louise Kelly about intertwining his family's personal story with the greater history of his parents' home country, and what Americans can still stand to learn about Chinese citizens.
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In February 1904, the Russian Empire found itself at war with the Empire of Japan over what was territory in the current nation of China.
The problem for Russia was that a big chunk of its navy was located in the Baltic Sea, and the war was in Asia.
The Baltic fleet was sent on an incredibly long and interesting voyage to get the ships into battle.
Learn more about the disastrous voyage of the Imperial Russian Baltic Fleet and how it helped change the course of Russian history on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Mark Twain once said, 'There are three kinds of lies: lies, damned lies, and statistics.'
The reason why he placed statistics into its own category is because it is possible to use numbers to misrepresent the truth, distort reality, or outright lie.
However, if you know what to look for, you can catch misuses of statistics, and if really pay attention, you can find these misuses almost everywhere.
Learn more about how you can lie with statistics on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
U.S. job growth cooled this month. But one job is hot to the touch: AI prompt engineer. The role can command a six figure salary, but ... what is it? Today, we speak to an AI prompt engineer to figure out what they actually do and how long the job could remain hot.
Today's episode features two interviews with Kevin Kwan, author of the Crazy Rich Asians series. First, former NPR host Lulu Garcia-Navarro spoke to the writer in 2020 about Sex and Vanity, exploring identity through the lens of a biracial character and setting a new trilogy between Europe and the U.S. Then, Here & Now's Robin Young asks Kwan about his newest novel, Lies and Weddings, and his thoughts on the fascination with wealth and power in literature.
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The month of July is named after Julius Caesar. In 44 BC, after his assassination, the Roman Senate renamed the month of Quintilis after him in honor of the month he was born.
The fact that he was appointed dictator for life probably had something to do with it.
All the emperors that came later never changed it, so instead of Quintilis, we have July.
So stay tuned for the Quintilis episode of questions and answers on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
On July 4, 1776, the Continental Congress of the 13 British colonies in North America issued a document addressing their grievances with the British Crown and stated to the world why they considered themselves to be a free and independent country.
That document and its legacy have had a much bigger impact than its signatories could have ever imagined almost 250 years ago.
Learn more about the Declaration of Independence, how it came about, and its legacy on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Alexander Hamilton, the first U.S. Secretary of the Treasury, is somewhat of a pop culture phenomenon thanks to a hit musical about his life. But a new book called The Hamilton Scheme dives into a less-known part of Hamilton's legacy — his vision for public debt. In today's interview, author and historian William Hogeland speaks with NPR's Steve Inskeep about why Hamilton considered higher loans to be paid by the federal government a good thing, and how that can be traced to today's relationship between China and the United States.
To listen to Book of the Day sponsor-free and support NPR's book coverage, sign up for Book of the Day+ at plus.npr.org/bookoftheday
Last week, Vladimir Putin vowed to make new nuclear weapons and consider placing them close to NATO countries. Meanwhile, here in the US, the government boosted its nuclear weapon spending by 18% between 2022 and 2023.
The world is closer to nuclear war than it's been in at least forty years.
Today on the show: The game theory of nuclear war. When can mathematical models help us, and when can they lead us astray ... even to the brink of destruction?
One of the leading destinations for live stage performances is Broadway.
The term Broadway, derived from the street in New York City, is not just a name. It's a rich history of notable theaters and a style of performance that has become synonymous with it.
But why did theater develop on that particular street in that particular city, what divides Broadway from off-Broaday, and how exactly does Broadway work as a business?
Learn more about Broadway, its history, and how it functions as a business on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.