Pulitzer Prize-winner Dave Barry wrote a humor column for 22 years. In his new book Class Clown, he tells the story of the first 77 years of his life, spent embracing comedy – but also some difficulties. One focus of the book is his relationship with his parents. Barry writes that his mom was a kind of comedic mentor who possessed a uniquely dark, edgy wit, but also struggled with depression. And Barry's father was a Presbyterian minister and, he says, a famously good listener, but also developed alcoholism. In today's episode, the author joins NPR's Scott Simon for a conversation that touches on Barry's family, and also his concerns about new trends in the comedy industry.
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In the middle of the Third Century, things were looking really bad for the Roman Empire.
This period was marked by civil war, economic collapse, foreign invasions, and a rapid succession of emperors, often military usurpers, most of whom died violently.
If things had gone just a little differently, we would have been talking about the collapse of the Roman Empire centuries before it finally did.
It didn’t collapse because of one man who radically changed the way the empire was run.
Learn more about Emperor Diocletian and how he stopped the decline of Rome on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
All of us negotiate — whether it's accepting a job offer, buying a house or working out who does the dishes. Economist Daryl Fairweather has a new book out: Hate the Game: Economic Cheat Codes for Life, Love, and Work. It's all about the negotiation lessons she's learned through the research, her own career and Destiny's Child.
For thousands of years, people have looked into the night sky and seen something unusual.
It was fuzzy, sometimes bright, and it wasn’t there before. It appeared out of nowhere and, after a few days or weeks, disappeared as mysteriously as it had appeared.
When these events occurred, they were often interpreted as omens. Good or bad depending on who was doing the interpretation.
Today, we have a much better understanding of what they are and how they work.
Learn more about comets, how they have been observed through history, and what they are on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
Aircraft carriers are some of the most fearsome weapons in the world. They are enormous platforms that can travel around the globe, projecting power over an enormous part of it.
However, aircraft carriers have a rather humble origin that actually predates the invention of the airplane. Throughout the 20th century, they saw many innovations and adaptations that turned them into the fearsome weapons they are today.
Yet, despite their power, some people say that the age of the aircraft carrier may be at an end.
Learn more about aircraft carriers, how they were created, and how they work on this episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
If you were to ask most people what year they associate with the American Revolution, it would be 1776. That was the year that the Continental Congress declared Independence.
However, 1776 wasn’t the start of the revolution, nor was it the end of the revolution. In fact, if it hadn’t been for the Declaration of Independence, it would have gone down as a pretty horrible year for the revolution.
For my money, the most interesting year of the revolution was actually the first year, 1775.
Learn more about 1775 and the start of the American Revolution on the 1775th episode of Everything Everywhere Daily.
In light of the latest conflict between India and Pakistan, today's episode focuses on two books that examine India's ancient and recent history. First, ancient India was home to the exchange of goods and ideas that transformed the world, including the number system, heliocentrism, and Buddhism. In his book The Golden Road, historian William Dalrymple makes the case for India's centrality to the story of human civilization. In today's episode, the author speaks with NPR's Scott Simon about why this history isn't a larger part of our popular imagination. Then, we hear from Zara Chowdhary about The Lucky Ones, her first-person account of anti-Muslim violence in Gujarat. In today's episode, she speaks with Here & Now's Deepa Fernandes about the aftermath of the Godhra train burning, Prime Minister Modi's role in the incident, and the dangers of releasing her book in this political moment.
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