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Throughline
Throughline is a time machine. Each episode, we travel beyond the headlines to answer the question, "How did we get here?" We use sound and stories to bring history to life and put you into the middle of it. From ancient civilizations to forgotten figures, we take you directly to the moments that sh
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Documentary
Society & Culture
History
The Anti-Vaccine Movement
The alleged link between vaccines and autism was fir...
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Feb 13 2025 48m
Chapter 1 16 mins
Vaccine Safety and Public FearsChapter 2 17 mins
The DPT Vaccine ControversyChapter 3 9 mins
Debates Over Vaccines and AutismChapter 4 9 mins
Rising Vaccine Skepticism and Outbreaks
Birthright Citizenship
Wong Kim Ark was born in the U.S. and lived his whol...
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Feb 6 2025 57m
Chapter 1 12 mins
Debate on Birthright Citizenship in AmericaChapter 2 8 mins
The Battle for Birthright CitizenshipChapter 3 9 mins
Asian American Citizenship StruggleChapter 4 14 mins
Wong Kim Ark's Citizenship BattleChapter 5 15 mins
Birthright CitizenshipChapter 6 46 sec
Cancer Treatment & Wireless Plans
The Kingdom Behind Glass
Who owns stolen art? Today on the show, the bloody j...
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Jan 30 2025 48m
Chapter 1 8 mins
The Journey of a Stolen ArtifactChapter 2 12 mins
The Legacy of Benin Blood MetalChapter 3 12 mins
The City of BloodChapter 4 18 mins
Return of Benin Bronzes to NigeriaChapter 5 43 sec
Luxury Sleep Experience at Sotva
We The People: Cruel and Unusual Punishment
The Eighth Amendment. What is cruel and unusual puni...
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Jan 23 2025 47m
Chapter 1 9 mins
Eighth Amendment and Cruel Punishment DebateChapter 2 17 mins
The Origins of Cruel Punishment DebateChapter 3 14 mins
Redefining Cruel Punishment and Death PenaltyChapter 4 9 mins
Evolution of Death Penalty Debates
Ralph Nader, Consumer Crusader (Throwback)
Whether it's pesticides in your cereal or the door p...
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Jan 16 2025 46m
Chapter 1 16 mins
Ralph Nader and Consumer ActivismChapter 2 9 mins
Ralph Nader's Fight Against Auto IndustryChapter 3 16 mins
The Rise of Consumer AdvocacyChapter 4 7 mins
The Legacy of Ralph NaderChapter 5 55 sec
Innovative Products at Affordable Prices
History of the Self: Dreams
Our dreams can haunt us. But what are we to make of ...
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Jan 9 2025 49m
Chapter 1 11 mins
Exploring Dreams and Their MeaningChapter 2 18 mins
Uncovering Ancient Cave PaintingsChapter 3 5 mins
Dreams Across Cultures and CenturiesChapter 4 17 mins
Rediscovering the Power of Dreams
History of the Self: Aging
Defeating old age? In 1899, Elie Metchnikoff woke up...
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Jan 2 2025 49m
Chapter 1 5 mins
Quest for Eternal Youth Through ScienceChapter 2 6 mins
The Quest for Eternal YouthChapter 3 11 mins
The Search for Immortality Through ScienceChapter 4 12 mins
The Yogurt Mania Revolutionizes AgingChapter 5 18 mins
The Clash of Science and Spirituality
History of the Self: Love
How did love – this thing that's supposed to be beau...
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Dec 26 2024 53m
Chapter 1 8 mins
Exploring Modern Love and Dating TrendsChapter 2 13 mins
The Roots of RomanticismChapter 3 17 mins
The Evolution of Romantic IdealsChapter 4 7 mins
The History and Impact of DatingChapter 5 10 mins
The Dystopian Impact of Dating Apps
Embedded: The Black Gate
In the Xinjiang region of western China, the governm...
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Dec 24 2024 27m
History of the Self: Smell and Memory
"History" can seem big and imposing. But it's always...
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Dec 19 2024 51m
Going to the Source of L.A.'s Water
Throughline associate producer Anya Steinberg talks ...
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Dec 16 2024 26m
Chapter 1 12 mins
Water in the WestChapter 2 3 mins
Indigenous Water Rights in Owens ValleyChapter 3 5 mins
Ancient Irrigation Ditches in Owens ValleyChapter 4 7 mins
Exploring Moral Questions in WaterChapter 5 1 min
Supporting Throughline Plus and Language Learning
When Christmas Went Viral
Christmas wasn't always a national shopping spree — ...
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Dec 12 2024 49m
Chapter 1 7 mins
Christmas Carol and Charles DickensChapter 2 17 mins
Victorian Christmas Through Dickens' EyesChapter 3 9 mins
Transformation of Ebenezer ScroogeChapter 4 18 mins
Transformation Through a Christmas CarolChapter 5 1 min
Holiday Gift Ideas and Financial Planning
Seeking Asylum in the U.S.
The U.S. has long professed to be a country where pe...
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Dec 5 2024 52m
Chapter 1 13 mins
The US Asylum SystemChapter 2 15 mins
The Immigration Reform JourneyChapter 3 11 mins
The Refugee ActChapter 4 14 mins
Immigration Policy Shifts and ChallengesChapter 5 58 sec
Financial Planning Simplified With Merrill
The Lord Of Misrule (Throwback)
By the time his book went to press in London, on Nov...
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Nov 28 2024 49m
Chapter 1 13 mins
The Battle for America's Origin StoryChapter 2 11 mins
The Origins of American ConflictChapter 3 13 mins
The Battle of New EnglandChapter 4 13 mins
Thomas Morton's Legacy in American HistoryChapter 5 52 sec
Personalized Investing and Culinary Innovation
The Mother of Thanksgiving
The Thanksgiving story most of us hear is about frie...
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Nov 21 2024 50m
Chapter 1 13 mins
The Evolution of Thanksgiving TraditionChapter 2 10 mins
Sarah HaleChapter 3 22 mins
The Origins of National Thanksgiving HolidayChapter 4 7 mins
The Complexities of Thanksgiving Tradition
Behind the Scenes of Throughline
Today on the show, we're taking you behind the scene...
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Nov 14 2024 51m
Chapter 1 12 mins
Behind the Scenes of ThruLineChapter 2 8 mins
Building ThruLineChapter 3 10 mins
Finding and Sharing Personal StoriesChapter 4 15 mins
The Story Behind ThruLine EpisodesChapter 5 9 mins
The Tacitai Story and Cold Opens
The Electoral College (Throwback)
What is it, why do we have it, and why hasn't it cha...
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Nov 7 2024 47m
Chapter 1 8 mins
Understanding the Electoral College SystemChapter 2 15 mins
The Origins of the Electoral CollegeChapter 3 12 mins
The Impact of the Electoral CollegeChapter 4 13 mins
The Fight to End Electoral College
A History of Settlements
The question of settlements has loomed over the Isra...
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Oct 31 2024 54m
The Swing State Power Brokers
Today on the show, two stories of building power in ...
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Oct 24 2024 50m
Chapter 1 13 mins
Supreme Court Justice Nomination ControversyChapter 2 19 mins
Voter Suppression Tactics UncoveredChapter 3 9 mins
Michigan Arab American Political PowerChapter 4 13 mins
Arab American Activism and Political Power
How We Vote (Throwback)
Drunken brawls, coercion, and lace curtains: believe...
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Oct 17 2024 54m
Chapter 1 12 mins
The Evolution of American Voting MethodsChapter 2 17 mins
American Voting Methods and InjusticesChapter 3 17 mins
The Evolution of Voting RightsChapter 4 10 mins
The Impact of Voting ReformsChapter 5 29 sec
Personalized Financial Planning With Merrill
A History of Christian Nationalism
References to God and Christianity are sprinkled thr...
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Oct 10 2024 51m
Chapter 1 8 mins
Christian Nationalism in AmericaChapter 2 15 mins
Founding Fathers and Ideals of AmericaChapter 3 7 mins
Evangelical Influence and American PoliticsChapter 4 9 mins
Rise of Christian Nationalism in AmericaChapter 5 14 mins
The Intersection of American Christianity
The Battle For Jerusalem
Today, the city of Jerusalem is seen as so important...
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Oct 3 2024 50m
Chapter 1 14 mins
The CrusadesChapter 2 21 mins
Saladin's Rise to PowerChapter 3 16 mins
The Battle of Jerusalem
A History of Hezbollah (Throwback)
Hezbollah is a Lebanese paramilitary organization an...
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Sep 26 2024 49m
Chapter 1 17 mins
HezbollahChapter 2 18 mins
Iran's Revolution and Hezbollah's FormationChapter 3 17 mins
Hezbollah's Rise and Influence in Lebanon
When Things Fall Apart (Throwback)
Climate change, political unrest, random violence - ...
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Sep 19 2024 49m
Chapter 1 7 mins
The Battle of Good and EvilChapter 2 16 mins
The Nature of Human CivilizationChapter 3 10 mins
The Stanford Prison ExperimentChapter 4 18 mins
The Chaos of Hurricane KatrinaChapter 5 59 sec
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