BackStory

Schedule
88.5-1
Sunday
6:00 am
88.3
Sunday
6:00 am

BackStory is a public radio program that brings historical perspective to the events happening around us today. On each show, renowned U.S. historians Ed Ayers, Peter Onuf, and Brian Balogh tear a topic from the headlines and plumb its historical depths. Over the course of the hour, they are joined by fellow historians, people in the news, and callers interested in exploring the roots of what’s going on today. Together, they drill down to colonial times and earlier, revealing the connections (and disconnections) between past and present. With its passionate, intelligent, and irreverent approach, BackStory is fun and essential listening no matter who you are.

BackStory
Podcasts

Arts & Culture

NPR

Composing Game Soundtracks That Move 'Faster Than Light'

Sound designer Ben Prunty integrates audio into some of the most popular independent video games. He figures out how to make sounds that match the feel of the game and build tension at the perfect moments in action-packed adventures.

Food

NPR

School Pulls All-Beef Burgers From Menu, Citing Complaints

Students in a Virginia school system are now eating hamburgers with additives in them, after officials heeded their complaints about the appearance and taste of all-beef burgers it had been serving. The burgers that are now being served include a reported 26 ingredients.

Politics

NPR

Boehner And Cruz, And Lew Too: Voices On The Shutdown

With a government shutdown nearing its second week, there were no signs of a new deal in Washington Sunday. But several leaders are speaking out about the impasse, even as they look ahead to the next battle: an Oct. 17 deadline to raise the U.S. debt ceiling.

Technology

NPR

Composing Game Soundtracks That Move 'Faster Than Light'

Sound designer Ben Prunty integrates audio into some of the most popular independent video games. He figures out how to make sounds that match the feel of the game and build tension at the perfect moments in action-packed adventures.