On May 3, 1971, at 5 p.m., All Things Considered debuted on 90 public radio stations.
In the more than four decades since, almost everything about the program has changed, from the hosts, producers, editors and reporters to the length of the program, the equipment used and even the audience.
However there is one thing that remains the same: each show consists of the biggest stories of the day, thoughtful commentaries, insightful features on the quirky and the mainstream in arts and life, music and entertainment, all brought alive through sound.
All Things Considered is the most listened-to, afternoon drive-time, news radio program in the country. Every weekday the two-hour show is hosted by Ailsa Chang, Audie Cornish, Mary Louise Kelly, and Ari Shapiro. In 1977, ATC expanded to seven days a week with a one-hour show on Saturdays and Sundays, which is hosted by Michel Martin.
During each broadcast, stories and reports come to listeners from NPR reporters and correspondents based throughout the United States and the world. The hosts interview newsmakers and contribute their own reporting. Rounding out the mix are the disparate voices of a variety of commentators.
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How did a book featuring complex discussions about quantum physics, theology and mathematics become a beloved children's book? Madeleine L'Engle's classic had a rocky path to publication.
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Attorney General Eric Holder spoke in Chicago on Monday on the legal rationales for targeting and killing Americans suspected of terrorism overseas. Carrie Johnson talks to Melissa Block.
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Critic Bob Mondello remembers when there were great, eccentric, revealing, funny and just plain effective theatrical curtain calls. -
Fold, founder, flop: That's what the protagonists of these three books do well. Author Lysley Tenorio recommends stories about men whose good intentions are undeniable, if not always admirable. Have a favorite story about failure? Tell us what it is in the comments below. -
When politicians need to know every damning detail about their opponent, they call people like Alan Huffman and Michael Rejebian. The two former investigative journalists say they aren't looking to fuel smear campaigns — just to uncover all the dirt they can.
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Linguist Elizabeth Little took a two-year trip across the U.S. in search of the country's lost languages. The resulting book is Trip of the Tongue: Cross-Country Travels in Search of America's Lost Languages.
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The electronic music pioneer has a new retrospective album out, featuring her commercial jingles and sound effects, as well as long-form piece. -
Kathryn Harrison's new novel is a fairytale mash-up of magical realism and history — a fanciful tale about the real-life daughter of the mystic Rasputin during the last days of Imperial Russia.
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There was severe weather across many states of the eastern U.S. on Friday. At one point, there were 20 different tornado warnings for six states. One of the worst hit areas is Marysville, Indiana.
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When they meet Monday, President Obama is expected to urge Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to delay any possible military action against Iran. Obama is likely to argue that the latest economic sanctions against Iran are having an impact.
