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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It's hard to find rocks from the earliest days of the planet because the Earth's surface is constantly changing. But exposed bedrock on the eastern shore of the Hudson Bay in Quebec may be 4.3 billion years old.
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With only a few weeks left before the presidential candidates square off, their GOTV — or Get Out The Vote — operations are going into high gear. Barack Obama's deputy campaign manager and John McCain's campaign political director offer their insight.
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Sen. Ted Stevens has blamed a contractor friend for his legal troubles on the first day of the trial of the Republican lawmaker. Stevens, who is being tried for corruption, is accused of lying on Senate forms about home renovations and gifts he received from the contractor.
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Republican presidential candidate John McCain said he would suspend his presidential campaign and return to Washington to help deal with the nation's financial crisis. What does "suspending" the campaign entail and what has McCain's campaign done?
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Members of Congress are getting earfuls from home about how much their constituents hate the Bush financial bailout plan. They are also getting warnings from top financial officials that if they do nothing, the economy will collapse.
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As the Wall Street bailout package takes shape, lawmakers are calling for the government to get some ownership of the companies that it is going to help. There's a precedent for this both in the U.S. and abroad.
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L-O-L. P-9-1-1. Don't know those abbreviations? Then you're probably not a teen with extra-nimble thumbs addicted to text messaging. The students at Chicago's Curie High School talk about the world of texting.
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People around the country talk about how the collapse of large investment banks is affecting them. One person says she is far from retirement and so there has been no immediate effect. Another says he feels safe as long as he has a job.
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The largest playable pipe organ in the world is in a department store in Philadelphia. In its heyday, the Wanamaker Organ could imitate the sounds of strings, horns, woodwinds and all kinds of bells and whistles.
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Money-market interest rates around the world have soared as financial institutions hoarded cash. In London, the three-month interbank offered rate jumped by the most since 1999. Analysts say the credit markets could improve once it's clear the bailout will be approved.