World Cup tickets are going for as high as $45,000. Not in most of our budgets. How did things get so out of hand when the tournament's founder intended to bridge class divides? Today on the show, the origins of the World Cup, from World War I to Mussolini’s fascist Italy, and how it grew into the multibillion-dollar spectacle the world is gearing up to watch.

Guests:

Jonathan Wilson, columnist at The Guardian and author of The Power and the Glory: A New History of the World Cup

Simon Kuper, columnist at the Financial Times and author of World Cup Fever

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When people remember the March on Washington they often recall the giant crowds or Dr. Martin Luther King’s “I have a dream” speech. Less known is the person who made the event possible. Today on the show, the story of Bayard Rustin, the man behind the March on Washington.

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Gas. Meat. Flights. Houses. The cost of living is up. Inflation is rearing its head again. And as it rises higher, inflation risks devastating economies and draining savings accounts. So what can be done about it? This week, we explore the history of inflation in the U.S., how the government has responded, and who pays the price. This episode originally aired in 2022.

Guests:

John Cochrane, senior fellow at Stanford University's Hoover Institution

Meg Jacobs, senior research scholar, Princeton School of Public and International Affairs


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Civil rights activist Yuri Kochiyama lived a life dedicated to social justice for people of all backgrounds. Not only a pillar of the Asian-American movement, she also fought for Black liberation and the rights of political prisoners. Today on the show, how Yuri Kochiyama’s 50 years of activism was informed and practiced.

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Prediction market sites allow users to put money on everything from the war in Iran to the winner of the Super Bowl. But where did these markets come from? And what can that history tell us about where they might be going? Today on the show, how betting on popes and presidents long ago planted a seed for a “terrorism market” in the early 2000s, and how those early prediction markets shaped the industry that has taken hold today.

Guests:

Koleman Strumpf, economics professor at Wake Forest University

Paul Rhode, economic historian at the University of Michigan.

Robin Hanson, Associate Professor of Economics at George Mason University and systems architect for the Policy Analysis Market

Robert Forsythe, Professor of Finance at Wayne State University and co-founder of the Iowa Political Stock Market

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This week, we explore the life of the first woman Secretary of Labor, Frances Perkins, and how in the midst of the Great Depression she helped reshape the nation by fighting for minimum wage, Social Security, and unemployment insurance.

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Drones are swarming battlefields in Ukraine, Iran, and beyond. Drone warfare is cheap, efficient, autonomous — and changing warfare forever. Today on the show, the past, present and future of battle by remote control. This episode originally published in 2021 and has been updated.

GUEST:

James Rodgers, war historian and author of several books about drones, including Drones: What Everyone Needs to Know

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A glimpse into life during the Great Depression from the people that lived it.

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All wars are fought twice: first on the battlefield, the second time in memory," writes Pulitzer Prize-winning author Viet Thanh Nguyen. This week on Throughline, we revisit our 2022 conversation with Nguyen about how the way we remember and selectively forget the ravages of war has the power to reshape our future. 

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Rapid industrialization reshaped American life in the mid-19th century. But as corporations grew larger and more powerful, working conditions for many everyday Americans worsened while wages stalled. Enter Eugene Debs, the labor organizer and founder of the American Socialist Party, who rallied workers nationwide to fight for their rights.

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People used to say "believe your eyes." But these days that's not so easy to do. What we scroll through every day blurs the line between entertainment and fact. And nowhere is that phenomenon more evident than in reality television. Today on the show, we tackle the genre that takes our most potent feelings – love, hope, anxiety, loneliness – and turns them into profit. This episode originally ran in 2022.

Guests:

Goloka Bolte, reality TV casting director 

Dr. Jana Scrivani, licensed clinical psychologist

Racquel Gates, associate professor of film and media studies at Columbia University

Dr. J'tia Hart, nuclear engineer on Survivor (Season 28)

Jeff Jenkins, founder of Jeff Jenkins Productions (JJP)

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