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Throughline

Throughline

By: NPR
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About this listen

 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 shaped our world. Throughline is hosted by Peabody Award-winning journalists Rund Abdelfatah and Ramtin Arablouei.

Subscribe to Throughline+. You'll be supporting the history-reframing, perspective-shifting, time-warping stories you can't get enough of - and you'll unlock access bonus episodes and sponsor-free listening. Learn more at plus.npr.org/throughlineCopyright 2019-2021 NPR - For Personal Use Only Social Sciences World
Episodes
  • Al Capone and the transformation of the IRS

    Al Capone and the transformation of the IRS
    Apr 2 2026
    Gangsters, banksters, and politicians. Today on the show, how the hunt for Al Capone helped turn the IRS into one of the U.S. government's most powerful tools — and most effective weapons. This episode originally published in May of 2025.

    Guests:
    Joe Thorndike    , historian for Tax Analysts and author of Their Fair Share: Taxing the Rich in the Age of FDR.

    Paul Camacho, retired special agent for the IRS Criminal Investigation Division and member of the board of directors at the Mob Museum in Las Vegas.

    Jason Scott Smith, historian at The University of New Mexico and author of two books about FDR and the New Deal.

    Lawrence Reed, president emeritus of The Foundation for Economic Education.

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    52 mins
  • What the banana tells us about US history

    What the banana tells us about US history
    Mar 31 2026
    What do bananas have to do with American history? On this week’s episode, how the sweet fruit became an American staple because of one entrepreneur who took business off US shores, expanding the country’s economic reach and influence.

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    15 mins
  • How Saudi Arabia shaped Silicon Valley

    How Saudi Arabia shaped Silicon Valley
    Mar 26 2026
    Elon Musk. Donald Trump. Bill Gates. Sam Altman. Larry Ellison. Alex Karp. Jared Kushner. Mr. Beast. Jeffrey Epstein… Those are just a few of the people who have been friendly with, and often done business with, Saudi Arabia over the last decade. Today on the show: how one of the world’s most authoritarian regimes became one of Silicon Valley’s biggest investors – and what that’s meant for the rest of us.

    To access bonus episodes and listen to Throughline sponsor-free, subscribe to Throughline+ via Apple Podcasts or at plus.npr.org/throughline.

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    50 mins
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