Viewpoints Radio
Award-winning reporting on current issues featuring America's leading experts.
Look a little closer and you’ll find many hidden gems throughout New York City. Tour guide and author Laurie Lewis joins Viewpoints to shed some light on the stories behind some of the city’s most famous buildings and parks.
When did quality-made clothes disappear, and the rise of new, cheaper fabrics take hold in the U.S.? Author Sofi Thanhauser joins us this week to shed some light on how the garment industry got to where it is today.
From former President John F. Kennedy to past Kennedy’s that have served as senators, ambassadors and in other high ranking government positions, the name today still signifies power and prestige. However, go back just three generations from JFK and the Kennedy’s were poor, Irish refugees who had just arrived on the shores of America. This week – we discuss …
In recent years, vinyl’s have been making a big comeback. We discuss how old and new music alike is being played on this old musical medium.
Why do we believe one person but believe another is lying? This week, author Sarah Weinman joins us as we discuss the story of one American man in the 1950’s who was able to dupe millions and get released from prison.
Ahead of Presidents Day on Monday, February 21, we highlight some of our past presidents and their accomplishments and failures. Ronald Gruner joins us this week to answer these questions and more.
Substance abuse, or addiction, is a national crisis that’s only continuing to worsen as new drugs enter the market and treatment has been disrupted due to the pandemic. Recovering addict Dr. Carl Erik Fisher joins us to share his own story with addiction and what can be done to improve treatment.
From sundials to mechanical clocks to atomic clocks, humans – throughout the centuries – have kept track of time using many different methods. Physics and astronomy professor Chad Orzel joins us this week to highlight just how much we rely on accurate clocks and how timekeeping technology has evolved across human history.
We speak with Tim O’Brien who has illustrated numerous magazine covers throughout the years. O’Brien discusses his career, the history of illustration and how the art form is used to convey a specific, singular moment or feeling that other mediums may not be able to capture.
More than 80% of the world’s population lives under light-polluted skies. Light pollution can impact sleep, health, and the environment. It also means the beautiful stars in our skies are clouded by the bright beams of lights all around us. We discuss the issue of light pollution and how stargazers can bring about change in their local communities.
The Rosetta Stone is an intriguing slab of rock. In short, it’s a vital key to understanding the unique Egyptian language of illustrated text referred to as hieroglyphs. Writer Edward Dolnick joins us this week to shed some light on the artifact and how the cryptic message was finally decoded.
Exclusive to Disney+, the new documentary, "Get Back" follows The Beatles in their natural element as they record the album "Let It Be".
There’s nothing quite like comics. The art of illustration mixed with text takes on many forms, including comic strips, books, graphic novels and more. Columbia University professor and author of American Comics: A History Jeremy Dauber joins us this week to help highlight the interesting history of comics and how it’s evolved into a multi-billion-dollar …
Actress Kristen Stewart plays Princess Diana in the highly anticipated release, “Spencer”. We highlight Stewart’s performance and what we loved about this new take on the late royal.
It’s been a century and a half since the fire that reshaped the Chicago landscape took hold across the city. Chicago History Museum curator Julius L. Jones joins us this week to discuss some interesting historical facts about the fire that you’ve probably never heard before.
Archaeologists have recently discovered proof of beer-making in the Middle East dating back more than thirteen thousand years. While the rise of hard seltzers has been making headlines lately, beer has a rich cultural history and has evolved as a drink over thousands of years.
Opera is a beloved art form, but its racial history is as flawed as the rest of our culture. We talk to Naomi Andre, a professor at the University of Michigan, about the history of race in opera and how this traditional art form is evolving with the times.
Today, there are many young adults who were mere babies when 9/11 happened. They learn about the terrorist attacks from history books, television segments and documentaries as well as the firsthand stories of people who lived through the experience. Former FDNY Battalion Chief Joseph Pfeifer joins us this week to share his story from that morning. Pfeifer …
The news of the Taliban regaining control of Afghanistan has swept news headlines this month. Hundreds of thousands of Afghan citizens have already fled the country, but how will everyday life change for those who remain? We discuss the precarious situation in the region and the reversal of modern freedoms and economic stability for millions of men, women …
These majestic creatures walked the Earth more than 230 million years ago, yet, even today, they capture our wildest imaginations. Most us have heard the familiar narrative that an asteroid collided with Earth and this catastrophic event led to their downfall..but is there more to the story?
Jeff Bezos and Richard Branson both made history last month as they rocketed out of Earth’s atmosphere and successfully reached space. This trip was many years in the making as both billionaires built their own respective companies, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic, to transport them to space as private civilians. Now, people are lining up and paying hefty …
When most people imagine the early West, they picture wide open landscapes, lawlessness and sweaty men working away in mines and on farms. While this is part of the story, the other lesser known narrative is the unique opportunities the West held for women during the 19th and 20th centuries. Author Winifred Gallagher joins us this week to share how the …
Wondering what to do with the dozens of face masks and all of those unused yeast packets? Us too. There are several items that Americans sought after during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic that help to showcase what this period in time was like. Once the pandemic is fully over, how will we look back and remember this time? How are museum curators and …
There are some items of clothing that truly never go out of style. Whether it’s a pair of jeans or a classic black dress, these pieces transform with the vibe and trends of each decade. Fashion writer and author of The Ten Lauren Cochrane joins us this week to highlight some of the most iconic clothes in fashion history.
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