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In 1876, Americans filled an iron safe with objects meant to tell their story — to be opened a century later. Roman Mars and historian Jill Lepore trace its long wait, from Reconstruction to Watergate, and the surprising, unsettling contents that emerged in 1976. What do the objects we choose to preserve — or forget — reveal about how we author our own history?

A History of the United States in 100 Objects is a production of 99% Invisible and BBC Studios.

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Princeton professor Thomas Levin has collected the world's only collection of 'voice letters' -- small records that could be recorded on-the-spot in the 1930s, 40s and 50s, and then sent through the mail to friends and loved ones. From passionate love notes, to messages home from soldiers, to tourist diaries from world travellers...these notes allowed many people to record their voices for the first time ever. Levin explains how he searches through online auctions and flea markets to uncover these ghostly voices from the past, and what we can learn from them.

We humans seem to love comeback stories, and there is no comeback quite as compelling in the classical music world as Rachmaninoff's Second Piano Concerto. It was written three years after the disastrous premiere of his First Symphony, a premiere so catastrophic that it lives on in the annals of musical history, and is the essential starting point for understanding the Second Piano Concerto and how it came to be.

The concerto revived both Rachmaninoff's career and his spirits, and it remains his most famous orchestral work. It is a towering masterpiece of Romanticism, overflowing with glorious melody after glorious melody, supported by virtuosic and sumptuous writing for the solo piano, and a deeply satisfying orchestral part that continues to make audiences swoon around the world.

Today on the show, we'll begin with the story of Rachmaninoff's First Symphony, and then walk through this extraordinary concerto, highlighting what truly makes Rachmaninoff's music so special. Hint: it's not just the pretty melodies.

Recording: Vladimir Ashkenazy with the Moscow Philharmonic Orchestra, Kirill Kondrashin cond.

Our first speaker is Geoff Baird who is a very close family friend. Geoff recently co-wrote a book entitled The Signal Solution: How Smart Colleges Stop Chasing Applications and Start Converting Students.

Geoff is a consultant working with higher ed institutions to help them persuade accepted student applicants to attend their school. Geoff is particularly excited about using AI to figure out who the admissions committee should focus on in their marketing efforts.

Our second speaker is Bob Zemsky who is a Professor of Education at UPenn and the university’s chief planning officer. He is also the Co-Founder of College-in3- Exchange and is the author of 14 books including The College Stress Test.

Sir David Attenborough turns 100 this year—and no one has done more to shape how humanity sees our planet. But for years, there was one issue he didn’t talk about. Emmanuel & Kai chart the story of how one nerdy rock-collecting kid became one of TV’s biggest stars, and took on the most important mission of his life.

Additional archive: Our Planet II, Netflix 2023

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Speaking Iraqi Arabic opened doors in the field - while her Hull accent raised eyebrows in the newsroom.

In this episode of Word For Word, multi-Emmy award-winning journalist Hind Hassan joins Sophia Smith Galer to talk about how her languages have shaped her life and work.

Hind reflects on growing up as an Iraqi in Hull and shares how speaking Iraqi dialect transformed her reporting on the ground - unlocking trust, intimacy, and access - while her Hull accent exposed the class biases embedded in British media.

The conversation moves through Arabic diglossia, the differences between dialect and modern standard Arabic, and the unexpected ways language can both connect and isolate. Hind also opens up about code-switching, losing parts of her accent, and the emotional tension between sounding “professional” and sounding like yourself.

Come for poetic Iraqi motherisms - and stay for the chip spice.

Follow Hind on Instagram here to stay up to date with her new reports and documentaries: https://www.instagram.com/hanood7sn/ 

You can order my book How To Kill A Language here: https://uk.bookshop.org/a/13258/9780008723729

This is a Viralect original podcast created by Sophia Smith Galer.
This episode was filmed by Omar Mehtab and Seren Jones was the Executive Producer.

Head to www.viralect.com to find our services and tools, and if you’ve got an iPhone, search “Sophiana app” in the App Store and take advantage of your free month using the code WORDFORWORD.

Chapters

01:10 — What’s in a name? Arabic naming traditions

06:05 — Two languages, two worlds

12:16 — Learning standard Arabic

18:34 — Growing up Iraqi in Hull

20:05 — Hull dialect & chip spice 

28:00 — Accent bias in journalism

33:13 — Language as connection in reporting

When a little brother feels left out of his sisters’ secret game, it sets off a magical adventure full of mystery, bravery, and the power of family.

On a scale of Grimm, Grimmer Grimmest this episode is Grimmer.

Want more episodes now? Listen to this show—and many more—on the Pinna app! Start your 7-day FREE trial at pinna.fm and use code GRIMM for a special discount on your subscription.

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Citizen sleuth Susan Galbreath’s reputation is called into question when a British production company gets a hold of her investigation into the murder of Jessica Currin.

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