on the show

Monday, January 17, 2005
Boxer Jack Johnson was the first black heavyweight champion of the world. His dominance in the ring stoked pride among blacks and fear among whites. And widespread race riots followed. We discuss his story with Geoffrey Ward, author of Unforgivable Blackness: The Rise and Fall of Jack Johnson.

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Sunday, January 16, 2005
Washington, D.C., is bracing for the inaugural onslaught as President Bush and more than a few friends prepare for Thursday's ceremony. We'll have a preview of festivities as a dress rehearsal takes place on the National Mall.

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special features

Baltimore Officials Battle Witness Intimidation Baltimore resident Iris Tucker is skeptical that new legislation will make people feel safe.
Across the U.S., the number of homicides in the past decade has generally declined, but prosecutors say it's still hard to get convictions in murder cases. With witnesses often reluctant to come forward, officials in Baltimore are finding new ways to combat the problem.
Saturday, January 15, 2005

Town Split over Journalist's Retrial for '61 Murder Wilbert Rideau. Credit: Corbis
In 1961, Wilbert Rideau killed a woman in Lake Charles, La. He's since become an award-winning prison journalist. Now he's on trial a fourth time, hoping a jury will set him free.
Friday, January 14, 2005

Hybrid Vehicles Overcrowd HOV Lanes A carpooler gets into an auto in Washington, D.C.; Credit: Eric Niiler
High gasoline prices and a concern for the environment are boosting sales of gas-electric hybrid vehicles. But the cars have become so popular they are now slowing down commuter carpool lanes around Washington, D.C. Eric Niiler reports.
Friday, January 14, 2005

Probe Set to Explore Saturn's Moon Titan The Huygens probe approaching Saturn's moon Titan. Credit: NASA/ESA
On Friday, the European space probe Huygens is set to parachute onto the surface of Saturn's moon Titan. If all goes well, Huygens will gather pictures, sounds and air samples as it falls through the moon's cloudy atmosphere -- helping flesh out the story of our solar system.
Thursday, January 13, 2005

Prejean Discusses 'The Death of Innocents' Sister Helen Prejean and Dobie Gillis Williams; Credit: Random House
Sister Helen Prejean has made it her mission to work against the death penalty, which she believes is both morally wrong and unconstitutional. In a new book, the Roman Catholic nun, whose story was told in the film Dead Man Walking, says a man was wrongly executed for a Louisiana woman's stabbing death.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Craft Blasts Off on a Collision Course with Comet An artist's rendering depicts the moment of impact and the forming of the crater on Comet Tempel 1. Credit: Pat Rawlings/NASA
NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft sets off on a 268-million-mile collision course with a comet. If all goes as planned, the craft will crash into Comet Tempel 1 on July 4, releasing particles that could provide a glimpse into the origins of the solar system.
Wednesday, January 12, 2005

Tipper Gore and Family Values Tipper Gore testifies before a Senate panel in 1985; Credit: Corbis
Tipper Gore, who launched a successful campaign for warning labels on explicit music lyrics, says parents are still the best line of defense against indecent material aimed at children.
Tuesday, January 11, 2005

Grassroots Aid for Tsunami Victims Sri Lankan fisherman John Bosco; Photo: Anne Hawke, NPR
As millions of dollars flow into aid organizations helping the tsunami victims, much of the focus has been on the largest relief organizations. But some people have begun to suggest donations to smaller, indigenous grassroots organizations, including ones assisting Sri Lanka's hard-hit fishing communities.
Monday, January 10, 2005

Profile: Congresswoman Gwen Moore Congresswoman Gwen Moore
On Jan. 4, Milwaukee Democrat Gwen Moore made history by becoming Wisconsin's first African-American member of Congress. A former welfare recipient, Moore spent 16 years in the Wisconsin Legislature before winning the Fourth District seat.
Sunday, January 9, 2005

Derek Kim: Graphic Novelist with a Comic Touch Detail from Derek Kirk Kim's 'Same Difference and Other Stories'
When Derek Kirk Kim's debut graphic novel Same Difference and Other Stories appeared in 2003 as a self-published paperback, it drew little notice. But Kim's eclectic mix of stories and art has since won the top three awards of the comic world.
Saturday, January 8, 2005

Bringing Life to Physics Class Professor Richard Superfine has his students create a human pyramid to illustrate how atmospheric pressure rises; Photo: UNC Department of Physics and Astronomy
A University of North Carolina professor is doing his best to shatter the myth that physics classes are excruciatingly boring. In one example, Richard Superfine has students pretend to be a train to demonstrate magnetic levitation.
Friday, January 7, 2005

Befriending a Grocery Store's Resident Sparrow Paul, the store sparrow; Credit: Julie Zickefoose
We've all been in stores and seen birds fluttering around and wondered, how did they get in there? Commentator Julie Zickefoose remembers a sparrow she met in her local grocery store.
Thursday, January 6, 2005