As this summer's movie blockbuster examines the story of the man who became the face of nuclear weaponry for the U.S. more than a half century ago, join us as we acknowledge the anniversary of bombings of Hiroshima Nagasaki in August of 1945 with these feature presentations. Also this weekend, NPR celebrates the 50th anniversary of the hip-hop.
Facing the Unthinkable: Nuclear Age
Sunday, August 13 at 5pm
The blockbuster new film Oppenheimer, which debuted in theaters last weekend provides a timely reminder of the unfinished business we all live with in the nuclear age. In this radio special, meet Ira Helfand, MD, who chaired the Emergency Department of a western Massachusetts hospital. He joined with other physicians in an effort to prevent — before it’s too late — the worst imaginable emergency: nuclear war. Their campaign won the 2017 Nobel Peace Prize. We hear archival audio from the Cuban Missile Crisis and previous films on this topic. Also… We dive into the ethical questions that scientists wrestle with in development of armaments that can harm civilians, including weapons of mass destruction.
Mushroom Cloud: Tales from the Atomic Age
Sunday, August 13 at 6pm
For the 60th anniversary of the Hiroshima atomic bomb, this radio special documents in political speeches and popular songs our changing attitudes towards weapons of mass destruction. Also, "Downwinder Diaries" by Claes Andreasson offers personal accounts from people who lived downwind from the Nevada and Utah nuclear bomb tests, when the big red clouds drifted across the desert and into their towns. Antenna Theater's "Enola Alone" provides us with interviews with World War II bomber pilots, Japanese and English bombing survivors, and Colonel Paul Tibbets, pilot of the Enola Gay mission over Hiroshima. Poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti performs "Wild Dreams of a New Beginning, produced for radio by KPFA's Erik Bauersfeld (Bay Area Radio Drama). And we hear the national premiere of Scott Carrier's new story from his cross-country trip asking people: "What Are You Afraid Of?"
NPR Special: Hip Hop 50
Sunday, August 13 at 7pm
As it celebrates its 50th birthday, hip-hop is a global phenomenon. But to map the music's true impact, you have to look closer. To honor the 50th anniversary of one of the biggest driving forces in popular culture, the advent of Hip Hop in New York on August 11, 1973, we offer you a this special hour featuring interviews and music. Juana Summers takes us to the Bronx community room where it all got started – where DJ Kool Herc became known for spinning records focusing on percussive “breaks” in the music (hence “break dancing”). With his friend “Coke La Rock” shouting out rhymes on the microphone over the beat, their parties gave way to rap. Interviews include DJ Kool Herc and DJ Jazzy Jeff, as well as Moses Edinborough, director and producer of Yo MTV Raps, and authors and music historians Jeff Chang, Jay Quan, Nelson George, and Dan Charna Dan Charnas.
