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Daniel talks with Colin Spencer, author of "The Heretic's Feast, a History of Vegetarianism". Spencer says one of the first great vegetarians on record was Pythagoras, who about 25 hundred years ago, headed a sect which believed in part that human souls can reincarnate into animal forms and therefore animals shouldn't be eaten. Pythagoras was considered to be a very holy man at the time, but in later years European Christians viewed vegetarians as heretics and poked fun at them - a habit which Spencer says persists today.

Noah Adams walks through the exhibition Between Fences now open at the National Building Museum in Washington with the exhibit's curator Gregory Dreicer (DRY-sir). The exhibit examines the role of fences in American landscape and culture. It includes stone fences, wrought iron, barbed wire, chain link and the materials used to designate international boundaries.

Jacki speaks with Edward Murphy, president of the Medal of Honor Historical Society about the importance of combat medals to military personnel. This week, the Navy's top naval officer Admiral Jeremy 'Mike' Boorda took his own life. His suicide has been linked to questions over whether he was qualified to wear two Vietnam war decorations.

A history museum in central Kentucky is asking for submissions to document how the coronavirus has affected lives. The Lexington History Museum told…

The exodus of more than 210,000 people from Sudan to Egypt since the war began in April highlights the deep ties that bind the countries — and Egypt's mixed legacy in Sudan.

NPR's Jon Hamilton looks at the scientific, legal and political history of RU486 in America.

All Things Considered reported Tuesday that Ford pulled ads for some of its cars from gay magazines at the same time a conservative Christian group called off its threatened boycott of Ford. The show takes a brief look at recent boycotts -- from political to commercial -- and what makes them successful or not.

With the help of retired Navy Capt. Brayton Harris, who has written about the history of war reporting, NPR's Robert Siegel traces the ever-increasing speed with which news reports from the frontlines have been brought to the public. This week, Defense Sec. Donald Rumsfeld commented on the difference between today's satellite pictures of battle and the newsreels of World War II, which presented the week's news, not the moment's action. We follow war-reporting history from the Mexican War through the 1991 Gulf War.

Karal Ann Marling, author of Merry Christmas: Celebrating America's Greatest Holiday, explains the history behind wrapping paper, with the help of readings from advice columns and other periodicals from the past. Marling says gifts weren't always wrapped in paper. That tradition began in the early 1900's when people began to use white tissue paper and red ribbon.