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Mark Kurlansky's book Ready for a Brand New Beat is a history of the song "Dancing in the Street." It was the soundtrack for the summer of 1964, when race riots and war protests spread across the United States.

Dorothy's ruby slippers from The Wizard Of Oz are 80 years old and have been on display at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History for more than 30 years.

For devoted readers of James Joyce, June 16 marks the annual celebration of his acclaimed novel Ulysses. Live readings of the famously complex tome can go on for 24 hours or more. Jacki Lyden looks into the history of these marathon performances.

In Budapest, Hungary, President Bush compares Hungary's struggles under Communist rule to Iraq's recent history. "The desire for liberty is universal," the president said. President Bush has visited several Eastern European capitals to highlight countries that have recently become democracies.

Some 200 million farmers have left behind their families and fields to forge a living in China's booming cities. The phenomenon has been described as the biggest internal migration in the history of the world.

The great flu pandemic of 1918 killed 50 million people -- more than any other disease outbreak in the history of the world. John Oxford, a prominent British professor, wants to know why the disease was so deadly -- and what the current generation needs to rise to the challenge of a global epidemic.

One-room schools still exist in America. They are a legacy of a less mobile, more rural time in American history. In 1919, there were 190,000; now there are fewer than 400 left.

Reggae music has gone a lot of places over the years, from minimalist dub to culture-warring dancehall. Almost 40 years on, Spear still hews to the reggae basics: a deep, easy groove; brassy R&B flavorings; and a mystical take on history. His new CD is Jah is Real.

President Obama ruffled conservative feathers when he bowed to the Japanese emperor during his trip to Asia. Bowing is the standard greeting in Japan, as it once was in the United States. Slate magazine's Andy Bowers explains the history of the gesture and why it feel out of favor in the U.S.

Murray State is celebrating its 100th anniversary with a centennial exhibit at Wrather West Kentucky Museum on campus.