That time we almost destroyed the world

On a sunny day in 1981, a group gathered on the banks of the Little River in Durham, North Carolina to enjoy the first signs of spring. For years, the spot had been a safe hangout space for local LGBTQ folks. But, on this particular day, the harmony of this swimming hole in the woods was upended by an act of violence. The event would set in motion a movement that's still shaping Southern politics today.Featuring:Andrew Nurkin, professor at Duke UniversityLinks:The Assembly: The Incident at Little RiverSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

North Carolina's Research Triangle Park is the largest research park in the world. Since its inception nearly 70 years ago, it’s reimagined the way the world thinks about science, industry and education and been the site of some of the of the most important technological breakthroughs of all-time. But this wasn't exactly an obvious place to plant the so-called Silicon Valley of the South.Featuring:Mack Paul, author of Miracle Road: The Story of Research Triangle ParkJim Cortada, historian and professor at The University of MinnesotaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

If you walk through a cemetery, you’ll see some common phrases on the gravestones. Many of them are used so often, we tend to take these very public remembrances for granted. But what happens when one *really* stands out and contains a false murder accusation?This episode originally published on September 26, 2024.Featuring: Margaret Martine, local historian and co-owner of Whippoorwill Academy and VillageMax Longley, writer and contributor at Atlas ObscuraLinks: Check out Max's article for Atlas Obscura and Margaret's story in the Wilkes Journal-PatriotSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

More than 70 years ago, the U.S. Supreme Court sent shockwaves throughout the South with its ruling on Brown v Board of Education. Desegregation in public schools became the law of the land, but change didn’t happen overnight. In North Carolina, it took decades for public schools to fully integrate — and now, much of that desegregation work is coming undone. Featuring:Liz Schlemmer, education reporter at WUNC NewsLinks:WUNC News: The Long Road to IntegrationCover image: Black and white school children on a school bus, riding from the suburbs to an inner city school in Charlotte, North Carolina on February 21, 1973 (Library of Congress/Warren K. Leffler, U.S. News & World Report Magazine).See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Election Week in America is fast approaching—and if you’re like us, you’re probably a little burned out with horse race politics. So we’re offering up something different. This week, we ask three veteran political reporters a single question: what’s one of the most bizarre stories you've ever covered?Featuring:Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief and host of the WUNC Politics PodcastJeff Tiberii, co-host of Due SouthAdam Hochberg, editor of the American Homefront ProjectLinks:Sign up for the WUNC Politics NewsletterCover image: Steve Rainwater/Wikimedia CommonsSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

In Dare County, North Carolina climate change, a bureaucratic mess and one of the wildest coastlines in America are combining to create a perverse spectacle. Since 2020, over 30 houses in this region have fallen into the Atlantic Ocean.Featuring:Colin Campbell, Capitol Bureau Chief and host of the WUNC Politics PodcastRebecca Hersher, correspondent at NPRLinks:NPR: People's houses are collapsing into the ocean. FEMA gives them no other option.WUNC News: Erosion help is on the way for Buxton's disappearing beachMain Street NCCover image: A lone house out in the Atlantic Ocean dealing with snow and overwash in Buxton NC. (Photo by Daniel Pullen)See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

The completion of the Swannanoa Tunnel brought the railroad to western North Carolina and transformed the region. For almost 150 years, the legacy of the project has been one of growth and economic progress. But recent research about its construction has unearthed a tragic lost history. And surprisingly, the key to it all – was hidden in a song.Featuring:Jefrey Keith, professor of history and college archivist at Warren Wilson CollegeLinks:The Bitter Southerner: Somebody Died, Babe: A Musical Cover-Up of Racism, Violence, and GreedCover image: Incarcerated laborers circa 1880 working at Swannanoa Cut on the Western North Carolina Railroad near Round Knob in Buncombe County, North Carolina.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

On a chilly evening in 1961, a B-52 crashed in rural eastern North Carolina near the town of Goldsboro. Any plane crash is bad, but this one was particularly dangerous because onboard that bomber were two nuclear weapons. The event was perhaps the closest the United States has ever come to accidentally detonating a nuclear bomb—and kicking off a nuclear war.This episode originally published on January 2, 2025.Featuring:Jay Price, Military and Veterans Affairs reporter at WUNC and The American Homefront ProjectStephen Schwartz, independent nuclear weapons expert and author of “Atomic Audit: The Costs and Consequences of U.S. Nuclear Weapons Since 1940”Links:Read Jay's article from 2018 marking the 50th anniversary of the Goldsboro nuclear accident. View photos of the Mars Bluff Crater left behind by the nuclear accident in Florence, South Carolina.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

Like millions of Africans, Omar ibn Said was brought to the New World against his will where he spent the rest of his life enslaved in the Carolinas. But there was something remarkable about this man from present day Senegal; he was an incredibly well-educated Muslim scholar who could write Arabic. Now, 200 years later, we're finally getting to properly read Omar's letters to America.Featuring:Rhiannon Giddens, musician, actor and co-writer of the Pulitzer-winning opera OmarMbaye Lo, professor at Duke University and co-author of I Cannot Write My Life: Islam, Arabic and Slavery in Omar ibn Said's AmericaSee Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.

A little over 40 years ago, filming began in North Carolina for an ambitious movie called Maximum Overdrive. The project was led by a legendary producer who’d made some of the greatest films of all-time. And it was written and directed by the most famous author in the world—Stephen King. It seemed like a can’t miss production. But then… everything that could go wrong, did go wrong. The result was a 'cocaine-fueled' disaster that helped put the Southern film industry on the map.Featuring:Bob Gunter, cameraman and actorDan Brawley, executive director of the Cucalorus Film FoundationLinks:Jengo's Playhouse in Wilmington, NCThe Assembly: After 40 Years, Maximum Overdrive Is Still Bad Enough to be GoodCover image: A still from the 1986 cult classic horror film Maximum Overdrive. It starred Emilio Estevez, was produced by Dino De Laurentiis, and was directed and written by Stephen King. Maximum Overdrive was one of the first major movies filmed on location in Wilmington, North Carolina and is considered one of the pioneering productions of the modern Southern film industry.See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.