On May 3, 1971, at 5 p.m., All Things Considered debuted on 90 public radio stations.
In the more than four decades since, almost everything about the program has changed, from the hosts, producers, editors and reporters to the length of the program, the equipment used and even the audience.
However there is one thing that remains the same: each show consists of the biggest stories of the day, thoughtful commentaries, insightful features on the quirky and the mainstream in arts and life, music and entertainment, all brought alive through sound.
All Things Considered is the most listened-to, afternoon drive-time, news radio program in the country. Every weekday the two-hour show is hosted by Ailsa Chang, Mary Louise Kelly and Ari Shapiro. In 1977, ATC expanded to seven days a week with a one-hour show on Saturdays and Sundays, which is hosted by Michel Martin.
During each broadcast, stories and reports come to listeners from NPR reporters and correspondents based throughout the United States and the world. The hosts interview newsmakers and contribute their own reporting. Rounding out the mix are the disparate voices of a variety of commentators.
All Things Considered has earned many of journalism's highest honors, including the George Foster Peabody Award, the Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award and the Overseas Press Club Award.
-
Engineers at Jeff Bezos' space company Blue Origin are trying to figure out why their massive New Glenn rocket exploded on its launch pad Thursday night.
-
In Laos, rescue efforts are underway to reach seven men who have been trapped inside a cave for over a week.
-
A Kenyan court has temporarily halted the opening of a U.S. Ebola quarantine center. The move follows protests over infection risks and claims that the country could be used as a "containment colony."
-
The Primary used to be just the first step in the electoral process — now the primary has transformed, in many places into the moment when the election is all but decided. It's shaping Congress.
-
There have been hundreds of thousands of casualties on both sides of the war in Ukraine, and by some estimates more than 80% are now caused by drones. It's changed the nature of battlefield medicine.
-
Conservationists are celebrating the first Yellowstone-area grizzly cub born with DNA from outside that genetically isolated population. It's a milestone for the species.
-
The band Boards of Canada has a large and dedicated community of fans. Their 13-year-long wait for a new album is now over.
-
Former Attorney General Pam Bondi was questioned by House lawmakers Friday about her handling of the release of files in the case of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein.
-
Marketers sell all kinds of tests and supplements to fix your gut health. But is any of this actually worth spending money on?
-
NPR's Sacha Pfeiffer talks with financial historian Brendan Greeley about President Trump's push to be featured on a new $250 bill.