The Broadside

The first Asian residents of North Carolina were a world-famous pair of conjoined twin brothers. And they later became quite possibly the country’s first Asian American citizens. This week, we tell the almost unbelievable story of Chang and Eng Bunker and explore the complicated legacy they left behind in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Featuring: Joe Orser , author of The Lives of Chan...

Forever chemicals like PFAS have permeated much of the country’s water supply for decades. These containments are linked to severe health problems, yet critics say federal and state government efforts to clean up waterways in places like North Carolina's Cape Fear River aren't doing nearly enough. Featuring: Celeste Guajardo , environment reporter at WUNC News Will Stone , editor and reporter for...

There are tens of thousands of Indigenous mounds located throughout the United States. For Native Americans, these earthen structures are revered as sacred places. Despite their importance to Native cultures, many of these sites have been damaged or destroyed in the past, and very few are actually owned by tribes today. But the fascinating story of one mound in Franklin, North Carolina is highligh...

In 1988, professional basketball came to North Carolina with the arrival of the Charlotte Hornets of the NBA. Desperate to make a splash, the new team made an unconventional early hire; they selected a famous fashion designer to create their uniforms. The Hornets lost 60 games during that bumpy first season, but they looked incredible while doing it. And their iconic look — purple, teal and pinstr...

Data centers projects are expanding throughout the US at hyperspeed and hyperscale. These developments are reshaping small towns, consuming vast amounts of power and striking deals that aren't always clear. And in many places, like rural North Carolina, people are starting to voice concerns in the voting booth. Featuring: Zachary Turner, reporter at WFAE in Charlotte, NC Adam Wagner, editor/report...

Flush with billions of dollars from federal funding, Immigration and Customs Enforcement is expanding its permanent presence on the ground by opening field offices and creating new detention centers. A majority of these divisive ICE projects are happening in the South, including several proposed facilities in North Carolina. But communities, from large metropolitan areas to rural small towns, are...

Known as the "Furniture Capital of the World," North Carolina is famous for its high-quality furniture. And for over a century, it's been the heartbeat of the American furniture industry. But in recent decades, that business has changed dramatically, decimating the workforce and leaving average American consumers with two less-than-ideal options: high-end luxury products or cheap and mostly dispos...

Fascinating new research is shedding light on how clothing culture during the American Civil war helped radically transform the nation during its darkest hour. Through the clothes they made, wore, mended, lost, and stole, Americans expressed their allegiances, showed their love, confronted their social and economic challenges, subverted expectations, and, ultimately, preserved their history. Featu...

In March of 1944, two basketball teams in North Carolina played perhaps the most important game that nobody has ever heard of. It was the first interracial college basketball game in the Jim Crow South. And it remained a secret for half a century. Featuring: Scott Ellsworth, author of “The Secret Game: A Wartime Story of Courage, Change, and Basketball’s Lost Triumph” Links: You can check out Scot...

The Trump administration is considering major changes to the way that disaster response works in America, including ceding more responsibility to states. But is that really a good idea? North Carolina's spotty record of responding to hurricanes might provide some answers and offer a glimpse into the uncertain future of disaster relief. Featuring: Rebecca Hersher , reporter on NPR's Climate De...

In 1937, a man claimed to have discovered a rock in eastern North Carolina with a 400-year-old message carved into it from survivors of the Lost Colony of Roanoke. The announcement created an international media circus. And it led to one of the biggest archeological scandals in American history, one that would forever tarnish the artifact’s reputation. But was the Dare Stone authentic? Featuring:...

From public syllabi to surveillance, universities across the country are embracing unprecedented policies that professors say are undermining their academic freedom. And North Carolina is front and center. Featuring: Brianna Atkinson, higher education reporter for WUNC News Keith Whittington , director of Center for Academic Freedom and Free Speech at Yale Law School and author of “You Can’t Teach...

When disaster strikes in the water, we turn to the US Coast Guard. Today, it’s renowned for its fast-moving cutters, skilled helicopter pilots and daring rescue divers. But a hundred and fifty years ago, the Coast Guard's predecessor, the US Life-Saving Service, was in total disarray and in desperate need of reform. In the treacherous waters of North Carolina's Outer Banks, an extraordinary group...

As the story goes, hip-hop music was born a little over 50 years ago at a house party in the Bronx. But that version of history doesn't account for an entertainer from Durham, North Carolina with the incredible name Pigmeat Markham. In 1968, Markham released a hit song called “Here Comes the Judge.” The tune fused comedy, funk, and what can only be described as an early form of rapping—years befor...

Other places might have bigger mountains and better powder, but the icy slopes of western North Carolina are currently home to one of the most vibrant snowboarding scenes in the country. And it's produced perhaps the single most creative rider in the world. But is it all just a fluke? Featuring: Josh Sullivan , social media producer for WUNC News Michelle Bruton , action sports and Olympics writer...

From Huntsville to Houston, the space industry in the US is rooted in the South. And as NASA works towards returning to the moon with the Artemis program, our space history is inspiring new generations of Americans. But in North Carolina, two important sites from the Space Race of the 1960s remain relatively unknown. Featuring: Cliff Bumgardner, director and producer at PBS North Carolina Brett Ti...

From bourbon to chow chow, fermentation is everywhere in Southern food and drink. But how did this "controlled form of rotting" become so prevalent in our regional cuisine and why does it make everything taste so dang delicious? Featuring: Dr. Brett Taubman, author of Southern Culture on the Fizz and director of the Fermentation Sciences program at Appalachian State University See Privacy Policy a...

On a cold night in January 1958, hundreds of Native American men and women from the Lumbee Tribe showed up to a field in southeast North Carolina with one mission: to boot the KKK out of their community. The skirmish that followed would become an integral part of modern Lumbee identity and lore. Featuring:  Jack Lowery, criminal defense lawyer and member of the Lumbee Tribe of North Carolina...

Buc-ee’s, the mega-sized gas station known for its pristine bathrooms, numerous snack options and cartoon beaver mascot, is expanding across the South. And it’s bringing with it a legion of cultish fans. But what’s with all the hype? And does the world really need a gas station the size of a Walmart with 20 different flavors of beef jerky? Featuring:  Emily Cataneo, freelance journalist and c...

This New Year's Day we're revisiting one of our all-time favorite episodes of The Broadside. We'll be back with a new original show next week. On a rainy day in 1979, a photograph was taken of a young girl skateboarding down a street in Fayetteville, North Carolina. 45 years later, that photo went viral with a little help from the most famous skater who ever lived: Tony Hawk. This week, we find ou...

During this holiday break, we're sharing an episode from the podcast series Our Common Nature, produced by our friends at WYNC.  When the world stopped in 2020, cellist Yo-Yo Ma started thinking about how music can reconnect people to the natural world, and how story and song can help us grapple with America's complicated history. Our Common Nature is a 7-episode series where Yo-Yo Ma travels...

On our 100th episode there are no small stories… just short ones. In the past two years, we've crisscrossed the state of North Carolina. From Manteo to Murphy and many points in between. And we’ve done our best to connect you – wherever you live – to the people and places that make our region so fascinating. Along the way, we’ve collected a few stories that, for whatever reason, didn’t fit into a...

It’s easy to overlook the importance of mini golf. But this tiny game has played a pivotal role in breaking down class barriers to golf. And the story of how a bite sized version of golf made it from one man’s lawn in North Carolina to the rest of the world is utterly fascinating. Featuring: Audrey Moriarty, Executive Director at Given Memorial Library and Tufts Archives Carolyn Cole, owner of Thi...

The Blue Ridge Mountains of western North Carolina are one of the most biodiverse places on the planet. The region is home to a whopping 4,000 species of plants and thousands of species of fungi. And many of them are edible. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, some folks (including children) are embracing this supermarket in the woods by learning how to forage for wild food… and how not to get poison...

This Thanksgiving we're sharing an interview from our friends and colleagues at Due South , WUNC’s daily talk show. Hosted by Leoneda Inge and Jeff Tiberii, the program is a source for news, information and perspectives from across North Carolina and the South. In this conversation, Leoneda chats with Dr. Brittany Hunt. Hunt is a professor at the Virginia Tech School of Education, where she teache...