This American Life Archive

383: Origin Story (2009) 19.06.2009 ↓

Little-known and surprising stories of how all sorts of institutions began.

382: The Watchmen 05.06.2009 ↓

Where were the regulators and watchdogs who were supposed to be overseeing the banks and the finance industry?

381: Turncoat 22.05.2009 ↓

A well-known activist is accused of spying on other activists for the FBI.

380: No Map 15.05.2009 ↓

Stories of people who find themselves in situations far from the beaten path, without guidelines or useful precedents.

379: Return to the Scene of the Crime 01.05.2009 ↓

A live episode of the radio program, including stories told on stage by Dan Savage and Mike Birbiglia.

378: This I Used to Believe 17.04.2009 ↓

Stories of people forced to let go of their firmly held beliefs.

377: Scenes From a Recession 27.03.2009 ↓

We highlight the unusual circumstances our economic drought has left us in.

376: Wrong Side of History 13.03.2009 ↓

Stories of people with wildly popular or unpopular views for one moment in time, and how those views stand up years later.

375: Bad Bank 27.02.2009 ↓

We tackle a very tough subject: Trying to explain exactly what a bank is and does.

374: Somewhere Out There 13.02.2009 ↓

Of the billions of people in the world, what are the odds that any two people are a real match?

373: The New Boss 30.01.2009 ↓

Stories about what happens when someone new takes over—someone with a vision of how things ought to be.

372: The Inauguration Show 16.01.2009 ↓

On the eve of Obama's inauguration, we sent reporters out to talk to people about how they're feeling.

371: Scenes From a Mall 26.12.2008 ↓

We document life in a mall in Tennessee during the run-up to Christmas.

370: Ruining It for the Rest of Us 19.12.2008 ↓

Stories of people who ruin things for everyone else, or who are accused of that.

369: Poultry Slam 2008 28.11.2008 ↓

A man in Pakistan buys an amulet with the power to protect anyone from harm. He tests it out on a chicken.

368: Who Do You Think You Are? 07.11.2008 ↓

Stories of privilege and the lengths some will go to to maintain it.

367: Ground Game 24.10.2008 ↓

We go to Pennsylvania to figure out why both McCain and Obama think they can win there.

366: A Better Mousetrap (2008) 10.10.2008 ↓

Stories about people trying to find new solutions to age-old problems.

365: Another Frightening Show About the Economy 03.10.2008 ↓

A look at what regulators could've done to prevent the financial crisis from happening in the first place.

364: Going Big 26.09.2008 ↓

Stories about people who take grand, sweeping approaches to solving problems of all sorts.

363: Enforcers 12.09.2008 ↓

Stories about people who take the law into their own hands.

362: Got You Pegged (2008) 22.08.2008 ↓

Shalom Auslander goes on vacation with his family, and suspects the chatty old man in the room next door is an imposter.

361: Fear of Sleep 08.08.2008 ↓

Mike Birbiglia talks about the sleepwalking that nearly killed him.

360: Switched at Birth 25.07.2008 ↓

Two babies switched at birth. One of the moms knew but kept it a secret for 43 years. Then she told everybody.

359: Life After Death 18.07.2008 ↓

Stories of people haunted by guilt over their role in others' deaths.