Jody Rosen is a contributing writer at the New York Times Magazine and a bike nut who has just published a rousing (and sometimes arousing) book called “Two Wheels Good: The History and Mystery of the Bicycle.” Today, he takes us on a rollicking ride through the two-wheeled revolution, revealing the surprising ways bicycles have shaped the world in which we ... Show More
Today
What If Saving the Planet Could Be Fun?
Despite decades of urgency and alarm, progress on climate change has felt frustratingly slow. What if we've been going about it all wrong? Elizabeth Dunn and Jiaying "JZ" Zhao think there's a missing ingredient in the conversation: joy. In their new book, Leave the Lights On, Liz ... Show More
58m 24s
Jul 6
How to Live a Long and Useful Life
Publisher, scientist, humorist, diplomat — Benjamin Franklin was America's first polymath. Today, with help from Eric Weiner, we revisit Franklin's life, searching for tips about how to be healthy, wealthy, and wise. This episode first aired in July 2024. 🎥 The Next Big Idea is ... Show More
57m 42s
Jul 2
As America Turns 250, Are You in the Mood to Celebrate?
"We’re entering our 250th birthday, and we’re not quite in the mood for a birthday party. We’ve been tearing ourselves apart." That's what Walter Isaacson told Rufus when they sat down last year. But, he says, it doesn't have to be that way. "Let's use this birthday party as a ch ... Show More
1h 8m
Sep 2024
Jonathan Maskit, "Bicycle" (Bloomsbury, 2023)
These days the bicycle often appears as an interloper in a world constructed for cars. An almost miraculous 19th-century contraption, the bicycle promises to transform our lives and the world we live in, yet its time seems always yet-to-come or long-gone-by. In Bicycle (Bloomsbur ... Show More
1h 14m
Dec 2019
Evan Friss, "On Bicycles: A 200-Year History of Cycling in New York City" (Columbia UP, 2019)
Evan Friss, an associate professor of history at James Madison University, historicizes the bicycle’s place in New York City’s social, economic, infrastructural and cultural politics.
On Bicycles: A 200-Year History of Cycling in New York City (Columbia UP, 2019) curates a histor ... Show More
49m 26s
Jun 2013
Boys of Summer: The Bike Perfecter
<p>In the third Boys of Summer installment, Cristen and Caroline hat tip JK Starley, the engineer who invented the bicycle as we know it today, and explain how the bicycle was a transportation revolution for women.</p><p> </p> Learn more about your ad-choices at <a href="https:// ... Show More
20m 23s
Jul 2022
How can we get more people on their bikes?
<p>Cycling is healthy, cheap - and as modes of transport go, they don’t come much greener.
Worldwide, transport is responsible for nearly a quarter of all carbon emissions, with road transport alone accounting for 75% of that. But so far, most discussions on greening the tran ... Show More
27m 10s