Abdi and the Golden Ticket

One boat, two families; trying to escape war in Syria, desperate to start a new life in Europe. In October 2013, dozens of migrants aboard that boat died, as it travelled across the Mediterranean Sea. But some eventually made it to Malta. What happened next? 

The richest man of all time was 14th Century monarch King Mansa Musa, who reigned over Mali from 1312 to 1337. His fortune came from gold and salt, and control of trade routes. 

A startling 300-year journey of a Stradivarius violin through the lives of geniuses, dictators, refugees, and the Milwaukee thieves who stole it from violinist Frank Almond. 

Alan hears stories from people who’ve transformed their lives and are helping others to do the same against the backdrop of the pandemic. He speaks to Alhaji in Sierra Leone who’s building a house for his parents from the money he’s earned working in the United States. He hears f ... Show More

After the lottery’s winning numbers are drawn at the annual Bark Street Lottery, the search is on for the winning ticket that mysteriously vanished from Wheeler’s Gadget Shack. Fair fortune awaits whoever finds the winning ticket! 

Kenneth Chenault learned early on to only worry about the things he could control, this helped him when life—and business at American Express—threw unpredictable events his way. He broke barriers as the company's first African American CEO and helped turn AmEx from a traveler's c ... Show More

We go to the Caribbean island of Dominica and hear the story of Jacko, a formerly enslaved man who became a national hero for his ingenious escape and emancipation efforts READ MORE IN THE ATLAS: https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/jacko-steps 

What's Kim Kardashian like? A 25-year-old shares wild stories about living and working in a boujee Colorado ski town teaching wealthy people (including Kim and Kanye) how to ski. She opens up about being the daughter of diplomats wondering if she'll move to Europe to be closer to ... Show More

It is said that there is not one American dream but many, and few have lived more than JD Vance. Growing up in Appalachia on the border between poverty and the lower working class, JD knew economic fear first hand as well as the cultural devastation of the region's post-coal era. ... Show More

From scratchers to the Powerball, the lottery is the most popular form of gambling in the United States, even though the odds of winning a big jackpot is infinitesimally small. Jonathan D. Cohen is a historian and the author of the book For a Dollar and a Dream; State Lotteries i ... Show More

Bonus – Extending the story: Sheriff Elijah Taylor defends the Nation of Texas from desperate and dangerous immigrants from the chaotic United States. When he runs into the Fosters and Itanis, he discovers a new wrinkle in the mystery he’s chasing.