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Massive reconstruction efforts in the wake of catastrophes aren't without precedent in America. A number of U.S. cities have had to rebuild from the rubble.

In The Toothpick, author Henry Petroski looks at the odd and sometimes secretive history of the three-inch stick of wood. Picking your teeth, he finds, is among mankind's oldest bad habits.

For many Americans, the hula dance conjures images of grass skirts, coconuts and swinging hips. But a new documentary airing Tuesday on PBS looks beyond hula kitsch to explore its roots in ancient Hawaiian traditions. Hear Lisette Marie Flanary, co-producer of American Aloha: Hula Beyond Hawaii.

Before it was a state, Colorado was part of Mexico. Evidence of its Mexican roots aren't always obvious unless one knows where to look.

News analyst NPR's Daniel Schorr says the flap over the falsified documents from George W. Bush's time in the Texas Air National Guard, covered on CBS News, will occupy a place in the annals of political hoaxes.

Mexico elects its next president July 2. The race is hotly contested between leftist Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and conservative Felipe Calderon. Mexico's electoral system has long been known for fraud, financing irregularities, and the outright buying of votes. While Mexico has improved dramatically under an independent electoral watchdog, shadows of its past remain. Michael O'Boyle reports.

The modern shopping cart — as we know it — didn't always exist, which meant it had to be invented. The How Curious podcast explores the history of the shopping cart.

Greats including Winston Churchill and Graham Greene weigh in on the legendary comic actor Charlie Chaplin in a new essay collection. Editor Richard Shickel talks about The Essential Chaplin.