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How many miniature figures of the Obama family can fit in the eye of a needle? All of them. They were created by micro-sculptor Willard Wigan. Wigan speaks with host Liane Hansen about his small world.

- Susan talks with historian Willard Sterne Randall about the roots of the democratic party. The idea for the Democratic Party came about during a vacation Thomas Jefferson and James Madison took together in 1791. At the time, Thomas Jefferson was President George Washington's Secretary of State. James Madison was a member of Congress from Virginia. Jefferson felt that the idea of the American Revolution was being betrayed by the Federalists and hated the idea that its leading proponent, Alexander Hamilton, might become president. Randall is the author of "Thomas Jefferson: A Life" (1993,Henry Holt and Company). His article, "Thomas Jefferson Takes a Vacation" is in the July/August 1996 issue of AMERICAN HERITAGE magazine.

Old electric fans are the passion of listener Willard Mayes and fellow members of the American Fan Collectors Association. Mayes called our Quest for Sound phone line to tell us about his love for the machines. Quest curator Jay Allison takes us to Andover, Kansas, to hear fans hum, and sometimes, whistle.

The group that’s hoping to ask voters to expand background checks on gun sales through a potential ballot issue says they're now pushing their...

Host Liane Hansen speaks with Jesse Sheidlower, editor-at-large for the Oxford English Dictionary, about the origin of the word "lobbyist" -- and how that word has been used through the centuries.

The group pushing for expanded background checks on gun sales says the tragic mass shooting in Dayton has galvanized the state and petitioners say it's...

If trade deals are renegotiated, what does it mean for globalization? Host Steve Inskeep talks to analyst David Wessel and NPR's Frank Langfitt, who is reporting from Sunderland, England.

The proposal requiring a 60% majority for a constitutional amendment would only apply to citizen-led ballot initiatives, and not to legislature-led amendments.

In some fancy hotels, Christmas tea has become a refined respite for harried shoppers. But the tradition's roots are much rowdier: efforts to fight public drunkenness.

The U.S. Supreme Court recently issued a landmark ruling that overturns 40 years of precedent and ends compelled union dues for public employees. Now, a...