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Did you know that the word "Frisbee" is derived from Mary Frisbie, a woman who made pies in Connecticut? Or that "silhouette" originated with Etienne de Silhouette, an 18th century French finance minister? John Marciano shines light on these and many other etymological mysteries in Anonyponymous: The Forgotten People Behind Everyday Words.

John Updike tended to let his characters age with him, and his final group of short stories, My Father's Tears, is no exception. He wrote of characters who are "taking up space at an age when most of our fathers were considerately dead."

One day, musicologist John Work happened to record an obscure street singer's blues talent. Discovering that field recording leads commentator Bruce Nemerov to reflect on how the blues were marketed before World War II.

John McGahern struggled for 10 years to write the novel Amongst Women. Fellow Irish author Colm Toibin says it was worth the wait: The pacing of the novel is masterly, he says, and its rhythms are filled with hidden emotion.

"Michael contacted me and he just wanted to turn into a monster," says director John Landis.

Republican presidential candidate John McCain leads the polls in South Carolina ahead of Saturday's primary. He is emphasizing his national security experience and a message of economic "straight talk" — and downplaying negative campaigning efforts against him.

John le Carre, a one-time British intelligence officer, has been writing spy stories for more than 40 years. In his latest novel, he explores the complexities of the war on terror.

But that never stops NPR's Scott Simon, especially on International Talk Like a Pirate Day.

In early January 2023, John Cheeks saw that the winning Powerball numbers online matched his lottery ticket. But when he tried to redeem the prize, he was told it was a "mistake." Now, he's suing.

Artificial intelligence is coming to Wimbledon! Starting summer of 2025, the famous U.K. tennis tournament says it'll replace line judges with an AI-powered camera system.

On Sunday, U.S. agents fired tear gas at migrants trying to cross into San Diego from Tijuana, Mexico. The migrants were protesting the slow pace with which the U.S. has been processing asylum claims.

NPR film critic Bob Mondello offers a selective preview of the likely blockbusters and Oscar contenders that Hollywood has in store for the end of the year.

Apple Daily was closed, universities were muzzled and prominent activists were either jailed or exiled. The national security law has surely made an impact in Hong Kong in its first year in force.

The decision reverses decades of precedent upheld over the years by narrow court majorities that included Republican-appointed justices.

Health officials say there's very little risk to humans from the bird flu outbreak among dairy cattle, but there's still much they don't know. Here are four questions scientists are trying to answer.

The Trump administration has effectively eliminated two rules designed to promote cleaner cars. Now, as the EPA suggests not considering carbon dioxide to be pollution, the last rule is poised to fall.

Here's what a few plant and gardening experts say it takes to save a dying plant.

Surrounded by scenic pastoral landscape, a restaurant in Lancaster County, Pa., has a lot of tongues wagging over its signature beef dish, called "The Truth." Its fans like knowing exactly where their meat is coming from.

As a young journalist seven decades ago, John F. Kennedy witnessed a bombed-out Berlin and Adolf Hitler's bunker. Bidding on his diary starts Wednesday and is expected to top $200,000 Wednesday.

The film adaptation of John Green's fine young adult novel The Fault in Our Stars unfortunately fails to bring to life what made the book so compelling.