It's the Brian Larry Show on WNYC.

Good morning, everyone.

My team and I are taking a holiday season break today,

and we're re-airing some segments from 2025 that we think you'll enjoy or enjoy again,

lightly edited for clarity and time.

So we can't take your calls today, but we hope you enjoy these conversations about anniversaries.

Marian Nessel and Stephen Dubner on the 20th anniversaries of their groundbreaking books,

historian Edward Larson on the significance

of the year 1776, 250 years later, now it's 2026, and a documentary celebrating 100 years

of the New Yorker magazine. We kick it off here.

Wait, that's not the Brian Lariselle theme song.

But surely many of you will recognize it.

It's been 20 years since Freakonomics was published and 15 years of radio stories that uncover the hidden side of everything as they do.

Ever wondered what makes a perfect parent or why drug dealers still live with their parents?

For the last 20 years, we've read and listened to Freakonomics host Stephen J. Dubner

explore questions like these using the tools of economics in a way that anyone can understand and enjoy. And so in honor

of the 20th anniversary of the original Freakonomics book, Stephen Dubner and his co-author, economist Stephen

Levitt, have released a new edition. And Stephen Dubner joins us now to reintroduce us to Free Economics,

preview what's in the new version, and give us a taste of

what's to come. Stephen, always great to talk. Welcome back to WNYC. Brian, hi, thank you. Hi,

everybody listening to WNYC. To start at the very beginning, the name Freakonomics, I was surprised

to learn that your publisher 20 years ago didn't like the name.

...