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Radiolab

Oliver Sipple

Radiolab

WNYC Studios

History, Science, Documentary, Natural Sciences, Society & Culture

4.6 • 44.5K Ratings

🗓️ 1 October 2021

⏱️ 63 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

One morning, Oliver Sipple went out for a walk. A couple hours later, to his own surprise, he saved the life of the President of the United States. But in the days that followed, Sipple’s split-second act of heroism turned into a rationale for making his personal life into political opportunity. What happens next makes us wonder what a moment, or a movement, or a whole society can demand of one person. And how much is too much?  Through newly unearthed archival tape, we hear Sipple himself grapple with some of the most vexing topics of his day and ours - privacy, identity, the freedom of the press - not to mention the bonds of family and friendship.  Reported by Latif Nasser and Tracie Hunte. Produced by Matt Kielty, Annie McEwen, Latif Nasser and Tracie Hunte. Special thanks to Jerry Pritikin, Michael Yamashita, Stan Smith, Duffy Jennings; Ann Dolan, Megan Filly and Ginale Harris at the Superior Court of San Francisco; Leah Gracik, Karyn Hunt, Jesse Hamlin, The San Francisco Bay Area Television Archive, Mike Amico, Jennifer Vanasco and Joey Plaster. Support Radiolab today at Radiolab.org/donate. Episode originally published 09/21/2017

Transcript

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0:00.0

This story contains a couple moments of profanity, cursing.

0:06.4

Just a few.

0:07.5

Know that before you go in.

0:09.9

Wait, you're listening.

0:11.0

Okay.

0:12.3

All right.

0:13.5

Okay.

0:14.9

All right.

0:16.3

You're listening to Radio Lab.

0:19.3

Radio Lab.

0:19.8

From W. N. Y.

0:21.8

C.

0:22.7

See?

0:26.8

This is Radio Lab. I'm Chad. I'm Rod.

0:28.9

So today, I want to play for you really one of my favorite stories we've ever done on Radio Lab.

0:35.5

It's one of those, those like perfect stories where all the

0:39.8

different things you want in a story come together all at once. Like you've got this single human

0:44.4

being going through something truly unique and difficult. But inside that single human being story

0:52.3

is in that kind of universe in a blade of grass sort of way, is everything.

0:57.1

You know, it's that kind of story.

0:59.7

Comes from Latif.

1:01.3

This is back in the days when Latif was a producer, and this is before he was hosting the show with Lulu Miller and I.

...

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