The Bob Edwards Show, Paul Ehrlich, Cynthia Hoover, and Anna Karvellas, January 25, 2011

In 1968, Stanford ecologist Paul Ehrlich published the best-selling book The Population Bomb in which he stated, "The battle to feed all of humanity is over ... In the 1970s and 1980s hundreds of millions of people will starve to death in spite of any crash programs embarked upon now." Ehrlich has been criticized for making false, doomsday predictions although he maintains that, if anything, his book was overly optimistic. Now in his 80s and one of the most famous environmentalists working today (he was on Johnny Carson more than 20 times), Ehrlich is still teaching, researching and publishing. His latest book, Humanity on a Tightrope, examines ways to create a sustainable society capable of preserving the planet.

Then, German immigrant and 19th century entrepreneur William Steinway rose from poverty to become one of New York City's most powerful figures. He kept a detailed record of his life and times, and now, for the first time, the 2,500 pages of his diaries are available for scholars and the public to read on-line. The William Steinway Diary is available at the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History website. Curator Cynthia Hoover and on-line editor Anna Karvellas discuss the project. [Broadcast Date: January 25, 2011]