The Long Civil Rights Movement
The “master narrative” of civil rights in the United States obscures the history of a more radical civil rights movement that stretches to the 1930s.
HMS Challenger and the History of Science at Sea
Sailing ships were once used as scientific instruments themselves, but in the 1800s, ships like the Challenger were transformed into floating laboratories.
“Protecting Kids” from Gay Marriage
Leading up to a 2004 debate about same-sex marriage, conservatives shifted their focus away from moral issues and toward arguments about children’s welfare.
Seeing Cannibals in the Enlightenment
The responses British and Spanish explorers had to the Nuu-chah-nulth (Nootka) people and their alleged cannibalism came down to imperialist goals.
Like, It’s a History of Air Guitar, Dudes!
With roots in the motions and biases of vaudeville, burlesque, mesmerism, and minstrelsy, “air playing” with imaginary instruments long predates rock music.
Astronomers Have Warned against Colonial Practices in the Space Industry
A philosopher of science explains how the industry could explore other planets without exploiting them.
Japanese Tourists at the Dancehall
For some young, working-class Japanese men and women, Jamaican reggae clubs offer an escape from cultural norms and a way to gain currency in the music world.
Tree of Peace, Spark of War
The white pines of New England may have done more than any leaf of tea to kick off the American Revolution.
Street Shrines, Bug Photos, and Revolutionary Women
Well-researched stories from The Conversation, Quanta Magazine, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
How Sports Shaped Glacier Science
The heroic masculinity that governed early glacial science had its roots in nineteenth-century British sporting culture.