As a lady-in-waiting to the Queen of England, Frances Stuart was known as much for her ability to fend off the advances of King Charles II as for her beauty.

The renowned literary critic famously withheld his imprimatur from the books of peers and students, with two notable exceptions. What do they reveal?

The Canadian poet was inspired by everything from Ancient Egyptian mythology to folk magic, from Gnosticism to global politics.

Well-researched stories from Slate, Sapiens, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.

In the precolonial Igbo states of West Africa, power was often wielded by male chiefs or elders, but women had their own forms of authority as well. 

Dragons began life as snakes, but natural historians gradually began describing them in more fantastical ways.

British history is witness to a long struggle to curtail the power of monarchs and redefine the regulations governing succession to the throne.

Letters Written During a Short Residence in Sweden, Norway, and Denmark was arguably the most popular book ever written by Mary Wollstonecraft.

The first lesbian rights organization in the United States originated as “a social club for gay girls.”

Skeptics in Sweden voiced concerns from the get-go. Even automotive industry journalists wondered why anybody needed an SUV to go to the opera.