T. S. Eliot and the Holy Grail
The Nobel Laureate drew on a centuries-old legend when he put the Fisher King in The Waste Land.
Plant of the Month: Poplar
Poplar—ubiquitous in timber, landscape design, and Indigenous medicines—holds new promise in recuperating damaged ecosystems.
The Imperiled Inland Sea
Twenty years ago, scholar W. D. Williams predicted the loss of salt lakes around the world.
Mongol Women, Mass Shootings, and Playful Rats
Well-researched stories from Atlas Obscura, Pysche, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Deaf Colonists in Victorian-Era Canada
In 1884, educator Jane Groom defied naysayers to found a community for working-class Deaf people on prairies of Manitoba.
How Black Radio Changed the Dial
Black-appeal stations were instrumental in propelling R&B into the mainstream while broadcasting news of the ever-growing civil rights movement.
Scientific Seances in Twentieth-Century Iran
Spiritism appealed to Iranian intellectuals who sought to reconcile their commitment to science with their pursuit of moral reform.
Rosa Bonheur’s Permission to Wear Pants
One of the few women permitted to wear trousers during the Third Republic, the French artist developed a sense of self through her clothing choices.
The Harms of Being Subjugated and Doing the Subjugation
A formerly incarcerated psychologist looks at incarceration through the lens of learned helplessness, the Stanford Prison Experiment, synapses, and power.
The First Koreatown
Pachappa Camp, the first Korean-organized immigrant settlement in the United States, was established through the efforts of Ahn Chang Ho.