How Pigeons Helped Fight World War I
At ten weeks old, many of the birds headed to the trenches, carrying back messages over distances of about ten miles.
The Return of Hemp
Even though it's made from cannabis plants, you can't get high on hemp. But it was classified as an illicit drug for nearly 50 years.
How Poor Women Shaped the War on Poverty
Bridging the gap between policy and people was a central aim of the War on Poverty. Often, women were the ones who linked the government to the community.
Guns in America: Foundations and Key Concepts
This non-exhaustive list of readings on the role of guns in US history and society introduces the field as a subject of scholarly inquiry.
Smoke Pollution from Prescribed Burns vs. Wildfires
Government can regulate air quality. But some policies on smoke might be self-defeating.
Peter the Great’s Beard Tax
Why did the Russian tsar seek to ban beards?
Space Medicine for the Inexperienced Astronaut
The promise of commercial spaceflight raises questions about how untrained travelers will endure the extreme hostility of space.
How Dolly Parton Is Literally Like a Cougar
The mountain cat’s cries, like Dolly Parton’s famous songs, carry the diverse voices of rural Appalachia.
Plant of the Month: Cork
Why is cork so strongly associated with bottle stoppers? The answer goes back centuries.
ADHD: The History of a Diagnosis
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder has been a controversial diagnosis since it was first described, back in the 1940s.