Remembering the Human Be-In
More than 20,000 participants in the counterculture gathered in San Francisco’s Golden Gate park to do little more than simply “be” together.
Hollywood Goes to Its First Lesbian Bar and Can’t Stop Staring
The Killing of Sister George was the first Hollywood movie to depict a lesbian bar. Director Robert Aldrich was obsessed with its authenticity.
What Happens When Rising Seas Shift Maritime Borders?
Some countries argue that they should keep their ocean territories, even if the land they're based on is submerged.
George Washington Williams and the Origins of Anti-Imperialism
Initially supportive of Belgian King Leopold II’s claim to have created a “free state” of Congo, Williams changed his mind when he saw the horrors of empire.
How Tree Ring Records Can Help Predict Droughts
Inside the trunks of trees lies a wealth of data on climate that goes back generations.
Discovering the “Gay Lifestyle” through 1970s Magazines
The gay men's magazines QQ and Ciao! were unabashedly liberated, but they still catered to an exclusive audience.
The Hunt of the Unicorn Tapestries Depict a “Virgin-Capture Legend”
They’re big in elementary school, but unicorn tableaux also have a complex iconographic history that combines religious and secular myths.
The Unicorns of JSTOR
These rare creatures have by turn—and somewhat paradoxically—been associated with purity, fertility, seduction, healing, sacrifice, immortality, and divinity.
Who Invented the “Mexican” Food of the United States?
The debate over what counts as authentic Mexican food may be moot when there are 7,000 Taco Bells around the world.
Monkey Chatter, Alcohol, and a Russian Treat
Well-researched stories from Atlas Obscura, The Guardian, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.