How the Soviet Union Turned a Plague into Propaganda
The fight against locust swarms allowed the Soviet Union to consolidate power over neighboring regions.
Morgan Jerkins: Exploring the Multitudes within American Blackness
In her new book, Wandering in Strange Lands, Morgan Jerkins takes a deeply personal look at the effects of the Great Migration.
What Happened to U.S. Public Health?
After the Civil War, support for public health measures was high. Now, some people blast them as part of the "nanny state."
The First Black Woman to Perform at the Grand Ole Opry
Linda Martell made the switch from R&B to country music in the late 1960s. Her star then shined on country's biggest stage.
Choosing Love over Eugenics
Some writers see contagion as a metaphor for community—proof that we exist within an interdependent network and not as autonomous disconnected islands.
How to Meme What You Say
The linguistic theories behind what we're trying to say when we adapt and share internet memes.
How Black Communities Built Their Own Schools
Rosenwald schools, named for a philanthropist, were funded mostly by Black people of the segregated South.
Clean Skin, Ancient Microbes, and Mom Shame
Well-researched stories from The New Yorker, Wired, and more great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
How Harassment Keeps Women off Hiking Trails
For many women, the pleasures of solitude in the outdoors must be weighed against the possibility of harassment.
The News Junkies of the Eighteenth Century
Hooked on viral news (or is it gossip?), today's Twitter hordes owe a lot to history's coffeehouses.