How Audre Lorde Weathered the Storm
When Audre Lorde wrote from St. Croix that Hurricane Hugo would not be the last natural disaster of its scale, she was pointing to human failures.
Hollywood Froze Out the Founding Mother of Cinema
French filmmaker Alice Guy-Blaché was the first female film director, and renowned as an innovator in the field. Then she moved to Hollywood.
The Female Fossilist Who Became a Jurassic Period Expert
Dressed in a petticoat and bonnet, Mary Anning climbed precarious cliffs to find prehistoric fossils.
The Painting That Changed New York City
Classical nudes were once reserved for learned men in elite spaces. Then a hotelier hung Nymphs and Satyr in a public bar, shaking up NYC's bourgeoisie.
Arctic Ice, Dead Whales, and Cycles of Abuse
Well-researched stories from Aeon, Slate, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Remembering Climate Pioneer Dr. Wallace Broecker
He brought us the term "global warming," furthering our understanding of the ways in which people affect the planet's climate.
Women Made Butter a Behemoth
In the 19th century, butter production became a valuable way for women to profit off their farms-- and it soon became a major agricultural product.
“Mad Meg,” the Poet-Duchess of 17th Century England
Margaret Cavendish, Duchess of Newcastle-upon-Tyne, shocked the establishment by publishing poems and plays under her own name.
How Opium Use Became a Moral Issue
In the 19th century, England's working classes frequently used opium. But there weren't laws against the drug until the middle classes started using it.
The Socialist Origins of International Women’s Day
Why is International Women's Day on March 8th? The answer is much more complicated than you might think.