Style Tips from the Harem
When 19th-century American women visited Turkish harems, they came home with very different impressions than their male counterparts.
What Ever Happened to the Beetheads?
A lighthearted look at Americans' nicknames of yore, from master humorist H. L. Mencken.
When an Argument Over Macbeth Incited a Bloody Riot
On May 10th, 1849, protestors rioted at Astor Place Opera House, leading to the deadliest civic insurrection in American history up to that time.
These Gravity-Defying Sculptures Provoked Accusations of Demonic Possession
Demons and artists, it seems, pull from the same bag of tricks. They take ordinary matter and transform it into something more wondrous, more terrifying.
The Military Response to Poaching
Is militarizing rangers really the best way to cut down on poaching? It's more complicated than you might imagine.
Woodstock: Sex, Drugs, and Zoning
It's the 50th anniversary of the famous Woodstock festival, which was fraught with controversy before it even happened.
Are We Being Framed?
How the linguistic trick of framing shapes meaning--and can lead to deception.
When Big Business Backed Social Security
Contemporary conservatives call for the U.S. government to ditch Social Security in favor of private savings. But it wasn't always this way.
What The Great Gatsby Reveals About The Jazz Age
F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel embraced jazz, while also falling prey to the racist caricatures associated with it.
The Rise and Fall of Hologram Art
Major artists like Roy Lichtenstein and Louise Bourgeois have experimented with holography, but it has yet to be taken seriously as an art form.