A Glimpse at Women’s Periods in the Roaring Twenties
A 1927 study by famed efficiency expert Lillian Moller Gilbreth revealed how American women dealt with menstruation -- and how they wished they could.
A Phrenologist’s Dream of an Octagon House
Orson S. Fowler thought houses without right angles would offer a better life, but his own architectural experiments did not end well.
Taking Children’s Art Seriously
Are children’s drawings meaningless scribbles or serious creative work? Western scholars and child psychologists have debated this topic for years.
Why Companies Swallow Poison Pills
Faced with a potential hostile takeover, companies may deploy a dramatic shareholder rights plan, colloquially known as a "poison pill."
The Biology of Death-Feigning
Some animals, when faced with predators, play dead instead of trying to escape. But for death-feigning to work, a lot of things have to go well.
“No Unescorted Ladies Will Be Served”
For decades, bars excluded single women, claiming the crowds were too “rough” and “boisterous” and citing vague fears of “fallen girls.”
How Impressionist Berthe Morisot Painted Women’s Lives
Berthe Morisot never became as famous as her counterparts Claude Monet and Édouard Manet, but her work has an important place in art history.
The Woman Agrostologist Who Held the Earth Together
When government wouldn't fund female fieldwork, Agnes Chase pulled together her own resources.
To Save Civilization, Hang Up Your Phone
It's uniquely annoying to listen to one side of someone else's cellphone call. Our technology columnist examines why that is.
Admissions Cheating, Fake Voices, and Inuit Parenting
Well-researched stories from NPR, The Cut, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.