The Swooning Knights of Medieval Stories
In romantic literature of the fourteenth and fifteen centuries, fainting wasn’t just for ladies.
Nice Guy Spinoza Finishes…First?
The Dutch Jewish philosopher Spinoza died in 1677, which is when the battle to define his life—and work—began.
Shakespeare’s First Published Work
Celebrated for his plays, Shakespeare actually opened his writing career with a derivative poem.
Birth of the Corporate Person
The defining of corporations as legal “persons” entitled to Fourteenth Amendment rights got a leg up from the fight over a California anti-Chinese immigrant law.
Svalbard: Seeds of Hope
The Arctic archipelago is a bellwether for global climate change, but it also offers a safety net in a planetary disaster scenario.
Total Solar Eclipse, 2024 Edition
A total solar eclipse crosses North America on Monday, April 8. Be prepared!
Marbled Money
Marbled paper was a way to make banknotes and checks unique—a critical characteristic for a nascent American Republic.
Earth Isn’t the Only Planet With Seasons
But they can look wildly different on other worlds.
Up the Junction: A Place, A Fiction, A Film, A Condition
In addition to a New Wave hit, Nell Dunn's 1963 book about young women in a poor London neighborhood inspired a Ken Loach adaption that helped shift British attitudes toward abortion.
Dragon Swallows the Sun: Predicting Eclipses in China
China had a long history of astronomy before the arrival of Europeans, but the politics of absolute rule led to the eventual embrace of Western methods.