Old Books

Melvil Dewey’s Attempt at a Spelling Revolution

Melvil Dewey, of the Dewey Decimal system, thought we should have spelling reform.
Extra Credit Suggested Readings from JSTOR Daily Editors

Suggested Readings: Election Surprise, Historical Echoes, Archaeological Treasure

Extra Credit: Our pick of stories from around the web that bridge the gap between news and scholarship. ...
White House

How Do White House Transitions Actually Work?

How do presidential transitions really work? Political science scholarship on White House staffers provides some insight.
credit card decals

A Brief History of the Credit Card

For now-ubiquitous consumer credit cards, bad early results had a hidden benefit.
Laser preamplifier

The Problem With Nuclear Fusion

For decades physicists have pursued a long-shot approach to clean power—nuclear fusion.
American Girl Dolls

How American Girl Dolls Teach History (And Revolution)

Can purchasing a doll be a revolutionary act? The franchise makes an effort to connect its characters with the realities of American history.
Leonard Cohen

Listening to Leonard Cohen

Influential singer/songwriter Leonard Cohen has died at age 82. Re-surfacing some Cohen-related materials on JSTOR.
Jim Jones

Drinking the Kool-Aid at Jonestown

Did you drink the Kool-Aid? The phrase has become such a part of the vocabulary that for many its origins have been obscured.
JSTOR Daily Friday Reads

Fyodor Dostoevsky

Fyodor Dostoevsky was born in Moscow on November 11, 1821. While he also wrote short stories and journalism, the politically-active ...
Hannah Höch. German, 1889-1978 Cut with the Kitchen Knife through the Last Weimar Beer-Belly Cultural Epoch in Germany

DADA at 100, or, I Zimbra!

The anti-art art movement Dada was born in 1916 in Zurich's Cabaret Voltaire.