Illustration: an eleventh century Byzantine depiction of King Solomon

Source: https://digitalcollections.nypl.org/items/510d47e4-380c-a3d9-e040-e00a18064a99

How People Paid Their Taxes in Biblical Times

Think doing your taxes is annoying? Imagine trying it without a computer, a calculator… or even the Arabic numeral system.
uber driver gig economy

Working More for Less: Dangers of the Gig Economy

The "gig economy" benefits startups and tech companies, but it may be unsustainable, and unethical for the economy, and workers, at large.
solar panels

Are Some Solar Panels More Environmentally Friendly Than Others?

A new solar process utilizing nanoparticles has to potential to nearly double the energy output per unit area of solar panels.
Photograph: revelers in stylish Easter hats at the New York City Easter Parade and Bonnet Festival, 2015

Source: https://flic.kr/p/r2tGNN

The Religious Roots of the Easter Parade

The revival of Easter as a festival-type holiday coincided with a rise in Catholic immigration and relaxing religious standards in the 1880's.
A postcard featuring the Castillo de San Marcos

St. Augustine, the Real First European Settlement in America?

By the time Jamestown, Virginia was settled, St. Augustine, Florida was already 42 years old. The rich history of America's oldest settlement.
nature poems orange foliage

Ten Breathtaking Nature Poems

In honor of National Poetry Month, we’ve gathered some of the best nature poems from JSTOR. Including Mary Oliver, Sylvia Plath, Dylan Thomas, and others.
JSTOR Daily Friday Reads

Pulitzer Prize Winning Poet Tyehimba Jess

Tyehimba Jess has won the Pulitzer Prize for poetry. We found 4 of his early poems in their original publications and made them open access here.
Sophie Scholl

Sophie Scholl and the Legacy of Resistance

Sophie Scholl has become the face of resistance to Nazism. That took decades, as the legacy of resistance itself was resisted.
jefferson davis inauguration

The Battle Over Confederate Heritage Month

A Southern governor has proclaimed April to be Confederate Heritage Month. But how can you celebrate the confederacy without mentioning slavery?
Jefferson statue

What Are We to Make of Thomas Jefferson?

There is perhaps no more enigmatic figure in American history than Thomas Jefferson, born April 13, 1743. How should his legacy be understood today?