A painting of the Henry Grace à Dieu, 1512

The Learning Labs of Sailing Ships

Taking a ship from Europe to the Americas in the early 1500s meant entering a world of cutting-edge applied technology and the mixing of social classes.
Shortcomings

Shortcomings Shows the Loneliness of Refusing to “See” Race

Adrian Tomine’s graphic novel forces the reader to surveil the world through the eyes of its protagonist, Japanese American theater manager Ben Tanaka.
A botanical drawing of poinsettias

Poinsettias, Perception, and Taylor Swift

Well-researched stories from The Conversation, Literary Hub, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Tip-O-Tip

The Zulu Prince Scam

In the 1890s, self-proclaimed Zulu princes toured the United States, performing a con game on Americans eager to know Africa and Christianize its peoples.
Portrait of Mary Taylor

Mary Taylor, Charlotte Brontë’s Cool Friend

An independent traveler and business owner, Taylor inspired many of Brontë's own enterprises, including her relocation to Brussels.
Swedish folk musicians, 1922

The Tricky Politics of Swedish Folk Music

In the early twentieth century, folk music in Sweden was connected with right-wing nationalists, leaving a complicated inheritance for today’s music fans.
Nordenfelt submarine of the Ottoman empire, probably Abdül Hamid (Nordenfelt II), c. 1886.

The Great Arms Bazaar of the Nineteenth Century

In the late nineteenth century, fed by the disintegration of the Ottoman empire, the European arms race created a global military surplus.
Aerial view of Darwin, Australia

Darwin Down Under

The largest town in Australia’s Northern Territory, Darwin offers beautiful beaches, historic seaside festivals, and some tough socioeconomic problems.
Fruitlands in 1915

The Alcott Anarchist Experiment

The failures at Fruitlands showed that anarchist and vegetarian ideals weren’t enough to sustain a community—spiritually or nutritionally.
The murder of August von Kotzebue

Assassination of A Playwright, Birth of A Nationalism

The 1819 assassination of playwright August von Kotzebue by theology student Karl Sand is considered one of foundational moments in German nationalism.