Thomé de Gamond's plan of 1856 for a cross-Channel link, with a port/airshaft on the Varne sandbank mid-Channel

The Channel Tunnel Is a Product of Politics, Not Engineering

The history of the Channel Tunnel is the really the contentious history between France and England.
Robert Lewis Dear

Planned Parenthood Gunman Robert Dear’s “Idiosyncratic” Faith

Planned Parenthood gunman Robert Dear has been pigeonholed for his "idiosyncratic" faith. But it's very much a part of the American evangelical tradition.
A man is talking while his assistant takes notes.

Why Is Clerical Work Women’s Work?

As office jobs increased in the early 20th century, so did the distinction between men and women appropriate employment.
The Pyramids and Sphinx

Using Technology to Understand the Pyramids

Technological advances continue to play a strong role in our efforts to understand the great pyramids of Egypt.
The Statue of Liberty.

The Poem at the Foot of Lady Liberty

Emma Lazarus's famous poem welcoming refugees to America was written during a period of nativist backlash against immigrants.
Presidential portrait of Woodrow Wilson

Understanding Woodrow Wilson’s Racism

Woodrow Wilson's racism was of its time, and so were critiques of it by the likes of political ally turned critic, W.E.B. Du Bois.
Hitler salutes marching Nazis in Weimar – Oct 1930

What Christmas Meant to the Nazis

The Nazi regime used Christmas to foster among the German people a sense of national unity and pride.
Saint Malo's walled city as viewed from Dinard from the south-west.

The Codfish Pirates of Saint Malo

Saint Malo has sheltered scoundrels and villains for much of its history, including pirates, cod smugglers, and even Nazis.
Farm workers harvesting vegetable crop.

Deportation: A History

Operation Wetback was another example of deportation being used as a social and political method of control.
People standing in the office and working together on computer.

When Companies Try to Socialize Their Employees

Recreational facilities were introduced by employers to encourage employee loyalty and instill within them certain middle-class values.