America’s Unlikely Cold War Weapon
During the Cold War years, the distribution and selection of American books had to change with changing objectives overseas.
Can Makeup Be Feminist?
Makeup has become a huge industry. Is it possible to enjoy the practice of beautification and be feminist at the same time?
Public Baths Were Meant to Uplift the Poor
In Progressive-Era New York, a now-forgotten trend of public bathhouses was introduced in order to cleanse the unwashed masses.
The Victorian Debate Over Rabies
Rabies began a contentious debate between Victorian pet owners and veterinary experts about how to regulate dog health. Rough.
Before the Civil War, Women Were Welcomed into the Sciences
You know how the story goes. Gender discrimination is baked into science, and women were barred from the ...
The Forgotten Movement That Changed American Women’s Lives
Chatauquas changed the lives of Midwestern women between 1878 and 1900, setting the stage for new gender roles in the twentieth century.
Why We’re So Obsessed With Lizzie Borden’s 40 Whacks
Lizzie Borden’s father and stepmother were brutally murdered, possibly by Lizzie herself, in August 1892. Why are we still dissecting the crime?
The Books that Taught the Seventies to Have Sex
What can 1970s sex manuals tell us about the height of the Sexual Revolution? The 1970s was a distinctive sexual decade that’s well worth studying today.
Pioneers Were America’s Original Artisanal Bakers
Why were cowboys and pioneers so obsessed with their baked goods? A look at the birth of sourdough culture (har har) in the United States.
Was Graceland Elvis’ Greatest Aesthetic Masterpiece?
When you think of the aesthetic life of Elvis Presley, you probably think of the gaudy glitz of Graceland. But what did the tacky décor really mean?