Algae: The Food of the Future of the Past
In the years following World War II, American and European food scientists hoped to feed the world with common pond scum supplemented with plastics.
The Easter Witches of Sweden
Today's lighthearted Easter tradition traces its roots to the witch trials and conspiracy theories of the 16th and 17th centuries.
Building an Economy on Paper Money
A shortage of coined currency led Pennsylvania to begin using paper money in the 1720s. The British didn't like it, but the colonists did.
Praising Maple Sugar in the Early American Republic
In Early America, some prestigious residents advocated for the replacement of cane sugar, supplied by enslaved workers, with maple sugar from family farms.
What Do Chicago Gangs Provide to Their Members?
Confronted with discrimination and violence, gangs evolve and serve members differently, even when patterned after existing groups.
Utopias, Imperial Horrors, and Bug-Based Dyes
Well-researched stories from Psyche, The New Yorker and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
The Radical Right-Wing Housewives of 1950s California
The mobilization of housewives in 1950s California echoes through US national politics in the twenty-first century.
Urban Evolution, Daily Bread, and Nuclear War
Well-researched stories from Knowable Magazine, Wired and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Radhakamal Mukerjee and Indian Intellectual Independence
Sociologist Radhakamal Mukerjee helped shape a new view of sociology from an Indian perspective, contributing to the independence movement.
Banning The Grapes of Wrath in 1939 California
The Kern County, CA Board of Supervisors got a lesson in the Streisand Effect back in 1939, when they banned The Grapes of Wrath from their libraries and schools.