Portrait of L.M. Montgomery

L. M. Montgomery’s Plain Jane

Though not as well known as Anne of Green Gables, Montgomery's Jane of Lantern Hill also explores domesticity, freedom, and, yes, Prince Edward Island.
Portrait of Aldous Huxley, 1920s

When Aldous Huxley Dropped Acid

In Hollywood, the esteemed ex-pat made the acquaintance of Alfred Hubbard, a Kentucky-born smuggler of ill-repute who introduced him to a brave, new world.
The partially destroyed National and University Library of Bosnia, 1992

Whence Warchitecture

The targeted destruction of the built environment during the Bosnian War led to the emergence of a new term in the discourse of urbicide: warchitecture.
Derek not so Smalls performs during the 2008 Cuervo Black US Air Guitar Championships at The Regency Grand Ballroom in San Francisco, California

Like, It’s a History of Air Guitar, Dudes!

With roots in the motions and biases of vaudeville, burlesque, mesmerism, and minstrelsy, “air playing” with imaginary instruments long predates rock music.
Employees of Ottenheimer on strike for poor treatment

Labor Day: A Celebration of Working in America

Our best stories about workers' rights, labor unions, and international movements to improve working conditions, from the factory to the farm.
Paul Newman lets a lit cigarette hang from his mouth while lining up a pool shot in a scene from the film 'The Hustler', 1961.

Playing It Straight and Catching a Break

Cue games have had a lingering influence on our language and culture—even before the contributions of “Fast Eddie” Felson.

A Selection of Student Confessions

Did you break a campus rule? Let the students of Millersville Normal School show you how to confess to the administration.
A Catalogue of the Severall Sects and Opinions in England and other Nations: With a briefe Rehearsall of their false and dangerous Tenents.

The Bawdy House Riots of 1668

Though so-called bawdy house riots were common in seventeenth-century London, the disorder of 1668 revealed the city’s deep political and religious resentments.
Edwin Gonzalez, Iris Alomar, and Ray Gerdes, the three winners in the inaugural hamburger eating contest, at the Police Athletic League youth center on West 79th Street in New York City, New York, circa 1955.

The Curious History of Competitive Eating

The annals of competitive eating contests are full of more than just hot dogs.
An illustration of a crocodile head

“The Crocodile,” Dostoevsky’s Weirdest Short Story

Why being eaten by a crocodile named Little Karl is really a lesson in the dangers of foreign capital.