The Cemetery Symbol of Eternal Love
Why did Victorian-era gravestones include so many images of clasped hands?
How Does Couples Therapy Work?
Since the 1980s, more and more couples have sought therapy. Why is it so helpful to have that third person in the room?
Why Covenant Marriage Failed to Take Off
Three states have legalized covenant marriage, which makes divorce difficult. Why didn't it stick among communities preoccupied with family values?
The Cadaver Synod: Putting a Dead Pope on Trial
Why did Pope Stephen VI go to such great lengths to destroy an enemy who was already dead?
The Snow Day as Modern Festival
An unexpected day off work and school can take on the trappings of a religious ritual.
Cutex Hooked Americans on Manicures
How a company that started off selling cuticle remover convinced American woman to paint their nails.
The First School Gardens
In the early 1900s, immigration and child labor laws resulted in growing numbers of schoolchildren. Gardens were seen as a way to keep them under control.
Don’t Fear the Sex Recession
We shouldn't see changes in Americans’ sex lives as a single phenomenon with an overarching cause.
The Festival of the Flayed God
The terrifying and gruesome rituals of the Flayed God had a symbolic subtext that was somewhat gentler than one might imagine.