Hello Kitty Bus

The Serious Subtext of Japan’s “Cute” Culture

The real reasons behind Japan's culture of kawaii, or "cute." 
Watts

Did The 1965 Watts Riots Change Anything?

Sociological data from immediately after the riots in Watts, Los Angeles, in 1965 show major disparities in attitude by race.
rio olympics

How Olympics Host Cities Hide Their Homeless

Olympic host cities have historically cleared away and marginalized their homeless in advance of the games.
Sirius

What Are the Dog Days of Summer?

The "dog days of summer" are attributed to the rise of Sirius, the Dog Star, but research into the lore suggests another dog entirely.
Black and white drawing of an ant

What We Saw Under the Microscope’s Lens

The lens, a tool technology that helps make the invisible world visible, brought a revolutionary perspective to our descriptions of nature.
Photograph: a woman applying facial cosmetic product.

What Beauty Product Trends Really Mean

American beauty products were once widely exported abroad and seen as representations of freedom and modernity.
James Baldwin by Allan Warren

Gay Culture: Ancient Wonder or Modern Creation?

Even at more open-minded times, gays and gay culture is always seen as a frivolous—a decorative, added bonus of civilization.
Central medallion of a Qashqai rug, 19th century, with fragmented Herati pattern.

An Object History of the Persian Carpet

The famous Persian carpet, woven by female artisans in southwestern Iran, may be going extinct. Its story can be told in spindles and whorls.
Castle Ward

Game of Thrones and the Rebirth of Northern Ireland

Northern Ireland is seeing a resurgence in tourism, due, ironically enough, to a TV show about political violence between kingdoms: Game of Thrones.
adhesives

The Sticky History of Adhesives

Our Pleistocene ancestors in southern Africa made and used glue-like adhesives as early as the Middle Stone Age.