A treasure chest in the woods

The Plight of the Hunter

Seeking buried treasure has long been an American pastime, but its the failure to find the gold that keeps the hunt—and the story—alive.
From the cover of Life Magazine, August 1925

A Cigarette-Eye View of US History

The big story for cigarettes in the twentieth century was their journey from popularity to pariah.
two people knee before a white cross and flowers at a makeshift memorial for the five people killed by a gunman during a mass shooting at Club Q in Colorado

Red Flag Laws and the Colorado LGBTQ Club Shooting

What are red flag laws? Could they have prevented the killing at Club Q?
On June 16, 1883, 183 children were killed because of a human crush in Victoria Hall in Sunderland, UK.

Death by Crowding

In the aftermath of tragedies, it's easy to focus on the assignation of blame. But how well do we understand the causes of crushing crowds?
Mothers' Crusade for Victory over Communism

Moral Panics: A Syllabus

Research-backed stories that consider how and why moral panics begin and spread, who they serve, and what becomes of them in the end.
One businessman bowing and one businessman with his hand out

The Accents of Our Bodies: Proxemics as Communication

American language educator Max Kirch suggests that adopting the nonverbal habits of another culture gives one’s behavior a "foreign accent."
Beth Macy and the cover of her book Raising Lazarus

Beth Macy’s Raising Lazarus on the Overdose Crisis

Dopesick author Beth Macy takes a deeper look at the opioid crisis in Raising Lazarus: Hope, Justice, and the Future of America’s Overdose Crisis.

The Lives Beyond the Life Sentences

Their lives didn't stop when the judge sentenced them to life in prison. Then what? A 1994 issue of The Angolite profiled the longest-serving Americans.
High angle view of businessman giving presentation colleagues in board room at office

Why Companies Are So Interested in Your Myers-Briggs Type

If you’ve looked for a job recently, you’ve probably encountered the personality test. You may also have wondered if it was backed by scientific research.
Odysseus und die Sirenen by Alexander Bruckmann, 1829

From Ancient Greece to a TikTok Trend

We know the sirens of Homeric Greece sang a seductive song, but what did they look like, and why are they going viral on social media?