Juneteenth and the Emancipation Proclamation
The emancipation of enslaved people in the U.S. took place over a protracted period. The articles in this curated list dig into the complicated history.
Juneteenth in the Alternative Press
Reports in the underground press demonstrate how Juneteenth has been celebrated as both a social and political gathering in the twentieth century.
India’s Coronavirus Migration Crisis
Widespread market failure and unemployment triggered by the coronavirus pandemic have set off a crisis of domestic migration in India.
Bomber Plane or the Loch Ness Monster?
A Vickers Wellington plane was submerged for decades in the Loch Ness, till a group of Nessie hunters stumbled across mysterious sonar readings.
When the Telephone Was Considered Feminine
Being difficult to understand on the other end of the line was a badge of masculinity.
The Weed Scientist Who Brought Down the Wrath of Stalin
Nikolai Ivanovich Vavilov's hypothesis on the evolution of rye is now accepted. But in the 1930s, his research got him arrested.
Where Did Zip Codes Come From?
How a plan for getting the mail delivered faster allowed targeted marketing to grow.
In Han Dynasty China, Bisexuality Was the Norm
So tender was Emperor Ai’s love for his "male companion" that, when he had to get up, instead of waking his lover, he cut off the sleeve of his robe.
The History of Mourning in Public
After a massive factory fire in 1911, hundreds of thousands of people took to the streets to stage a "symbolic funeral."
Why Do Police Use Tear Gas When It Was Banned in War?
The development of chemical warfare around the time of World War I led to the use of tear gas as a weapon by civilian police forces.