The Death of Jack Trice
On October 6, 1923, Iowa State tackle Jack Trice lined up for the second half of a college football game. No one’s sure what happened in that third quarter.
Staying Cool: Helpful Hints From History
Take a look back at how others have survived—and thought about—the high heat of summer.
Foreign Magic in Imperial Rome
Roman ideas about witchcraft were often associated with distant regions, including India and the Kush kingdom in northeast Africa.
The Enduring Drive-In Theater
Even as televisions spread across the American landscape, the drive-in movie theater grew in popularity in the years following World War II.
Geishas for Enlightened Motherhood
In the Meiji period, geisha embraced the nation’s modernizing project, helping to improve education for women and promoting a western-style domestic ideal.
Abraham Lincoln’s Labor Theory of Value
Abraham Lincoln was no Marxist, but his ideas about the relationship of labor and capital mirrored Marx’s in some ways—albeit with a rural American flavor.
Brunei: A Tale of Soil and Oil
With an economy based almost exclusively on the oil industry, Brunei offers its citizens a high standard of living—but it comes with limitations.
Designing the Dummies
The science behind using crash test dummies to determine the effects of car crashes on the human body only dates to the 1960s.
Going Postal at the Qiaopiju
The Chinese Qiaopiju, or “overseas letter offices,” lasted for a century, ending only when the foreign governments implemented anti-communist banking controls.
How Do You Like Your Steak? Rare, Medium, or Bright Blue?
In 1973, an experiment with dyed food and colorful lights had participants vomiting up their half-finished meals. But did it really happen?