Why Can’t the TSA Just Go on Strike?
The post-9/11 expansion of federal powers over transportation security was also an extension of power over the security workforce.
Public Dissection Was a Gruesome Spectacle
Renaissance-era anatomists taught people to “knowe thyself” by reading the books of bodies.
Colleges’ Reluctant Embrace of MLK Day
The push for a national Martin Luther King holiday prompted a fierce political tug-of-war, on campus and off.
Polar Expedition or Publicity Stunt?
Richard E. Byrd's 1928-1930 Antarctica Expedition was sponsored by mass media. Was it all about science and exploration -- or about Byrd's personal #brand?
When the Park Ranger Was Not Your Friend
Early 20th century National Park Service Rangers were a notoriously rough-and-tumble lot.
When the Weather Service Spied on Americans
The United States National Weather Service began as part of the military, with a mandate to serve the interests of federal officials and business owners.
The Fable of the Fourteen Points
Woodrow Wilson's legendary support for "self-determination" is indeed just a legend.
When Death Was Women’s Business
In the 19th century, women called "watchers" tended to the dying and the dead.
When Dancing Plagues Struck Medieval Europe
The tarantella is named for a peasant woman from southern Italy whose tarantula bite started a contagious dancing fever!