The Many Meanings of Yellow Ribbons
The strange and convoluted history of why yellow ribbons became a symbol of the Gulf War in the 1990s.
The Invention of the Giveaway
The appeal of the free gift has always been, for the consumer, about the eternal dream of getting something for nothing.
Turkey’s “Outsider” Threats
Ever since it was founded as a republic in 1923, Turkey has struggled with its so-called Kurdish issue.
Stockholm Syndrome
What really happened that summer day in 1973? And what does it reveal about our cultural attitudes toward violence?
Mahatma Gandhi, Master Mediator
Gandhi's legacy helped shape independent India, if in sometimes indirect ways.
The New Legacy of Casimir Pulaski
New findings reveal that the Polish war officer who aided the American Revolution may have been intersex.
Sudan’s Revolution and the Geopolitics of Human Rights
Sudan's former president Omar al-Bashir was indicted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and genocide. Why isn't he on trial?
Why Did the Victorians Harbor Warm Feelings for Leeches?
Medical authorities wrote about leeches as if they sucked blood out of the goodness of their hearts.
How Florida Got Its Name
506 years ago, Spanish explorer Juan Ponce de León landed in what he christened "Florida." Historians still wonder where the name came from.
A Horse’s-Eye View of the Civil War
Horses and mules played a major role in the American Civil War. In the end, there were about twice as many dead equines as humans.