Cheng I Sao, Female Pirate Extraordinaire
Learn more about Cheng I Sao, a female pirate who dominated the coast of the Kwangtung Province between 1795-1810.
When “Welfare Reform” Meant Expanding Benefits
50 years ago, Republican politicians proposed, and sometimes won, welfare reform programs that were actually more comprehensive.
Amelia Earhart Taught America to Fly
Amelia Earhart taught America to fly. How Earhart and other women pilots of her day helped overcome Americans’ skepticism about flight.
The Devastation of Black Wall Street
Tulsa, Oklahoma. 1921. A wave of racial violence destroys an affluent African-American community, seen as a threat to white-dominated American capitalism.
When Fireworks Told Stories
In Europe between the fifteenth and nineteenth centuries, fireworks displays were performances that told a story or symbolized real-world battles.
The Unexpected Impact of James Garfield’s Assassination
On July 2, 1881, less than a year after President James Garfield was elected the 20th president of the United States, he was shot by Charles Guiteau.
Why Hot Air Balloons Never Really (Ahem) Took Off
More than two centuries after the invention of ballooning, Steve Fossett became the first person to solo circumnavigate the world in a balloon.
Does Political Violence Generate Real Change?
U.S. law prohibits American leaders from assassinating their counterparts in other nations. But targeted assassination has long been a part of history.
How the Victorians Went Camping
If you’re going camping this summer, will you rough it on a wilderness hike, or relax in a ...
London Has Always Been Multicultural
The conventional story is that "black Britain" came about after World War II, but London has been a multicultural capital for centuries.