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.
Why Stonewall?
The Stonewall riot in June, 1969 is generally remembered as be the beginning of the gay liberation movement. But there was precedent for the event.
How The Espionage Act Became a Tool of Repression
The Espionage Act of 1917 marked the beginning of the one of the most repressive periods in American history, with 2000 dissenters prosecuted.
A Precedent for Today’s Political Violence
Illegal violence has always been a political tool, often serving the interests of the powerful. A historian looks at the case of 1930s Birmingham, Alabama.