Mystery airship The Saint Paul Globe (Minn) April 13 1897

The History of UFOs

UFOs are much older than the Cold War's flying saucers. These 1897 and 1909 sightings of flying machines were the talk of the town. 
Mrs. Reagan hosts the First Ladies Conference on Drug Abuse, 1985 in the White House East Room

Nancy Reagan and the Paradox of Being First Lady

The role of the First Lady is undefined and dependent on the woman in the role, but it's a politically fraught one for all of them. 
Bears Ears National Monument

Who Doesn’t Like National Parks?

National parks and monuments have always been controversial, opposed by ranchers, farmers, resource, extractors, and small government conservatives. 
Travel

The End of the Tour: Why Do We Travel?

Travel is commodity, a privilege, and a state of mind; a comfort to some and a trial to others. 
Twisting a man's ears.

The Return of Torture

After being made illegal in the 19th century, why did torture return in the 20th century and why does it continue into the present?
Copernicus

Copernicus’s Body Identified by Stray Hair

Stuck in a book for centuries, strands of Copernicus's hair helped identify his body in 2005.
Hillary Clinton Speaking

On Men and Women’s Public Speech

What we call “eloquence” in public speech is, essentially, code for values associated with masculinity. 
Woodcut for "Die Bibel in Bildern", 1860

Misunderstanding the Book of Genesis

A short history of the literal interpretation of the Book of Genesis reveals it's largely a modern dogma. 
Francisco "Pancho" Villa (1877–1923), Mexican revolutionary general, wearing bandoliers in front of an insurgent camp. By Bain News Service, publisher.

Why Did Pancho Villa Invade the U.S.?

The 100th anniversary of Pancho Villa's invasion of the U.S. raises the question of why he did it.
Missing child poster

Stranger Danger: Rhetoric & Strategies of the “Missing Children” Movement

How language and statistics were used to frame the missing children crisis of the 1980s.