Popular Science—but Make It North Korean
In the 1950s, science in North Korea was presented in a way that fired children’s imaginations and encouraged youth to develop ideas that served the state.
Graffiti Limbo
A University of Virginia professor enlisted students to document the messages—profane, hopeful, despairing—left on library carrels by previous generations.
Monaco, a Mediterranean Principality Shaped by the Middle Ages
From Grimaldi piracy in the Medieval era to the high-stakes gambling tables of the present, Monaco celebrates its ties to science, religion, and royalty.
Turning Orwell into Propaganda
Many read the novels of George Orwell as pro-capitalist/anti-socialist propaganda, but his work has become a resource for all kinds of political arguments.
Performing Forensics: Doctors Becoming Expert Witnesses
Doctors in skeptical Scotland had to persuade the courts to listen to them, in part because of the historical animosity between the professions of law and medicine.
Disinheritance: The Internment of Japanese Canadians
Glenn McPherson, the bureaucrat largely responsible for selling off the property of interned Japanese Canadians during World War II, was also a secret agent.
How Mail Delivery Has Shaped America
The United States Postal Service is under federal scrutiny. It’s not the first time.
Building Notre Dame in Beijing
Chinese church architecture progressed from initial setbacks to reflect a two-way transfer of design and building techniques as East met West.
Cultural Villages in South Africa
Originally viewed as a way to educate tourists on the multiple peoples and traditions of South Africa, cultural villages may soon be a thing of the past.
The Literal Magic of the Kennedys
Americans have long viewed the Kennedy family as a kind of magical royalty associated with occult notions and conspiracies.