Civil War Attire

How the Word “Shoddy” Became an Anti-Semitic Slur

Shoddy came to have anti-Semitic overtones during the American Civil War.
Chinese Communist Party flag

Membership in the Communist Party of China: Who is Being Admitted and How?

The composition of the Communist Party of China has evolved considerably since the party was founded in 1921.
Margaret Sanger

Margaret Sanger’s Eugenics Defense

Margaret Sanger's belief in eugenics stemmed from her interest in individual choice—an idea that brought birth control into the mainstream of American life.
Marianne North, Katherine Routledge and Delia Akeley

3 Women Explorers You Should Know

Their names may not be widely recognized, but these three intrepid women explorers deserved broader acclaim for their accomplishments.
Pink out for Planned Parenthood

Do Laws Protect Abortion Clinics From Violence?

The research surveys whether state laws protecting abortion clinics have deterred pro-life activists from committing acts of violence.
George Kennan 1885

The American Who Exposed the Tsar

American supporters of revolutionaries in Russia in the late 19th century contributed to the downfall of the Tsarism.
Charles Hatfield, the rainmaker, checking some equipment. (Copyright Bettmann/Corbis / AP Images)

When San Diego Hired a Rainmaker a Century Ago, It Poured

After Charles Hatfield began his work to wring water from the skies, San Diego experienced its wettest period in recorded history.
Marco Rubio 2015

Do Voters Prefer Younger Presidents?

Research suggests that the age of a Presidential candidate affects voter preferences.
Man inside a voting booth.

How Class Conflicts Determine Voter Turnout

Studying voting data from 1840 to the 1990s, a correlation emerges between voter turnout and class conflicts throughout the country.
Thomé de Gamond's plan of 1856 for a cross-Channel link, with a port/airshaft on the Varne sandbank mid-Channel

The Channel Tunnel Is a Product of Politics, Not Engineering

The history of the Channel Tunnel is the really the contentious history between France and England.