How a Rice Economy Toppled the Shogun
The co-existence of economies—one based on rice, the other on money—pushed the Tokugawa government toward financial misery and failure.
Richard Gregg: An American Pioneer of Nonviolence Remembered
Gregg was one of the first translators of Gandhi’s methods of nonviolent resistance for the West.
The Gift of the Grange
Originally a secret society, the National Grange of the Order of Patrons of Husbandry today is an important health and education resource in rural communities.
Where Are the Trees?
Why some neighborhoods get all the shade, and how can we make sure that changes.
Remembering the Rumble in the Jungle
The 1974 Rumble in the Jungle was freighted with symbolism regarding American racial politics and the pan-African struggle in the context of the Cold War.
Whence Warchitecture
The targeted destruction of the built environment during the Bosnian War led to the emergence of a new term in the discourse of urbicide: warchitecture.
The Naked Quakers
Today, the international feminist group FEMEN uses nudity as part of its protests. But appearing naked in public was also a tactic used by early dissenters.
The Long Civil Rights Movement
The “master narrative” of civil rights in the United States obscures the history of a more radical civil rights movement that stretches to the 1930s.
HMS Challenger and the History of Science at Sea
Sailing ships were once used as scientific instruments themselves, but in the 1800s, ships like the Challenger were transformed into floating laboratories.
“Protecting Kids” from Gay Marriage
Leading up to a 2004 debate about same-sex marriage, conservatives shifted their focus away from moral issues and toward arguments about children’s welfare.