The Fatal Current: Electrocution as Progress?
The electric chair was promoted as civilized and at the same time imbued with the technological sublime, the mystery of electrical power harnessed by humans.
Cold War Flames on US Soil: The Oakdale Prison Riot
In the 1980s, Cold War tensions led to thousands of Cubans languishing in American prisons, unable to be released or repatriated. Uprisings followed.
Why Did They Leave the Pueblos?
The Ancestral Puebloans were driven from their homes in the American Southwest by a combination of factors rather than a single cause.
The Manifesto of the 343
In a dramatic act of civil disobedience, more than three hundred French women publicly confessed to having had an illegal abortion.
The Pan-American Highway and the Darién Gap
The Pan-American Highway began a century ago with a vision of unfettered motor-vehicle access between Alaska and Tierra del Fuego. What happened to the dream?
The Colorado Cannibal
Prospector Alferd Packer, stranded in the San Juan Mountains, was forced to eat his companions to survive the brutal winter conditions. Or was he?
Moral Panics: A Syllabus
Research-backed stories that consider how and why moral panics begin and spread, who they serve, and what becomes of them in the end.
The FBI and the Madams
J. Edgar Hoover saw the political effectiveness of cracking down on elite brothel madams—but not their clients—in New York City.
The Discovery of King Tut’s Tomb
A century ago, a lost tomb was uncovered on the west bank of the Nile River. The scarcely studied Pharaoh Tutankhamun immediately became an icon.
Scandal at the YMCA
Troubles grew at the Portland institution when one of its older residents attempted to poison himself after being questioned by police about same-sex relations.