How LGBTQ Groups Supported Striking Miners vs. Thatcher
During a national miners strike, LGBT activists became unexpected allies, united against the Thatcher government.
50 Years Later: The Evolution of Prison Policy
Buried within Adelante is evidence of a fleeting attempt at prison reform and oversight in Connecticut. Is history repeating itself?
How the Maya Kept Time
Many scholars contrast linear and cyclical time and note that cycles were an important part of Maya concepts of temporal reality.
The Emancipation Proclamation: Annotated
Abraham Lincoln proclaimed freedom for enslaved people in America on January 1, 1863. Today, we've annotated the Emancipation Proclamation for readers.
Our Most Popular Stories of 2021
This year, readers were into peanut butter and jelly, semi-conductors, bayonets, Victorian knitting manuals, plus the hard-working dogs of Medieval Europe.
Our Writers’ Favorite Stories of 2021
Without our writers (and editors and fact checkers and producers) and you, we're nothing.
How “Termites of the Sea” Have Shaped Maritime Technology
These small marine pests have been eating our ships for millennia, forcing us to keep building better boats throughout history.
The Snowy Winter that Devastated Colonial New England
For eleven days in February and March 1717, New England was hit with four major snowstorms. The devastation struck some as a sign from God.
The Disappearance of Japan’s “Third Gender”
Gender roles in Edo Japan recognized an in-between position for young men, called Wakashu, that was erased as Japan westernized.
Food and Culture
Food is complicated. That creation you love from The Great British Baking Show? It's been the subject of arguments over culture, identity, and copyright.