The Long History of Live Animal Export
The practice of live animal export from Australia is controversial and complex, and it has a longer history than you might realize.
Haunted Soldiers in Mesopotamia
In ancient Mesopotamia, many medical disorders were attributed to ghosts, including mental problems faced by men who had spent years at war.
The Post Office and Privacy
We can thank the postal service for establishing the foundations of the American tradition of communications confidentiality
The British Empire’s Bid to Stamp Out “Chinese Slavery”
The mui tsai custom, which the British saw as a Chinese practice, relied on connections made across the multiracial landscape of colonial Malaya.
Tramping Across the USSR (On One Leg)
Historian Sheila Fitzpatrick explores the limits of the Stalinist system through the biography of a marginal figure, one Anastasia Emelianovna Egorova.
Harvey Houses: Serving the West
In 1875, Fred Harvey had an idea for improving dining on passenger rail lines. He changed the face of food service in the West forever.
Pakistan’s Ambiguous Islamic Identity
Pragmatism, not faith, drove Muhammad Ali Jinnah to lead the call for the founding of the new Islamic state of Pakistan.
Zheng He, the Great Eunuch Admiral
Captured, castrated, and forced to serve the Hongwu Emperor, Zeng He subsequently led a massive Ming fleet of treasure ships across an ever-expanding empire.
Fredric Wertham, Cartoon Villain
Wertham convinced 1950s America that comic books led to depravity. He also used his extremist views to raise money for an anti-racist clinic in Harlem.
The Power of the Veil for Spanish Women
In sixteenth-century Spain, veiling allowed women to move freely through cities while keeping their identities private.