The King of Mail-Order Muscles
Flab, begone! Earle Edwin Liederman wanted men to learn his vaudeville-strongman secrets—for a not-so-low price.
Why National Pride Could Make or Break Climate Action
Nationalism and environmentalism have a history of pairing in dark ways. What does this mean for international climate negotiations?
Mexico’s First Liberated City Commemorates Its Founding
The City of Yanga was founded after a group of enslaved Africans, led by Gaspar Yanga, rebelled against colonial rule.
The Rise and Fall of the Liberty Cap
What happened to the revolutionary headgear that symbolized freedom from enslavement? Meet the sectional politics of the early republic.
When Paper Was Fashion’s Favorite Material
It's hip, it's happening, it's wow, it's now, it's gone: RIP the paper dress, 1966–1968.
The Zoot Suit Riots Were Race Riots
In 1943, white servicemen attacked young people of color for wearing the ultimate in street style—on the pretext that they were shirking wartime duty.
How Gay Marielitos Changed Immigration
In 1980, the policy of denying entry into the US based on homosexuality ran smack into anticommunism.
On the Origins of the Blood Libel
The ultimate conspiracy theory may be the charge of Jews killing Christian children.
Teaching Black Women’s Self-Care during Jim Crow
Maryrose Reeves Allen founded a wellness program at Howard University in 1925 that emphasized the physical, mental, and spiritual health of Black women.