William Dampier, Pirate Scientist
An oft-overlooked explorer who traversed the globe, driven by his thirst for scientific discovery—and a love of piracy.
The Mystery of the Mustard Family
An archaeological dig turned up eight bottles of mustard powder in one eighteenth-century homestead. Why the condiment love?
How Wet-Nursing Stoked Class Tensions
“[N]o man can justly doubt, that a childs mind is answerable to his nurses milk and manners.”
The Native American Roots of the US Constitution
The Iroquois, Shawnee, Cherokee, and other political formations generally separated military and civil leadership and guarded certain personal freedoms.
Sex Panic at the Department Store
Were shopgirls selling more than scents at the perfume counter? Three investigators were determined to find out.
Did Allied Bombs Destroy German Morale?
With men mostly absent, women and children dominated a small city called Darmstadt. Then "fire night" came.
The Hidden History of Biology Textbooks
American biology textbooks supposedly became less scientific after the Scopes trial. One scholar argues that this isn't the whole story.
The Ugly History of Chicago’s “Ugly Law”
In the nineteenth century, laws in many parts of the country prohibited "undeserving" disabled people from appearing in public.
Woodrow Wilson and American Empire
After World War I, it looked like President Wilson's ideas about preserving democracy would mean decolonization. But the age of empires wasn't quite over.
What Is Critical Race Theory?
Critical race theory has become a focus of conservative legislation, often with little understanding of its meaning and history.