The Trailblazing Merze Tate
A celebrated historian of race and imperialism, Tate was an intrepid traveler who avidly shared her passion and meticulously documented her journeys.
Lowell’s Forgotten House Mothers
As vital to the success of industrial New England as the mill girls who toiled in the factories were the women who oversaw their lodging.
E. P. Thompson and the American Working Class
Published in 1963, Thompson’s influential The Making of the English Working Class quickly led to questions about the nature of the American working class.
In the Ladies’ Loo
Gender-segregated bathrooms tell a story about who is and who is not welcome in public life.
Simone Weil: Voluntary Worker
The weeks Weil spent working in French factories helped to develop her ideas about the meaning and value of labor.
Venice, the Walkable Sixteenth-Century City
In early modern Venice, walking was the most convenient mode of transportation for almost everyone. It was also a symbol of strength and nobility for elites.
The Invention of the Marathon
The Hellenic inspiration for the 26.2-mile races which draw over a million runners yearly worldwide had nothing to do with sport—but everything to do with war.
Call the Midwives—Assuming Any Are Left
While midwife-attended deliveries are the norm in the United Kingdom, they’re the exception in the United States. Time was, this difference wasn’t so stark.
Global Gentrification
The transnational mobility of lifestyle migrants and digital nomads has led to the globalization of rent gaps and the pricing out of locals in some cities.
A Purrrrfect Political Storm
Crazy cat ladies have come to dominate this election season. It’s hardly the first time.