What Do Cops Train For?
Research on police training finds that realistic simulations may reinforce expectations of violence instead of preventing it.
Why English Colonists Called Indigenous Dogs Wolves
A 1621 encounter reveals a history of Native animal domestication that colonial accounts obscured.
What Came Before the American Suburb?
Hofstra University’s historic photographs capture Hempstead’s shops and streets before postwar development transformed Long Island.
The Chinese-Only Schools of the Jim Crow South
A 1920s court battle over a Chinese American student exposed the complicated racial boundaries of school segregation.
How a Murder Fueled Racial Terror in Florida
The hunt for Charlie Wright exposed how convict leasing, labor tensions, and white supremacy shaped rural life in the Jim Crow South.
Why the Washington Monument Looks the Way It Does
For nearly a century, Americans argued over how to honor George Washington. The monument they built reflected those debates.
What Happened to the Bones of the American Bison?
The near-extinction of the bison sparked an industry that left almost nothing of the animals behind.
What Was Sewer Socialism?
Milwaukee mayor Daniel Hoan believed the best argument for socialism was a city government that worked.
The Atlas Behind the Revolution
While George Washington struggled to obtain reliable maps, British readers could consult this remarkable 1776 atlas.
When Did Presidents Start Traveling Abroad?
For more than a century, foreign trips have reflected America's changing role in the world—and presidents' political priorities.