The Confirmation of Louis D. Brandeis
Louis D. Brandeis was confirmed as a Supreme Court justice a century ago. The protracted nomination process may sound familiar.
What Red Light Ladies Reveal About the American West
Prostitution and sex work are useful metric for historians seeking insight into the American West.
A Critical Look at Gilded Age Philanthropy
The 125th anniversary of the opening of Carnegie Hall on May 5th provides an opportunity to examine Andrew Carnegie's legacy and philanthropy.
The Politics of the Louisiana Purchase
In a treaty signed in Paris on April 30, France swapped 828,000 square miles of North America to the U.S. for $15 million.
Pulp Nonfiction: The Unlikely Origin of American Mass Media
How wood pulp paper created the American mass media.
How Hitler Played the American Press
Did the AP and other news organizations get tricked into sympathetic coverage of Hitler?
Putting a Price on a Life
If you have a life insurance policy, that means your insurance company pays your beneficiaries when you die, ...
The History of UFOs
UFOs are much older than the Cold War's flying saucers. These 1897 and 1909 sightings of flying machines were the talk of the town.
The Return of Torture
After being made illegal in the 19th century, why did torture return in the 20th century and why does it continue into the present?
Stranger Danger: Rhetoric & Strategies of the “Missing Children” Movement
How language and statistics were used to frame the missing children crisis of the 1980s.