The Trouble with Absinthe
When temperance advocates won the ban on absinthe in 1915, many of them saw it as the first step in a broader anti-drinking campaign.
Anthropologists Hid African Same-Sex Relationships
Sex between people of the same gender has existed for millennia. But anthropologists in sub-Saharan Africa often ignored or distorted those relationships.
The Movable Tent Cities of the Ottoman Empire
The most lavish among them were festooned with colorful appliqué and brightened with gilded leather.
Why Cheerfulness Mattered in the Antarctica Expedition of 1912
Often associated with stoic masculinity, Robert Falcon Scott's British Antarctic Expedition was in fact defined by cheerfulness and friendly homemaking.
When Germany Called its Soldiers Hysterical
After WWI, German psychiatrists diagnosed traumatized soldiers as having "hysteria," othering the men to somewhat disastrous effect.
The Weather Forecast That Saved D-Day
Operation Overlord launched the invasion of German-occupied Europe during WWII. But the right weather, tides, and moonlight were essential for it to work.
Joseph Priestley, Radical Inventor
How scientist and soda water inventor Joseph Priestley came to be an enemy of the state.
Greek Gods and Game Theory
Game theory is the study of mathematical models of strategic interaction. Connecting it with famous stories makes it easier for students to grasp.
Stockholm Syndrome
What really happened that summer day in 1973? And what does it reveal about our cultural attitudes toward violence?
Mahatma Gandhi, Master Mediator
Gandhi's legacy helped shape independent India, if in sometimes indirect ways.