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Betsy Golden Kellem

Betsy Golden Kellem

Betsy Golden Kellem is a scholar of the unusual. A historian and media attorney, she has written for The Atlantic, Vanity Fair, Atlas Obscura, The Washington Post and Slate, and serves on the board of the Barnum Museum and the Circus Historical Society.

Miss Charmion, 1904
In the Limelight

The “Trapeze Disrobing Act”

Strongwoman Charmion used Thomas Edison’s experiments with moving pictures to encourage women to embrace strength and physical activity.
Cosplayers dressed as characters from Sailor Moon pose during Day 4 of New York Comic Con 2021 at Jacob Javits Center on October 10, 2021 in New York City.
In the Limelight

History, Cosplay, and Comic-Con

Donning costumes in imitation and celebration of fictional characters has a long history that crosses genres, genders, and international boundaries.
Scene from 'Mischievous Matt,' Bracebridge Hemyng (Jack Harkway's), new story in No. 487 Frank Leslie's Boys' and Girls' Weekly
In the Limelight

Dime Novels and Story Papers for Kids

The rise of popular literature for children put a story, a role model, and a set of values in a young boy’s pocket.
From One-Third of a Nation
In the Limelight

The Living Newspaper Speaks

Scripted from front-page news, the Federal Theatre Project’s Living Newspaper plays were part entertainment, part protest, and entirely educational.
Dance marathon, April 20, 1923
In the Limelight

Dance Marathons

In the early twentieth century, dance marathons were an entire industry—and a surprisingly hazardous business.
The Nimatron
In the Limelight

The Nimatron

The world’s first video game made its debut at the Westinghouse pavilion at the New York World's Fair in 1939. Read all about it!
Actors Dennis Morgan and Betty Furness rehearsing a kissing scene for their movie Mama Steps Out, 1937
In the Limelight

The 1918 Flu Pandemic’s Impact on Movie Theaters

With WWI coming to end, 1918 should have been a good year for the movies. Then along came influenza.

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