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Black and white headshot of author Matthew Wills

Matthew Wills

Matthew Wills has advanced degrees in library science and film studies and is lapsed in both fields. He has published in Poetry, Huffington Post, and Nature Conservancy Magazine, among other places, and blogs regularly about urban natural history at matthewwills.com.

1896 Presidential Ballot
Politics & Government

Ballot Position: It Matters

Did you know that ballot position can have an effect on voting? The first-listed candidate is more likely to be voted for.
Dorothy Parker
Arts & Culture

How Dorothy Parker Changed Lyric Love Poetry Forever

Today is Dorothy Parker's birthday, so you should probably have a martini or two in celebration. 
Albert Einstein, 1921
Natural Science

Why No One Believed Einstein

Einstein's theory of relativity presented a direct challenge to the notion of ether.
Conspiracy theories
Politics & History

The Philosophy of Conspiracy Theories

Conspiracy theories boil down to a rejection of the absurdity, meaninglessness, and randomness of life and history.
Bosch Strawberry, from "Garden of Earthly Delights"
Art & Art History

500 Years of Hell With Hieronymus Bosch

Hieronymus Bosch died 500 years ago, but we can't take our eyes off of his paintings.
women world leaders
Politics & History

Women Leaders on the International Front

With the real possibility of the first woman being elected president of the U.S., let's take a look at the situation around the globe.
Constitutional Convention, 1787
Politics & Government

Electoral College 101

They don't campaign and very few know who they are, but you'll be voting for them this November: introducing the Electors. Again.
Chagos Islander
Politics & History

The Story and the Songs of the Chagos Islanders

For almost half a century, Chagos Islanders have been attempting to get back to their homeland in the Indian Ocean. Nostalgia may not be helping them.
private beach
Science & Technology

Can Anyone Own the Beach?

The perennial battle of beach access: who owns the beach front? 
Sir Roger Casement
Politics & History

Why Was Roger Casement Hanged?

A century after being executed as a traitor, Roger Casement continues to fascinate.
Census worker
Politics & Government

The U.S. Census and Politics

The US national census has always been political, and has a large part to play in determining political representation and power.
Aleppo marketplace
Politics & History

Making Sense of Syria

Can Syria's history help us understand the situation there today? 
Mondale/Carter
Politics & Government

What Does the Vice President Do?

Even the people with the job used to disparage the Vice Presidency. That's changed in the modern era.
John R. Brinkley
Politics & History

This Doc Was Really Nuts

Nuts! is a new documentary about John R. Brinkley, whose claim to fame was transplanting goat testicles into men in the 1920s.
Fireflies
Natural Science

The Nuptial Gifts of the Firefly

Fireflies, lightning bugs, glowworms: the evocative insects of summer reveal some surprising new insights into biology.
Emilie Chatelet
Politics & History

Émilie Du Châtelet: Heroine of the Enlightenment

Émilie Du Châtelet was one of the great figures of the Enlightenment in France.
Bryan Sewall campaign poster
Politics & Government

Populism for Beginners

If the appeal of Bernie Sanders, Donald Trump, and Brexit can all be described as "populist," then what is populism?
Abel Meeropol
Arts & Culture

The Unlikely Origins of “Strange Fruit”

The man behind the anti-lynching anthem "Strange Fruit" was a white, Jewish, Communist named Abel Meeropol.
Andrew Jackson
Politics & Government

Why Do They Build Party Platforms, Anyway?

What is the point of the party platforms unveiled at political conventions? 
Montral Biosphere
Science & Technology

Buckminster Fuller: Captain of Spaceship Earth

Even apostles of the future end up as historical figures: a critical view of R. Buckminster Fuller as the Captain of Spaceship Earth.
British burn Washington, 1814
Politics & History

The Original Hawks and Doves

Where do the terms hawks and doves come from? The symbolic connections are ancient, but the War of 1812 put them in the political lexicon.
Fasces illustration
Politics & Government

Do You Know Fascism When You See It?

It may seem obvious, but a generic definition of fascism has been hard to pin down. 
Sirius
Education & Society

What Are the Dog Days of Summer?

The "dog days of summer" are attributed to the rise of Sirius, the Dog Star, but research into the lore suggests another dog entirely.
Shirley Chisholm and Rosa Parks
Politics & History

The Significance of Shirley Chisholm’s Presidential Campaign

Shirley Chisholm: the first black female U.S. Representative, first black major-party candidate for President, and the first Democratic Party woman to run.
Declaration of Independence
Politics & Government

Who Wrote the Declaration of Independence?

The Second Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776. Thomas Jefferson was not then credited with its authorship.

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