A Boatload of Knowledge for New Harmony
Leaders of the Philadelphia Academy of Sciences voyaged down the Ohio River in 1825–1826, taking academic education on a journey in search of utopia.
Policing the Bodies of Women Athletes Is Nothing New
For women who play sports, there's often no way to win.
The Civilian Solution to Bank Robberies
The surprising story of the vigilantes who took it upon themselves to catch bank robbers in the 1920s and 30s.
An Untested Businessman Almost Became President During WWII
In 1940, Wendell Willkie ran against FDR. The rumpled "man of the people" was a New York businessman with no political experience, but voters loved him.
When Cyclists Made Up an Entire Political Bloc
The League of American Wheelmen was originally intended to spread bicycle appreciation. The 1896 presidential election changed all that.
Duncan Hines, Cake Mix Maker Extraordinaire
Duncan Hines was not created by a marketing department. Born in Bowling Green, Kentucky, in 1880, he became an amateur restaurant critic.
When American Schools Banned German Classes
When American troops headed to Europe for WWI, hostility to all things German intensified across the country. Schools even banned German fairy tales.
Neighborhood Gardens: A Housing Project Born of Unbridled Optimism
Public housing was once thought of as being positive, radical, and hopeful.
Finding Your Place in Letters
For scholars of American history, letter-writing makes historical research possible.