Illustration of Mexican agricultural laborers forming a raised fist of solidarity

How “Measured Militancy” Empowered California’s Fieldworkers

When Mexican-American fieldworkers' strikes didn't net results, César Chávez led the Ventura County Community Service Organization in alternate tactics.
Nixon and Chinese Premier Zhou Enlai toast during Nixon's 1972 visit to China

How Nixon Paved the Way for Trump

Richard Nixon's voters had a lot in common with Trump's, especially in their idealization of the self-sufficient, independent American businessperson.
single-payer protest

America’s Long Fight Over Single-Payer Healthcare

With new calls for universal single-payer health insurance, President Harry Truman's derailed plan of 1945 is getting renewed attention.
A family eating elephant ears at a fair

What State Fairs Used to Mean

The historical significance of state fairs
Statue of Father Serra

Father Junípero Serra: His Statue and Contested Legacy

While Father Junípero Serra may earn posthumous canonization this fall, his statue in D.C. may be getting the boot.
Sara Plummer Lemmon Botanist

Sara Plummer Lemmon: Pioneering Botanist

Botany didn’t just intrigue and entertain Sara Plummer Lemmon—it deeply affected her personal life.
Reese Witherspoon as "Cheryl Strayed" in WILD.

A Way in the Wilderness: The Pacific Crest Trail

The movie version of Cheryl Strayed’s searing memoir “Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail,” starring ...