The New Nomads of #VanLife Reflect an Enduring Divide
A distinctly American restlessness is inspiring some to abandon the idea of a permanent home, while others are displaced by harsh realities.
Yes, Americans Owned Land Before Columbus
What you were taught in elementary school about Native Americans not owning land is a myth. The truth is much more complicated.
The “Miscegenation” Troll
The term “miscegenation” was coined in an 1864 pamphlet by an anonymous author.
Did Kongolese Catholicism Lead to Slave Revolutions?
The legacy of Kimpa Vita, a Kongolese Catholic mystic, was felt from the U.S. to Haiti.
What Does History Smell Like?
Scholars don't typically pay that much attention to smells, but odors have historically been quite significant.
What Dorothy Porter’s Life Meant for Black Studies
Dorothy Porter, a Black woman pioneer in library and information science, created an archive that structured a new field.
When FDR Tried to Pack the Courts
Pushing New Deal legislation, FDR proposed that extra justices should be added to the Supreme Court, one for every sitting justice over the age of seventy.
Fingerprints and Crime
The first criminal conviction based on fingerprint evidence took place in Argentina on 1892, thanks to a police official inspired by eugenics.
Lesbianism (!) at the Convent
Mother Superior Benedetta Carlini, a visionary nun of Renaissance Italy, was accused of heresy and “female sodomy.”