Eiffel Tower

A Short History of Paris for Travelers

Read up on some of the fascinating history of the City of Lights before you head off on your next romantic vacation.
Vinyl cover of Bob Dylan's Highway 61 Revisited

How Plato Anticipated Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan's "Like a Rolling Stone" would not have surprised Plato. 
Covers of books by Virginia Woolf

“What a lark! What a plunge!”: Celebrating Mrs. Dalloway

Mrs. Dalloway was published on May 14, 1925. We look at the book 90+ years on.
College Hall opened in 1875 as the main building of Smith College.

Daniel Aaron: Americanist

Daniel Aaron, a forerunner in the field of American Studies, has passed away at 103.
Jane Jacobs

Jane Jacobs and the American City

Jane Jacobs, who would have been 100 today and is the focus of the Google Doodle , was a big part of why cities like New York City and Toronto look and feel
Man with wind up knob

Did You Hear the Joke about the Lawyer?

Why lawyer jokes typically involve the killing or maiming of lawyers.
American flag

James Truslow Adams: Dreaming up the American Dream

Background on James Truslow Adams, who coined the phrase The American Dream.
A book opened to the title page of Dr. Zhivago

Why Boris Pasternak Rejected His Nobel Prize

The noted Russian author was forced to choose between his homeland and international recognition of his poetry and fiction.
Anna Wintour Costume Center, Lizzie and Jonathan Tisch Gallery
Image: © The Metropolitan Museum of Art

Women’s Expressions of Grief, from Mourning Clothes to Memory Books

Mourning clothes were a signal to the world that a family—really, that a woman had suffered a loss.
Excerpt of letter from Alexander Murdock detailing the geography of the Battle of Gettysburg

Finding Your Place in Letters

For scholars of American history, letter-writing makes historical research possible.