Abortion Remedies from a Medieval Catholic Nun(!)
Hildegard von Bingen wrote medical texts describing how to prepare abortifacients.
A History of Human Waste as Fertilizer
In eighteenth century Japan, human excrement played a vital role in agriculture. Can similar solutions help manage waste today?
A History of Police Violence in Chicago
At the turn of the century, Chicago police killed 307 people, one in eighteen homicides in the city—three times the body count of local gangsters.
When Societies Put Animals on Trial
Animal trials were of two kinds: (1) secular suits against individual creatures; and (2) ecclesiastic cases against groups of vermin.
How Baseball Became a Profession
Sports historian Steven A. Riess writes that the process that transformed baseball into a high-paid profession began in the 1860s.
When Did Colonial America Gain Linguistic Independence?
By the time the Declaration of Independence was signed in 1776, did colonial Americans still sound like their British counterparts?
Immigration and National Security in George Washington’s Day
Presuming that immigration was a boon to national security, U.S. borders remained mostly open for the first century of the nation’s existence.
Paper Money Rebellion
The Currency Act of 1764 returned the restrictions of 1751: banning colonists from printing their own legal tender bills.
Indentured Servants and The Domestic Economy
Many 18th-century households included not only relatives and slaves, but also indentured servants, people sold into bondage for a specified length of time.
The Rise and Fall of Coal Miners’ Unions
The origin of coal miners' unions during the late 19th century.