An illustration depicting two regency-era women speaking with an iMessage bubble

Our Editors’ Favorite Stories of 2020

This tectonic year brought shocks to the world, and though we don't know how it'll all shake out, we hope we've brought you nerdy joy.
Bernadette Mayer

Stories That Got Lost in 2020’s Erratic News Cycle

No matter how hard you work on a story, especially this year, it might get overlooked. Here are 20 that deserve more love.
Former Archbishop of Canterbury Robert Runcie (1921 - 2000) addresses a Drop The Debt rally in Trafalgar Square, 13th June 1999.

Debt, History of

From debtors' prison to student loan debt, six stories from the archive.
Mario hat Odysseus

Statues

The good, the bad, and the ugly.
Leaves stacked against a black background

Eight Poems of Gratitude

Let us pause now and give thanks.
Stacked products in open fridge

Food and Class: What’s in the Fridge?

A recent New York Times quiz got us thinking about refrigerators, food, diet, and assumptions about class. Here are 12 stories on the subject.
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Two_African_American_women,_three-quarter_length_portrait,_seated,_facing_each_other_LCCN99472087.tif

And a Fabulous LGBTQ History Month to You, Too!

Queer people have always had a particular relationship with history. It's only lately that archival silences have been challenged, and overcome.
Dorothy B Porter

15 Black Women Who Should Be (More) Famous

Honoring the scientists, poets, activists, doctors, and librarians--those we know and those we don't.
Anatomic drawing of Tumeric

These Plants Are Ready for Their Closeup

Move over cats of the internet, here comes something greener.
A blue ocean below an almost cloudless sky

Escape Fantasies

From the archives: twelve tales of avoidance and self-preservation, right when you need them.