The Terrors of Steamboat Racing (Smithsonian Magazine)
by Greg Daugherty
Under the best of circumstances, the steamboats that traveled the Mississippi were fiery disasters waiting to happen. That didn’t stop people from racing them.

Mifepristone and Pennyroyal (Nursing Clio)
by Kathleen Crowther
In modern medicine, the use of medications like mifepristone for most abortions is a relatively new phenomenon. But medication abortions have a much longer and more complicated history.

Can Teenagers Make Good Choices? (Knowable Magazine)
by Emily Underwood
It’s a staple of parenting advice that teenagers don’t have the same “executive function” capacity as adults, which causes them to sometimes make bad, impulsive decisions. The real science is more complicated.

Harry Belafonte’s Double Legacy (CNN)
by Gene Seymour
As an entertainer, Harry Belafonte sometimes found his talent and drive stymied by a racist culture. As an activist, he skillfully deployed his fame and connections to help change that culture.

The Swing, Beyond the Playground (Aeon)
by Javier Moscoso
Today, swings are mostly for children. But historically the exhilarating, nausea-inducing experience of flying suspended through the air has been part of everything from magic rituals to torture.

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