Thank Minitel for the French Election
Minitel gave the French a very specific experience of the digital realm, compared with other places where networked information arrived via the internet.
Foreign Intervention… in the American Revolution
Foreign powers have been interfering in our politics since day one, when we welcomed it from France, Spain, and the Netherlands.
What Madame Bovary Revealed About the Freedom of the Press
Gustave Flaubert was put on trial for obscenity. Why didn't he fight government censorship harder?
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.
The Surprising Historical Significance of Fortune-Telling
The possible futures predicted by fortune-telling happen just often enough to tantalize, preying on our deepest aspirations of catching a "big break."
The Political Power of Marie Antoinette’s Hair
With the help of a French hairdresser, Marie Antoinette embarked on what initially appeared to be a happily fated alliance between the Habsburgs and the Bourbons.
A Telephone Conversation with Malcolm X
This 1965 telephone conversation between Malcolm X and meeting organizers in Paris took place just weeks before his assassination.
Maternity, #Meternity, and the Military
Maternity leave as we know it today may have its origins in turn-of-the-century French militarism.
Reinterpreting The Chauvet Cave Paintings
Do France’s Chauvet Cave paintings depict a contemporary volcanic eruption? Recent research argues that they do.
Satanism and Magic in the Age of the Moulin Rouge
How did some of the most illustrious names of fin de siècle French literature end up in a newspaper battle over witchcraft and evil spirits?