San Pier Maggiore altarpiece

When the Bishop Married the Abbess

When a new bishop was installed in the see of medieval Florence, he was also expected to marry—at least symbolically—the abbess of San Pier Maggiore.
The Mansion of Happiness, 1894

Bring on the Board Games

The increasing secularism of the nineteenth century helped make board games a commercial and ideological success in the United States.
Negril, March 11, 1982

Mashup at the Intersection of Deco and Hip-Hop

Archived at Cornell University, a collection of flyers promoting dance-inspiring DJ sets in the Bronx established the visual identity of a new cultural era.
Tristan da Cunha

Tristan da Cunha: The Longest Trip

Accessible only by ship, the South Atlantic island of Tristan da Cunha hosts a resilient human population—and heck of a lot of rock lobsters.
West County Recycles, Richmond, CA

Did “Big Oil” Sell Us on a Recycling Scam?

Our focus on recycling to save the planet may be missing the mark.
The Louvre Museum in Paris

Pyramids of the Present

We associate pyramids with ancient civilizations, but contemporary humans appear to have an affinity for the peaked structures as well.
Demonstration of Champagne winegrowers against government measures. Men and women walk through the streets of Bar sur Aube with banners and placards. One of the placards reads 'Champagne ou la Mort'. France, 1911.

Terroir Terror: The 1911 Champagne Riots

An environmental crisis and a dispute over regional boundaries sent both rioters and rivers of champagne pouring into the streets of Aube.
Members of the Texas Southern University marching band perform following the HBCU Swingman Classic at Globe Life Field on July 12, 2024 in Arlington, Texas.

The Storied History of HBCU Marching Bands

Marching bands at historically Black colleges and universities can be seen as both celebratory emblems and complicated arbiters of Black American culture.
A portrait of Merze Tate from a scrapbook of photographs, letters and newspaper clippings

The Trailblazing Merze Tate

A celebrated historian of race and imperialism, Tate was an intrepid traveler who avidly shared her passion and meticulously documented her journeys.
Aerial view of Malabo´s harbour, Malabo´s Island, Equatorial Guinea

Grappling with Equatorial Guinea

A brief history of Africa’s most brutal dictator and what his legacy means for Equatorial Guinea today.