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.
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.
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: 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.
Did “Big Oil” Sell Us on a Recycling Scam?
Our focus on recycling to save the planet may be missing the mark.
Pyramids of the Present
We associate pyramids with ancient civilizations, but contemporary humans appear to have an affinity for the peaked structures as well.
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.
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.
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.
Grappling with Equatorial Guinea
A brief history of Africa’s most brutal dictator and what his legacy means for Equatorial Guinea today.