Nellie Bly Experiences It All
One of the first female investigative reporters, Nellie Bly shone a light on the plight of American women by facing the world head on.
The Race to Be the Tallest Building in the World
Saudi Arabia’s Jeddah Tower is poised to become the world’s tallest building. What’s behind the century-plus drive to build ever taller skyscrapers?
The Uneven Costs of Cross-Country Connectivity
Promoted as a social and economic savior, the US federal interstate highway system acted as a tool to promote racial injustices.
Wild Saints and Holy Fools
Early Christian writers valorized the desert life of ascetic monks, but the city also had something to offer would-be “fools for Christ”.
Doctor Who, the Traveling Time Lord
Though they each arrive with an individual sense of humor and fashion, the fifteen Doctors reflect the political and social issues of their respective eras.
Luanda, Angola: The Paradox of Plenty
This vast Atlantic coast nation seems poised to become a tourist hot-spot, but uneven political and economic development may be standing in the way.
Arakawa and Gins: An Eternal Architecture
With the Reversible Destiny Foundation, architect-philosophers Arakawa and Gins created disquieting designs meant to defeat mortality.
Zheng He, the Great Eunuch Admiral
Captured, castrated, and forced to serve the Hongwu Emperor, Zeng He subsequently led a massive Ming fleet of treasure ships across an ever-expanding empire.
Renewable Energy and Settler Colonialism
What can we learn from colonial legacies in pursuit of sustainable futures?
When All the English Had Tails
Where did the myth that English men (and probably women) were hiding tails beneath their clothing come from? And what was that about eggs?