Philanthropy and the Gilded Age
As the HBO series The Gilded Age suggests, charity allowed wealthy women to play a visible role in public life. It was also a site of inter-class animosity.
Crime Waves and Moral Panics
From train robberies to organized retail theft to murder, are we really gripped by a crime wave?
What Happens When Police Use AI to Predict and Prevent Crime?
With the dawn of artificial intelligence, a slew of new machine learning tools promise to help protect us with data.
Donald Goines, Detroit’s Crime Writer Par Excellence
The writer used hard-boiled fiction as a wide lens to accurately capture the widescreen disparity of Black life in the 1970s.
The Prince of Wales’ 1921 Trip to India Was a Royal Disaster
Prince Edward's visit began the end of the monarchy’s influence in India.
John B. Cade’s Project to Document the Stories of the Formerly Enslaved
A recently digitized slave narrative collection consists of original manuscripts compiled by John Brother Cade and his students at Southern University.
Writing Poetry in Prison as an Act of Resistance
A writer recounts her uncle's experiences writing poetry in prison and advocating for Indigenous rights. His death and his typewriter are intertwined.
Were Early American Prisons Similar to Today’s?
A correctional officer’s history of 19th century prisons and modern-day parallels. From Sing Sing to suicide watch, torture treads a fine line.
Tchaikovsky’s Patroness
Madame von Meck offered Tchaikovsky her generous patronage, but spoke to him only through letters.
Eight Women Astronomers You Should Know
A guided tour of selected luminaries of astronomy, from Ancient Greece to today.