An illustration from Alice in Wonderland; a dramatization of Lewis Carroll's "Alice's adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the looking glass," 1915

Who Made That Word and Why?

No matter how many words in a language, it seems that we always need just one more to explain ourselves.
A computer-generated image of the Project CyberSyn operations room

The Chilean Wide Web?

Salvador Allende’s attempt to network the national economy mirrored his government’s struggle to balance centralization and decentralization.
Shéhérazade by George Barbier, 1910

The Exotic “Pornography” of the Arabian Nights

The heated debates over Burton’s explicit translation of the beloved tales exposed Victorian England’s preoccupation with sex.
Andrew Johnson holds a leaking kettle, labeled "The Reconstructed South", towards a woman representing liberty and Columbia, carrying a baby representing the newly approved 14th Constitutional Amendment

The Pro-Democratic Fourteenth Amendment

At the heart of recent US Supreme Court decisions, the Fourteenth Amendment was framed to require free speech and free elections in the South.
Kenneth Haigh and Mary Ure in the final scene of 'Look Back in Anger' at the Royal Court Theatre, London.

The Reality Behind Kitchen Sink Realism

The gritty dramas of the 1950s and 1960s revealed the bitterness and disillusionment of Britain's working class youth.
Plants and saplings growing in a previously logged area of a foggy forest in the Cascade Range of Oregon.

Reforestation: It’s A Trade-Off

While reforestation may help address the climate crisis, implementation requires long-term flexibility, careful listening, and an ability to compromise.
Germain soldiers holding the perimeter around a tank during a time of political unrest during the Weimar Era.

Democide: An Inside Job?

The biggest enemy of democracy? It may be democracy itself.
Vials of Smallpox vaccinations alongside the medical tools to administer the vaccine

How the US Handled Its First Mpox Outbreak

Can the CDC and other health organizations apply the lessons learned in 2003?
An ad for a Riot Grrrl Convention in 1992

Start a Riot (and a Zine), Grrrl

With roots in the small press and fanzine communities, the girl zine movement relied on pen, paper, and copy machines to fight structural oppression.
A climate change activist stands outside the home of Sen. Ben Sasse (R-NE) on June 30, 2022 in Washington, DC. Activist groups are holding a "Tour of Shame", or march to the homes of senators they consider most responsible for a reduction in climate change regulations.

A Return To Nineteenth-Century Style Regulation?

In an era of laissez-faire governance, a growing number of federal and state regulations were justified as necessary to protect public health and morality.