“I Have a Dream”: Annotated
Martin Luther King, Jr.'s iconic speech, annotated with relevant scholarship on the literary, political, and religious roots of his words.
Are Polar Bears Altruistic or Just Bad At Math?
Polar bear mothers are known to adopt and raise cubs from non-related litters. Why do they make a multi-year commitment to do it?
The Short but Influential Run of Ebony and Topaz
The 1927 art and literature magazine only ran for a single issue, but “proved an integral component of Harlem Renaissance cultural production."
50 Years On: How Angela Davis’ Focus Changed in Jail
In a 2012 interview published in Social Justice, Angela Davis spoke about her detention in jail and how it informed her work on abolition and feminism.
The Laugh Track: Loathe It or Love It
The use of a laugh track began with radio, and was taken up by the new medium of television in 1950. Both viewers and critics have loathed it ever since.
Russia and the Soviet Union: A Syllabus of Background Readings
These readings from our archive provide context for the developing conflict in Ukraine.
Hiding The Radiation of the Atomic Bombs
The atomic bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki by the U.S. came with censorship and obfuscation about the effects of the radiation on those who were exposed.
Plant of the Month: Cretan Rockrose
Cretan rockrose has been used as a medicine for millennia. Its unusual harvesting methods were documented by the ancient historian Herodotus.
The Long Afterlife of Freedman’s Village
Freedman's Village, created in Arlington, VA at the end of the Civil War, became a thriving community of Black residents as part of Reconstruction.
Life in the Cold, New Not-Normals, and Weird Numbers
Well-researched stories from The New Yorker, The Atlantic, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.