Inventing the Beach Read
Feeling guilty about kicking back with a paperback during vacation? There’s a precedent for escapist holiday reading, particularly during times of anxiety.
Plant of the Month: Black-eyed Pea
Human relationships to this global crop have been shaped by both violence and resilience.
Amazon Rivers, Globalizing Chickens, Non-Alignment
Well-researched stories from Science, Quanta Magazine, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
The Los Angeles Renaissance
Black composers Bruce Forsythe and Claudius Wilson transcended barriers to create concert and classical music during this West Coast art movement.
Can a Woman Be a Genius?
Many Edwardian progressives and utopians put their hopes in the exceptional individual who was able to overcome obstacles with a force of will.
Turf Algae and Kelp Forests
Structurally complex kelp forests, pushed beyond their tipping points, are being replaced by mat-like, low-structure turf algae around the world.
Serving Goodwill: US Women’s Tennis and Cold War Diplomacy
By dispatching women tennis players on world tours, the US Department of State hoped to garner approval for the American way of life.
Like Tomatoes? Join the Club
Organizers of girls’ tomato clubs hoped that members would learn not only how to grow tomatoes, but how to build a better future for themselves.
Neutrality: Not All It’s Cracked Up To Be
While Sweden has claimed a position of neutrality for more than two centuries, its policy of non-alignment was somewhat ambiguous during the Cold War.
The Unbearable Middle Passage
In the eighteenth century, doctors recognized melancholy as a disease endemic to groups forcibly displaced from their homes, particularly enslaved Africans.