Graffiti: Jaytalking in 19th Century Paris
The files of Paris police from the late nineteenth century reveal the tumultuous politics of the time through the graffiti recorded in them.
Colonial Civility and Rage on the American Frontier
A 1763 massacre by colonial settlers exposed the irreconcilable contradictions of conquest by people concerned with civility.
The Year The Grammys Honored Disco
In 1980, The Grammys gave disco its own category, but the genre was already receding into invisibility.
Bangalore’s Green Belt Fifty Years On
Or, why the best laid plans of urban design sometimes go awry.
A Brief History of Snowmobiling
Snowmobiles were invented around the same time as wheeled transportation was becoming a robust industry.
How Does the Warming Arctic Impact Plants?
For flowering plants in the Arctic, cold temperatures don't mean death. But warmer temperatures might.
Plant of the Month: Cassava
Cassava can grow in hot climates with little rainfall. It may be the "root crop of the century."
Mesmerizing Labor
The man who introduced mesmerism to the US was a slave-owner from Guadeloupe, where planters were experimenting with “magnetizing” their enslaved people.
What is in an Ice Core?
Climate science frequently references ice cores, but it's what is in the cores that matters to science and history.
Creating the Musical Canon
When you look at the canon of popular music, who's on the list looks very much like those who made the list.