Marston Matting in Sant'Angelo in Formis, Italy

Archaeology of the October Cuban Crisis

A contemporary archeology project studying the remains of the Cuban Missile Crisis of October 1962 reveals the human face—literally—of the conflict.
Fragment of the NWA7397 meteorite found in the Sahara desert on 2012

Meteorites from Mars

Meteorites that come from Mars help scientists understand the red planet’s interior.
A quilt made by Rebecca Davis

From Folkway to Art: The Transformation of Quilts

In the late twentieth century, the image of the American quilt shifted from one of practicality and handicraft to a celebration of modernist abstraction.
Calligrapher in Xi'an, China

The Spiritual Side of Calligraphy

Chinese calligraphy is a personal art that draws on Confucianism, Taoism, and Buddhism as well as spiritual practices that date to the second century CE.
President Lyndon B. Johnson addresses the Nation, announcing a bombing halt in Vietnam and his intention not to run for re-election, 1968

All The Way With LBJ?

In March 1968, US President Lyndon B. Johnson announced he would neither seek nor accept the nomination of the Democratic Party. That wasn’t the whole truth.
Jack Trice with his team.

The Death of Jack Trice

On October 6, 1923, Iowa State tackle Jack Trice lined up for the second half of a college football game. No one’s sure what happened in that third quarter.
Advertisement for Carrier Room Air Conditioning, circa 1947.

Staying Cool: Helpful Hints From History

Take a look back at how others have survived—and thought about—the high heat of summer.
A lion tamer in Ancient Rome

Foreign Magic in Imperial Rome

Roman ideas about witchcraft were often associated with distant regions, including India and the Kush kingdom in northeast Africa.
A backlit Saturn from the Cassini Orbiter, 2007

Cassini’s First Years at Saturn

For many years, the Cassini probe to Saturn provided a stable research platform that scientists used to transform our understanding of the ringed planet.
A stylized vector cartoon of a hand putting coins in an Earth shaped money Box

Debt-for-Nature Swaps: Solution or Scam?

Are debt-for-nature swaps—forgiving debt in exchange for investments in the environment—an innovative approach to debt relief or a form of recolonization?