The People Who Thought Farmers Without Radios Were Rubes
In the 1920s, some people thought that the new invention of radio would make American farmers less "backward."
Stingray Spines and the Maya
In Maya culture, rulers used stingray spines in bloodletting rituals. Researchers have ideas about why.
The Environmental Costs of War
Using aluminum as a case study, a geographer shows how wartime "commodity chains" can devastate the Earth.
The Beatles Got Started in Hamburg. There’s a Reason for That.
The Beatles first played Hamburg's pleasure zone in 1960, in a former strip club near the infamous Reeperbahn.
Black Journal and Liberatory Television
Underrepresented in the country's newsrooms, Black journalists found an outlet on public affairs shows like Black Journal.
How Local Newspapers Helped Emmett Till’s Murderers Go Free
Emmett Till was a boy of fourteen when he was lynched in Mississippi. The press would influence public opinion, and the outcome of the trial.
Sharks Before and After Jaws
The blockbuster Jaws (1975) provoked fear by portraying sharks as "mindless eating machines." But what did people think of sharks before then?
Is Childcare a Right?
Feminists supported universal childcare as a means of allowing women to advance in the workforce. But did this argument focus mostly on white women?
The Self-Help Mantra That Got Better and Better
Every day, in every way, the pop psychology of Emile Coué conquered 1920s Britain.
Environmental Racism and the Coronavirus Pandemic
COVID-19 is disproportionately deadly among people of color. Long-term environmental racism could be a major factor in this disparity.