The Mormon Fans of Europe’s 1848 Revolutions
As the crowned heads of Europe shuddered at the unrest in the streets, members of the Latter-Day Saints movement cheered.
The First American Restaurants’ Culinary Concoctions
A study of historical fine-dining menus yields surprises. Like six preparations of frog, and delicious lamb testicles.
The First Black-Owned Bookstore and the Fight for Freedom
Black abolitionist David Ruggles opened the first Black-owned bookstore in 1834, pointing the way to freedom—in more ways than one.
How Residential Segregation Looked in the South
A longstanding idea about southern segregation is that it was more "intimate" than its northern counterpart. What's the truth?
The Victorian Tea “Infomercial”
By the 19th century, tea was the British national beverage, and "tea histories" were a form of imperial propaganda.
The Kerner Commission Report on White Racism, 50 Years On
In 1968, the Kerner Commission “explicitly identified white racism as the principal cause of the civil disorder evidenced across hundreds of U.S. cities."
How Black Artists Fought Exclusion in Museums
When the Metropolitan Museum of Art excluded artworks from a major exhibition all about Harlem, Black artists protested the erasure.
Nashoba: Not So Interracial, Not So Utopian
In the 1820s, Frances Wright established a community whose major project was the emancipation of enslaved people. Why did it crash and burn?
Who Invented Weird Hipster Ice Cream Flavors?
From asparagus to pâté de fois gras, early modern ice cream was decidedly different from plain chocolate and vanilla.
How Black Americans Co-opted the Fourth of July
After the Civil War, white southerners saw the Fourth of July as a celebration of Confederate defeat. Black southerners saw opportunities.