Are Students Just Telling Us What We Want to Hear?
Students tend to fill out end-of-year evaluations so as to describe a “narrative of progress.” For teachers, this is fast food of the mind.
The Downside to Renewable Energy
Rare earth elements are used in virtually all electronics, and mining them is a messy business.
How the Beat Generation Became “Beatniks”
The rebellious culture of the Beat Generation was coopted into fodder for a marketable lifestyle.
How Museums Tidy Up
Deaccessioning old works can be a complicated and fraught process. But even museums have to spring-clean now and then.
The Codpiece and the Pox
A brief history of the codpiece, that mysterious garment favored by 16th-century gents who just may have been covering up their cases of syphilis.
The 1910 Report That Disadvantaged Minority Doctors
A century ago, the Flexner Report led to the closure of 75% of U.S. medical schools. It still explains a lot about today’s unequal access to healthcare.
When Did We Start Paying to Park Our Cars?
A Curious Reader asks: When and why did parking become monetized?
The Online Lie Detector Is No Better Than the Polygraph
People love the idea of a machine that tells us who to trust. But the historical analog of the online lie detector also didn't work.
Go West, You Nervous Men
The "Rest Cure" for women is notorious. But the "West Cure" for men, though little known today, is a fundamental part of American mythology.
Blaming Women for Infertility in the 1940s
In the early days of fertility treatments, some doctors theorized that women’s unconscious hatred of their husbands kept them from conceiving.