The Nineteenth-Century Science of Fashion
Victorian-era color theory moved from labs and studios into women’s magazines—and into everyday decisions about dress.
Celebrating Black History Month
JSTOR Daily editors pick their favorite stories for Black History Month.
The Congo Crisis and the Rise of a Pan-African Musical Politics
How Patrice Lumumba’s assassination reshaped Black internationalism—and pushed musicians toward a new kind of activism.
The Racial Myth of the Basque Sheepherder
How ideas of ancient tradition shaped labor and immigration in the American West.
A History of Existential Anxiety
From medieval theology to modern philosophy, dread has long been a guide for living ethically.
The Medicinal Wood That Turned Water Blue
For nearly half a millennium, botanists sought the "true" identity of Lignum nephriticum, a mysterious marvel that confounded early modern science.
Laura Secord’s Walk
In 1813, Laura Secord walked 20 miles through enemy territory to warn British troops of an American attack, changing the course of the War of 1812.
The Poet Who Writes About Vietnam in Hebrew
Vaan Nguyen’s poetry examines exile and memory through the lens of her family’s journey from Vietnam to Israel.
Tarring and Feathering, American Style
What began as a European folk practice became a distinctly American ritual of public punishment.
A History of Fakery on Film
Concerns about AI-made images have deep roots in the earliest years of filmmaking.