The Privileged and Impoverished Life of Phillis Wheatley
The first African American of either gender to publish a book of poetry has remained a controversial figure in the black community.
Should We Thank Frig it’s Friday?
The Anglo-Saxon goddess Frig has often been cited as the origin of the word Friday, but one scholar questions whether such a deity ever existed.
How To Make a Leader Step Down
President Xi Jinping of China recently managed to abolish term limits. What compels some leaders to discard the rules of the very systems that led them to power?
Black Panther and Double-Consciousness
Double identity, present in both Marvel's Black Panther and in the critical race theory of double-consciousness, enables black American viewers to see their two identities played out on screen.
In Children’s Books, How Much Reality is Too Much?
While children will undoubtedly counter myriad difficulties as they navigate life--and it does them a disservice to pretend otherwise--exposure is a double edged sword.
Volcanoes, Climate Change, and The Birth of Christianity
The massive, deadly eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eldgjá in 10th century brought climate change and Christianity to the island colony.
Gun Norms, Jolts of Joy, and Life on Mars
Well-researched stories from around the web that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Alaska’s Unique Civil Rights Struggle
A generation before Rosa Parks, a young Alaska Native woman was arrested for sitting in the "whites only" section of a Nome, Alaska movie theater.
The Merchandising Whiz Behind the Sunbonnet Babies
In the late 1890s, Bertha Corbett set up her own illustration studio in Minneapolis. Her simple drawing of children in sunbonnets became her ticket to success.
Teaching Happiness
According to one scholar, we're inundated with ways to pursue pleasure, which we conflate with happiness, to our own detriment.