The Lost Tradition of New Year’s Day Calling
The colonial Dutch tradition of making social calls on New Year's Day in New York was no match for 19th-century-style partying.
Why Americans Love Diets
On a diet or cleanse in the new year? You're continuing in the very American tradition of self-perfection.
The Different Meanings of Monopoly
Monopoly's real inventor was Lizzie Magie, a progressive Georgist, who believed that land should be collectively owned by all.
Why Do So Many Indonesian Men Smoke?
Indonesia has the highest smoking rates in the world. Why? It might have to do with economic liberalization in the 1990s.
Rudyard Kipling’s Little-Known Poem on New Year’s Resolutions
With New Year’s Day on the horizon, many people will write their resolutions. Rudyard Kipling's poem explores the trials and tribulations of resolutions.
Whatever Happened to the Samurai?
Warriors rarely give up their power, but the samurai of Japan dwindled away rapidly after the Meiji Restoration and the modernization of the country.
Getting to Know Pterosaurs
Everyone loves dinosaurs. Perhaps less well-known are their cousins, the pterosaurs. Pterosaurs could fly, and were closely related ...
How Blackboards Transformed American Education
Looking at the history of U.S. education, Steven D. Krause argues that that most transformative piece of technology in the classroom was the blackboard.
The Rise and Fall of the Blog
A quick Google search will yield suggested results, 'are blogs still relevant 2016', 'are blogs still relevant 2017'' 'is blogging dead'.
Can a Single Volcano Cool the Earth?
Even one volcano can have impacts that affect the planet. There have been eruptions that affected the temperature over the entire hemisphere.