Did Youth Farming Programs Really Fight Juvenile Delinquency?
Summer jobs for teens are becoming a thing of the past, but considering these beet farm jobs, maybe we shouldn't romanticize them too much.
What’s a Kilogram?
At the end of the nineteenth century, the kilogram was conceived as the mass of one liter of water at 4°C, the temperature at which water was densest.
Indian Food is Not a Monolith
When you eat Indian food, what are you really eating? Chicken tikka masala was originally created to appease the palates of the British during the Raj.
How Arizona Banned Mexican-American Studies
An Arizona court is hearing a case that could roll back a 2010 ban on teaching Mexican-American studies in the state.
How Mad Magazine Informed America’s Cultural Critique
When Tales Calculated to Drive You MAD—Humor in a Jugular Vein first erupted onto the streets in 1952, it was like nothing ever seen before.
A Brief History of Prosthetic Limbs
Prosthetics have come a long way from the wooden big toe found on a a 3000-year-old mummy, or the Etruscan bridgework made of human teeth.
When C-Sections Were Performed to Save Dead Babies’ Souls
In 1804, Charles IV, King of Spain, issued a legal admonition telling officials not to bury any pregnant woman without giving her a C-section first.
Access to Care Is Only Part of Public Health
While the U.S. debate over healthcare has been focused on Obamacare, we’ve been ignoring some other important aspects of health policy.
How the Plastic Pink Flamingo Became an Icon
The ubiquitous pink flamingo lawn ornament is 60 years old, a product of the age of suburbs and plastic. It has a surprising natural history.
What Kind of Work is “Masculine”?
What's the fate of "masculinity" in a world where it’s hard for many men to achieve personal success? It's a question we asked in the 1930s, too.