Why Stonewall?
The Stonewall riot in June, 1969 is generally remembered as be the beginning of the gay liberation movement. But there was precedent for the event.
How Barbed Wire Changed Farming Forever
On June 25, 1867, Lucien B. Smith of Ohio received the first patent for barbed wire. Within a few decades, barbed wire transformed the American West.
How The “Fag Hag” Went From Hated to Celebrated
At its core, the relationship between single women and gay men has longstanding historical roots.
How The Espionage Act Became a Tool of Repression
The Espionage Act of 1917 marked the beginning of the one of the most repressive periods in American history, with 2000 dissenters prosecuted.
The Gender Gap Is Even More Insidious Than You Thought
Women are more likely to be excluded from key networks, less likely to have had managerial experience, and have fewer mentors to signpost the way forward.
A Precedent for Today’s Political Violence
Illegal violence has always been a political tool, often serving the interests of the powerful. A historian looks at the case of 1930s Birmingham, Alabama.
How Do Fish Schools Work?
Fish schools turn, contract, expand, even part and come back together all without missing a beat. Yet fish are individuals, not a hive mind.
The Secret Gay Business Network of Midcentury America
In the 1940s and 50s, a life of business travel represented a sense of freedom for gay men that would have been impossible in earlier decades.
One Weird Trick for Raising Teachers’ Credentials
What's behind a drop in secondary school teachers' credentials? The profession has widened, but neither the its prestige, nor its pay has kept up.
California’s Plague of Poisonous Mushrooms
In the last couple of months, fourteen Californians have learned the hard way when they accidentally ate highly poisonous “Death Cap” mushrooms.