Van Leeuwenhoek

Who Was Antony Van Leeuwenhoek?

Antony Van Leeuwenhoek is considered the first microbiologist. Some of his original letters can be read here.
soap carving

When Corporations Co-opt Crafts

Procter & Gamble made its industrially produced soap the basis for a revival of an ancient craft, leading to a huge fad for soap carving.
Grover Cleveland cartoon

The Venerable Tradition of the Presidential Sex Scandal

Americans have been obsessed with the sexual character and moral rectitude, or lack thereof, of politicians from the beginning. 
Cars in 1920s LA

How the Women of Los Angeles Protected Their Rights to Drive

In the 1920s, women's love of driving in auto-obsessed Los Angeles created traffic jams and a battle over women’s rightful place.
Johnny Appleseed

The Real Story Behind “Johnny Appleseed”

Johnny Appleseed was based on a real person, John Chapman, who was eccentric enough without the legends.
Haumea, a dwarf planet

The Weirdest Dwarf Planets Discovered So Far

The solar system is apparently more crowded than we thought: astronomers have discovered a new dwarf planet. Some dwarf planets don't play by the rules.
JSTOR Daily Friday Reads

Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle

We asked JSTOR Daily readers what books they remembered most from childhood. Mrs. Piggle Wiggle is one of them. 
Beach Pneumatic Train

The Pneumatic Subway That Almost Was

New York almost had a pneumatic subway system, but political, legal, and financial reasons kept the system from expanding.
Yes We Can video

Viral Videos and the Presidential Campaign

How do viral videos shape a presidential campaign? How do voters learn to “read” the art and advertisements they are seeing? Learn more from our scholars.
Hogarth Press Vanessa Bell

In Praise of Small Presses

Writers have long run their own small presses in order to publish voices that might otherwise stay silent.