Oprah and Obamas

A Little Political Knowledge Is…Much Better Than Nothing

Studies show that viewers do gain political knowledge through daytime television and other forms of "soft news."
Ocean Floor Map

The Mother of Ocean Floor Cartography

Marie Tharp's contribution to ocean-floor mapping and the acceptance of plate tectonics wasn't recognized at the time. 
JSTOR Daily Friday Reads

The National Book Awards Shortlist

The National Book Awards Shortlist has been announced and wouldn't you know, many of the authors honored have work in JSTOR. 
Sherman Alexie

The Absolutely True Story of Sherman Alexie

Happy 50th birthday to novelist, poet, and filmmaker Sherman Alexie. Learn about “one of the major lyric voices of our time" through his work.
Beauty and the Beast

How Disney Movies Teach Straightness

Despite the perils of mistaken identities, evil stepmothers, and cruel curses, in a Disney movie the princess always finds her prince.
17th century hurricane predictions

How to Predict Hurricanes in the 17th Century

In 1698, Captain Langford shared how one indigenous Caribbean person predicted hurricanes 14 days in advance.
mosquito illustration

Believe It or Not, You Don’t Actually Want Mosquitoes Eradicated

What would happen if we actually eliminated mosquitoes?
French trench in WWI

The Power of Deterrence

The First World War witnessed the first major use of chemical warfare, but by the Second World War deterrence seemed to work. 
Christopher Corr

Healing Art in Hospitals Today

As hospitals today continue to grow and expand, who is thinking about nurturing patients and visitors with healing art and beautification projects?
Jail Cell

A Non-Punitive Response to Juvenile Crime

It wasn’t until recently that federal juvenile justice policy swung sharply toward prosecution and tough sentencing.