The Voynich Manuscript: Crowd-Sourcing An Uncrackable Cipher
The Voynich Manuscript has mesmerized people ever since the man it's named after, bibliophile Wilfred Voynich, brought it up for sale in 1912.
The Evolution of the New York Restaurant Scene
In colonial America, restaurants as we know them today were virtually unheard of.
Rags, Riches, and Cross-Class Dressing in Elizabethan England
In Elizabethan England, strict sumptuary regulations made sure that people dressed according to their rank in life, but many transgressed.
The Obscured History of Jamaica’s Maroon Societies
Maroon societies in Jamaica and the rest of the Americas have survived for hundreds of years.
“Stranger Things” and the Psychic Nosebleed
Where did we get the idea that using psychic or telekinetic powers makes a person's nose bleed?
One Way to a Cleaner Ocean? Plastics!
A new technology allows ships to dredge the ocean for plastic, then compress it into bricks. But plastic recycling has proved difficult in the past.
Suggested Readings: Ginseng, New Earth, and Good News about Inequality
Extra Credit: Our pick of stories from around the web that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
Has Louisiana Changed, Post-Katrina?
Eleven years after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans, the city and some of its citizens remain in precarious recovery.