Child's shoe discovered in a wall, probably put there to protect a child from evil spirits, Lancashire, 1704

Hidden Charms

Why is there a shoe in your wall?
Marianne Moore, 1935

Marianne Moore: Master Mentor

A widely published poet with deep editorial experience, Moore turned out to be the perfect mentor for a Vassar student named Elizabeth Bishop
Threat of excommunication to thieves of books in the library of the University of Salamanca

Book Thieves Take the Story and Run with It

Book theft: the books may be rare, but the crime is not.
Spacetime as represented by a grid with a body (presumably a black hole) bending it.

When Gravity Sucked, According to the Plutocrats

After Einstein’s general theory of relativity was proven during a 1919 solar eclipse, quantum and nuclear physics pushed it aside to hog the limelight.
Malay-language film poster for the 1940 film Roekihati, produced by Tan's Film.

The Lost World of Pre-War Malay Cinema

Using the few surviving copies of the 1940s magazine Film Melayu, historian Timothy Barnard chronicles the discourse surrounding the Golden Age of Malay film.
An illustration of Financial fluctuations

Environmental, Social, and Governance Factors v. Fiduciary Duty

Asset managers have a fiduciary duty to act in your best interests. Does that include considering ESG factors when investing your money?
Akkai Padmashali, a prominent transgender activist holds a placard during a protest against violence in the northeastern Indian state of Manipur, on July 21, 2023 in Bengaluru, India.

Identity and Violence in Manipur, India

A history of political and economic mismanagement, paired with armed militancy based in ethnic identity, helps explain the protracted violence in the region.
The cover image from Ghost stories and phantom fancies, 1858

Class and Superstition in Britain

Believing in ghosts wasn’t a class marker until the 1820s, when suddenly the educated classes tried to convince the masses that these apparitions were delusions.
Sand dunes and ocean at Padre Island's North Beach, Texas

The Shifting Sands of Hurricane Resilience

Sand dunes act as shock absorbers during hurricanes, both when the storms hit and while reestablishing roots (literally) in the aftermath.
The "world's littlest skyscraper" in Wichita Falls, Texas, 2015

Boom, Bust, and the “World’s Littlest Skyscraper”

The discovery of oil near Wichita Falls in 1911 not only brought money to the Texas town, it brought a swindler who promised the sky(scraper).