An older prison door lock

Debtors’ Prisons, Class, and Patriotism in 18th Century Ireland

In a paper for Eighteenth-Century Ireland, Martyn J. Powell discusses the politics that seem to have limited the use of debtors' prisons in Ireland.
Coffee

Good News, Coffee Drinkers!

A moderate amount of coffee might be genuinely good for you.
1906 photograph of Ota Benga holding a chimpanzee at the Bronx Zoo

Ota Benga and the Living Ethnographic Exhibit

In the book Spectacle: The Astonishing Life of Ota Benga, Pamela Newkirk tells a tale that is more than astonishing.
An individual scans a card key

Safe Rooms, Fear, and the Limits of Rational Thinking

Do safe rooms realistically protect people from outside threats?
Kelli O'Hara and Ken Watanabe dancing in the 2018 "The King and I"

The Real Anna Leonowens

The real-life story of Anna Leonowens is actually more interesting than her fictionalized life in "The King and I."
Cover of North American Review

The North American Review Turns 200

Happy birthday to the North American Review!
Woman sneezing in a grain field

The How of Seasonal Allergies

Allergies, how do they work?
Old combat boots and military canteen

What Soldiers Ate During World War I

By World War I, writes Murlin, emerging nutritional science was becoming a priority in the Army.
Stamp commemorating Flannery O'Connor

Flannery O’Connor’s Stamp

Flannery O'Connor is being honored by a new stamp, which will be released on June 5th.
Isaac Asimov

Isaac Asimov Calls For More Engineers Through Science-Fiction

Famous science-fiction novelist Isaac Asimov called for more engineers and scientists in the world and less glorifying of idiocy in entertainment.