Creating the “Criminal Class”
In the late eighteenth century, Glasgow magistrate Patrick Colquhoun argued that immoral living had created a distinct class of people with weak characters.
Catherine of Aragon: Europe’s First Female Ambassador
Remembered as the wife Henry VIII brushed aside for Anne Boleyn, Catherine of Aragon was viewed as a strong leader and diplomat in her own lifetime.
Our Most Popular Stories of 2022
Personality tests, street dogs, underwater treasures, and a natural history of dragons.
Edgar Allan Poe (Sort of) Wrote a Book About Seashells
The American writer was an enthusiast of the sciences, which may explain his decision to “adapt” a text about seashells for publication under his own name.
Aspymmetrical Powers: Economic and Cyber Espionage
The lack of global governance over some acts of economic and cyber espionage is likely an intentional choice, one with varying benefits for state actors.
To the Lighthouses: A Path to Nationhood
Instilling confidence among merchants and ship captains was an area in which most agreed the new federal authority could and should act.
The Greening of the Great Basin
The growth of grass in a desert might not seem problematic, but the introduction of invasive species can disrupt plant, animal, and human inhabitants.
The South Asian Human Rights Tradition
Human rights discourse drawing on ancient Sanskrit texts focuses more on the responsibilities of individuals and states than on the rights themselves.
Long Before Sputnik: An Explosion of Federal Science
The National Academy of Sciences was created by the United States Congress during the American Civil War. The timing wasn’t coincidental.
The Scholars Charting Black Music’s Timeline: Douglas Henry Daniels & Paul Austerlitz
Daniels and Austerlitz tell the story of jazz, from its origins in the blues, gospel, and funk to its impact on music around the world.