Culture

Veterans of the 1848 German revolution immigrated to America with three passions burning in their hearts: barbells, beer, and socialism.

The Sugarhill Gang song remains one of rap's most beloved. But it took serendipity, a book of rhymes, and an agreement to settle a lawsuit for it to survive.

James McBride’s new novel tells a story of solidarity between Black and Jewish communities.

A Smithsonian curator John Troutman and a blues musician discuss a new folk album, "Playing for the Man at the Door," from late chronicler Mack McCormick's collection.

Sara Marcus’s recent book argues that from the Reconstruction to the AIDS era, a distinct aesthetic formed around defeat in the realm of politics.

A look at "Biography Of A Phantom", Robert McCormick's book about blues legend Robert Johnson.

It’s not a flavor; it’s a vibe.

On John Sturges’s “Bad Day at Black Rock” and Japanese America.

Watching 'Oppenheimer' with the author of a definitive account of the Manhattan Project.

“It was made under the worst of conditions,” the filmmaker reveals in a new book. “People versus the eternal sea. The sea won the battle.”

What were Americans' immediate responses to "A Christmas Carol," and how did Dickens' reading tours and eventual death reshape its meaning?

A prolific, meticulous artist, McCay created characters and storyscapes that inspired generations of cartoonists and animators.

Rollins never wavered in his determination to get things right, and often that meant reinventing himself and, along the way, jazz as well.

The story of the Little Longfellow War.

The country song that pits idyllic country life against the corruption of the city is a well-worn trope. Aldean's song reveals the dark heart of the tradition.

Songwriting credits since 1958, broken down by gender.

A recent biography dives into the choreographer's role as both an artist and figure of early American modernism.

Before Christopher Nolan’s "Oppenheimer," the world nearly got Ayn Rand’s "Tribute to Free Enterprise."

On the drive-in movie culture that captured a yearning for fast cars on dusty roads.

On the mismatched sporting advice of Clair Bee and John R. Tunis.

How French cuisine became beloved among status-hungry diners in the United States, from Thomas Jefferson to Kanye West.

And the origins of the term “Kafkaesque.”

The Statue of Freedom atop the U.S. Capitol wouldn’t exist without the artistry of an enslaved man named Philip Reed.

A collection of previously unpublished stories offers a portrait of the playwright as a young artist.

It’s been 25 years since Puff Daddy went to the Hamptons. What’s changed?

Unlike the Southern whites who moved en masse during the 20th century, these early migrants often had direct, personal ties to the institution of slavery.

Digital communications allowed transgender individuals and organizations the digital tools to organize and connect at a previously impossible scale and speed.

Popular culture and social critique through Rogers' writing and Guthrie's songs.

Willie Mae “Big Mama” Thornton lived an unapologetic life that transcended genres and gender norms beyond her bluesy hit song and the “Elvis moment.”

Don DeLillo's Cold Wars.