The Vietnam War: A History in Song

The ‘First Television War’ was also documented in over 5,000 songs.

William Faulkner Was Really Bad at Being a Postman

Good thing he had other talents.
James Baldwin.

James Baldwin’s Ideas and Activism during the 1980s

Baldwin's often overlooked final years of activism during the 1980's.

How Auto-Tune Revolutionized the Sound of Popular Music

An in-depth history of the most important pop innovation of the last 20 years, from Cher’s “Believe” to Kanye West to Migos.

Canon Fodder

Where's the country music on Pitchfork's Best Albums of the 1980s?

Why We Say "OK"

How a cheesy joke from the 1830s became one of the most widely spoken words in the world.

Serena Williams and 'Angry Black Women'

A racial stereotype rears its ugly head.
The Writing Master, by Thomas Eakins, 1882. Painting of a man wearing glasses and writing with a pen.

Yawns Innumerable

The story of John Quincy Adams’ forgotten epic poem—and its most critical reader.

What Makes ‘The Living Dead’ My Film of 1968

In so many ways, George Romero's lo-budget horror film defined the year 1968.
Artistic photo for black history

The Trouble With Uplift

A curiously inflexible brand of race-first neoliberalism has taken root in American political discourse.
Two posters of the "We Can Do It!" posters with Rosie the Riveter hang on a wall.

Rosie the Riveter Isn’t Who You Think She Is

While the female factory worker is a pop icon now, the “We Can Do It!” poster was unknown to the American public in the 1940s.
African American medalists Tommie Smith and John Carlos with their fists raised during the national anthem at the 1968 Olympics.

This Isn’t the First Time Professional Athletics, Protest and Politics Have Mixed

The long history of athletes taking a stand for racial justice.

The Old Man and His Muse: Hemingway’s Toe-Curling Infatuation with Adriana Ivancich

For the last decade of his life, the sozzled Hemingway was in thrall to an Italian 30 years his junior.
People working out in bikinis in a mall.
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As Swimsuit Season Ends, Pursuit of the ‘Bikini Body’ Endures

The "bikini body" is out. But the pressure to maintain the ideal female physique lives on.

“It Was Us Against Those Guys”: The Women Who Transformed Rolling Stone in the Mid-70s

How one 28-year-old feminist bluffed her way into running a copy department and made rock journalism a legitimate endeavor.
Storefront destruction from the the 1967 Detroit Riots.

A Pioneer of Paranoia

How William Cooper envisioned a web entangling global capitalism, the government, and UFOs, and incubated the politics of conspiracy.

Nostalgia is Gaming's Biggest Trend

"Tanglewood" is the first new Sega Genesis game in years - the latest example of gaming developers looking back, not ahead.

Reconsidering Rudyard Kipling

Was the author and poet best known for 'The Jungle Book' and 'Kim' truly a racist imperialist?
The cover of Behold, a Pale Horse by Milton William Cooper.

The Conspiracist Manual That Influenced a Generation of Rappers

How "Behold a Pale Horse" found its way to the Wu-Tang Clan, Mobb Deep’s Prodigy, Busta Rhymes, Tupac Shakur, NAS, and more.
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Podcasting the Past

Why historians should stop worrying and embrace the rise of history podcasts by non-scholars.

When Aretha Franklin’s ‘Star-Spangled Banner’ Drew a Torrent of Racial Abuse

Racist critics declared that Franklin ‘crucified’ the anthem at the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

Aretha Franklin Was the Defining Voice of the 20th Century

No one else sang as well as her, and no other singer changed popular music as much as her.

Have Elite US Colleges Lost Their Moral Purpose Altogether?

The ethical formation of citizens was once at the heart of the US elite college. Has this moral purpose gone altogether?
A man alone among the rubble of a city

TV and the Bomb

During the Cold War, nuclear weapons were a frequent plot point on television shows. Fearful depictions in the 1950's became more darkly comedic in the 1960s.

Tattooing in the Civil War Was a Hedge Against Anonymous Death

Hidden tattoos captured soldiers' pride and patriotism, but also had a practical use.

An Outline of Over 200 Years of Silhouettes

The oldest object on view shows on brown paperboard one of the earliest known images of a slave in the U.S.
Illustration of Howard Thurston, gazing into a skull while surrounded by supernatural creatures

Howard Thurston, the Magician Who Disappeared

Overshadowed by more famous contemporaries, the visionary behind “The Wonder Show of the Universe” left a far-reaching legacy.

The Forgotten Story of Pure Hell, America’s First Black Punk Band

The four-piece lived with the New York Dolls and played with Sid Vicious, but they’ve been largely written out of cultural history.

Being a Victorian Librarian Was Oh-So-Dangerous

In the late 19th century, more women were becoming librarians. Experts predicted they would suffer ill health and breakdowns.

The Greatest Upset in Quiz Show History

Agnes Scott vs. Princeton, GE College Bowl, 1966.