Culture

The upper classes once imposed the fashion staple on their servants—then they stole it back from them.

Dorothy Thompson's 1941 paranoid 'parlor game' just as (un) useful today.

Jane Addams, a leading Victorian-era reformer, believed dance halls were “one of the great pitfalls of the city.”

A bizarre episode in circus history became an unlikely forum for discussing 19th-century theories of race.

A new study suggests that online dating is influencing levels of interracial marriage, and even the stability of marriage itself.

In 1995, the "Deep Space Nine" installment “Past Tense” stood out for its realistic, near-future vision of racism and economic injustice.

"Blade Runner: 2049" portrays a world that is both more terrifying and duller than the world of the franchise's original.

Patterson Hood argues that Tom Petty achieved perfection in his songwriting... time and time again.

Country music is assumed to be the soundtrack of the Republican Party. But it wasn't always that way.

How a folk hero inspired one of the most covered songs in American history.

Four books contend with the lifting of the 108-year old curse.

Your favorite light sweater was worn to war, before getting picked up by academics, Mr. Rogers, and Kurt Cobain.

In an exclusive excerpt from his new book, 'Calder: The Conquest of Time,' Jed Perl reveals a hidden side of the artist.

Perhaps the only true generalization to make about Hefner is that he is given too much credit for his role in American history.

A primary source set and teaching guide created by educators.

Music continues to hold an allure for elites seeking to politicize patriotism in support of their privilege.

How a fight over Native American symbolism in Oregon brought to light the conflict at America's core.

On Twitter's new 280-character limit.

Like most relationships, it’s complicated.

Used in military and football slang, the phrase dates back to at least 1960.

Years after he integrated the MLB, Robinson publicly badgered John F. Kennedy on civil rights.

A new book, ‘Active Bodies,’ explores the history.

The government shouldn’t subsidize porn, he argued.

Comics were able to reflect changing views on the conflict in a way few other popular culture forms could.

Burns and co-director Lynn Novick take a "many sides" approach to history at a time when "many sides" is a tool of obfuscation.

A primary source set and teaching guide created by educators.

An excerpt from "The Naughty Nineties: The Triumph of the American Libido."

How floods have united people of color from the Gulf Coast states for nearly a century.

Today's headlines evoke the the racist and hate filled headlines of KKK publications.

The filmmaker wants ‘The Vietnam War’ to unite America. Can anyone do that under Trump?