Why the Puritans cracked down on celebrating Christmas
It was less about their asceticism and more about rejecting the world they had fled.
December 17, 2020
456
Arts
Why being stuck at home – and unable to hang out in cafes and bars – drains our creativity
By missing out on chance encounters and observations that jolt 'a-ha' moments, new ideas, big and small, go undiscovered.
December 16, 2020
548
Ancient Greek desire to resolve civil strife resonates today – but Athenian justice would be a 'bitt
Homer and Aeschylus turned to the divine to write their happy endings. But no gods are conspiring above the US, ready to…
December 15, 2020
1080
America's hidden world of handmade pornography
One scholar spent a decade studying the ways everyday people drew, carved, glued, sewed and baked their own pornography.
December 10, 2020
438
In 'The Queen's Gambit' and beyond, chess holds up a mirror to life
Ever since players tweaked the game to reflect the medieval social order, poets and writers have used chess as an allegory…
December 8, 2020
596
As the pandemic rages, the US could use a little bit more 'samfundssind'
The word, which roughly translates to considering the needs of society above your own, has become a buzzword in Denmark.
December 4, 2020
691
The chattering classes got the 'Hillbilly Elegy' book wrong – and they're getting the movie wrong, t
A stark divide in the response to the film suggests a deep disconnect between media elites and the rest of the country.
December 3, 2020
542
NCAA amateurism appears immune to COVID-19 – despite tide in public support on paying athletes havin
Someone's race, however, seems to be a factor in whether they support college athletes’ economic rights.
November 30, 2020
670
Will there be a monument to the COVID-19 pandemic?
Although memorials to past pandemics are not as prolific as war memorials, they do exist. A scholar of visual culture provides…
November 25, 2020
618
In the 1620s, Plymouth Plantation had its own #MeToo moment
An ex-minister named John Lyford arrived at the nascent colony hoping for a fresh start. But he couldn't escape his…
November 23, 2020
475
The rise and fall of Tab – after surviving the sweetener scares, the iconic diet soda gets canned
Tab was Coca-Cola's first foray into the diet soda market. Though the brand went on to build and maintain a legion of…
November 23, 2020
493
Why it's important to see women as capable ... of terrible atrocities
Women continue to be stereotyped as passive and meek. For this reason, international courts often let women war criminals…
November 20, 2020
787
The complicated origin of the expression 'peanut gallery'
Remember the 'peanut gallery' from the 'Howdy Doody' show? That term, like many others we commonly use,…
November 9, 2020
487
Only the richest ancient Athenians paid taxes – and they bragged about it
In ancient Athens, the richest people paid taxes to support what the residents considered the salvation of the city. These…
November 3, 2020
1056
Screen out: Disabled actors are still waiting for their place on the national stage
Despite recent social movements that have garnered greater inclusivity in the arts, disabled actors are still waiting for…
November 2, 2020
516
100 years ago, the first commercial radio broadcast announced the results of the 1920 election – pol
For centuries, people largely read politicians' words. But with the advent of radio, the ability of politicians to engage…
October 30, 2020
825
From Trump to Trudeau, the escalator is a favorite symbol of political campaigns
Candidates from both the right and the left use the escalator as a metaphor for the economic perils – and perks – of…
October 30, 2020
836
Rumors of Chris Pratt's being a 'MAGA Bro' show how Twitter's trending function can go haywire
False premises, fear-based reasoning and mob thinking are baked into the platform, allowing misinformation to thrive.
October 29, 2020
494
Fox News viewers write about 'BLM' the same way CNN viewers write about 'KKK'
Using machine learning to study over 85 million YouTube comments, a research team has, for the first time, identified linguistic…
October 28, 2020
719
3 things I learned from teaching students about horror pioneer George Romero's movies during these s
Now that the whole world is echoing Romero's films, everyone can learn from his legacy.
October 28, 2020
432