A Brief History of Showers as a Treatment and a Torture
Showers, now a mainstay of our daily routines, were once a cure for insanity and criminality.
Browsing Tag
History
126 posts
Why Do We Speak Ill of the Dead?
For people who exercise great power, accountability after death is a small price to pay.
How to Beat Demagogues Online: Know Your History!
Princeton University historian Kevin Kruse offers lessons in how to push back against the lies of the far right.
How a Volatile Climate Shapes the Way People Think
New research finds that people living in climatically turbulent regions tend to make riskier decisions than those in relatively more stable environments.
Saving the Library Before It Burns
An archive works to conserve the stories of the 1947 Partition of India.
In 1850, Moderates in Congress Stressed Comity—and Brought on the Civil War
Stephen E. Maizlish's new book discusses a time much like our own, when radicals in Congress hurled insults while moderates bemoaned a lack of civility.
The Troubling History of Rushed Supreme Court Confirmations
The hurried and partisan Supreme Court confirmation process for Brett Kavanaugh mirrors several notable examples of similarly politicized confirmations from our past.
‘An Optimistic Book About Disaster’: Chatting With Mary Robinette Kowal
The author (and puppeteer) discusses climate change, discrimination, and how to write science fiction with a happy ending.
How an Airport Fence Has Sparked a Debate Over Honoring Victims of Japanese Internment
In Tulelake, California, a municipal airport was built on the site of a former internment camp, and now it is at the center of a serious debate over preserving the historical significance of the land.
New York City’s History of Revolt
In his new book Don Mitchell, an emeritus professor of geography at Syracuse University, uses a unique lens to chronicle New York City through the centuries: its protests.