Government

The FCC ruled against U.S. consumer protections online.

How Other Countries Deal With Net Neutrality

As the U.S. weakens its protections for internet users, it risks falling behind the rest of the world

A federal tea taster at work.

The FDA Used to Have People Whose Job Was to Taste Tea

Literally, that was it

Anne Royall's headstone at Washington D.C.'s Congressional Cemetery.

The 19th-Century Woman Journalist Who Made Congress Bow Down in Fear

A new book examines the life and legacy of Anne Royall, whose literal witch trial made headlines across the country

An illustration by cartoonist Jean Veber depicts British Army troops rounding up South African Boer civilians

Concentration Camps Existed Long Before Auschwitz

From Cuba to South Africa, the advent of barbed wire and automatic weapons allowed the few to imprison the many

In 2014, Americans Feared Walking Alone at Night. Now They’re Worried about Government Corruption

A survey on American fears by Chapman University sociologists has produced some surprisingly frightful results

American Expeditionary Force victims of the flu pandemic at U.S. Army Camp Hospital no. 45 in Aix-les-Bains, France, in 1918.

How the 1918 Flu Pandemic Revolutionized Public Health

Mass death changed how we think about illness, and government's role in treating it

The Abajo Mountains in Bears Ears National Monument

Interior Secretary Recommends Shrinking Six National Monuments

The review, which has been leaked, also suggests changes in uses and/or management of several other monuments

In an era of rapid change, the managers of our nation's wild spaces are asking: What counts as natural anymore?

The National Parks Face a Looming Existential Crisis

Political uncertainty and a changing climate converge to forge the park system's biggest challenge yet

How JFK's Clever TV Strategies Helped Him Win the Election

Seventy million people tuned in to watch America's first televised presidential debate in 1960. They were met with a well-prepared, well-dressed JFK

Hitler Youth members burn books. Photograph dated 1938.

A Brief History of Book Burning, From the Printing Press to Internet Archives

As long as there have been books, people have burned them—but over the years, the motivation has changed

Once the tablet-like tool is plugged into an individual’s cellphone, it can detect if the device was in use before a crash.

Can the ‘Textalyzer’ Stop New Yorkers From Texting and Driving?

The device would allow police to check if phone usage could be to blame for a car crash, but critics have raised privacy concerns

Where Did the Term “Gerrymander” Come From?

Elbridge Gerry was a powerful voice in the founding of the nation, but today he's best known for the political practice with an amphibious origin

Independence Day Celebration in Centre Square by John Lewis Krimmel (1787–1821)

The Brief Period, 200 Years Ago, When American Politics Was Full of “Good Feelings”

James Monroe’s 1817 goodwill tour kicked off a decade of party-less government – but he couldn’t stop the nation from dividing again

The Murray Islands: Waier in foreground, Murray (Mer, home of the late Eddie Mabo) beyond.

How Indigenous Australians Are Still Fighting for Their Lands 25 Years After a Landmark Court Case

The struggle continues for the people who have lived on the continent for 50,000 years

Suburban single-family homes in Fresno, California.

The Racial Segregation of American Cities Was Anything but Accidental

A housing policy expert explains how federal government policies created the suburbs and the inner city

Botanists might see fruit, but to a tariff collector, there's nothing but vegetables here.

Tomatoes Have Legally Been Vegetables Since 1893

Okay, so it's technically a fruit. But we don't eat it like one

Theodore Roosevelt regularly employed executive orders to achieve his political goals.

The Debate Over Executive Orders Began With Teddy Roosevelt's Mad Passion for Conservation

Teddy used nearly 10 times as many executive orders as his predecessor. The repercussions are still felt today

The Sayler Park tornado which struck the Cincinnati area as part of the "Super Outbreak" was a category F5 storm on the Fujita scale, the highest possible rating on the scale.

How 148 Tornadoes in One Day in 1974 Changed Emergency Preparedness

The “super outbreak” flattened towns and killed and injured thousands, all with little warning and in the space of 24 hours

English-Speaking Cameroon Hasn’t Had Any Internet for 70 Days

The shutdown targets the country's two Anglophone regions

King Tut captivated the U.S. in 1976, thanks in part to an NEH grant.

Five Things You Didn’t Realize Were Funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities

Since 1965, the agency has bestowed more than 63,000 humanities-related grants

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