Humanities
Critical analysis and thought in the fields of history, law and philosophy
The U.S. Once Wanted To Use Nuclear Bombs as a Construction Tool
From digging a harbor to expanding the Panama Canal, how couldn't nuclear bombs be used?
January 16, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Brits Are Allowed To Insult Each Other Once More
For the past 27 years, it's been against the law for Brits to insult each other
January 16, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
War and Peace of Mind for Ulysses S. Grant
With the help of his friend Mark Twain, Grant finished his memoirs—and saved his wife from an impoverished widowhood—just days before he died
January 16, 2013 |
By Gilbert King
How to Win Inauguration Weekend: There’s an App for That
Only one man won the election, but with free tours and insider information, you can still win the weekend. Plus hours, eating spots and where to rest your feet
January 16, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
Braving the Pan-American Highway of Death
Along the roadway in Peru, hand-built memorials to accident victims occur almost as regularly as the kilometer markers themselves
January 15, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
Document Deep Dive: The Menu From President Lincoln’s Second Inaugural Ball
What delicacies and confectionaries were found on the 250-foot-long buffet table?
January 15, 2013 |
By Megan Gambino
Monopoly Tokens Are Being Updated, And Your Favorite One Could Get the Ax
On February 5, players may have a Monopoly identity crisis as one of the classic Monopoly pieces is sent to jail for good
January 14, 2013 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Is America a Nation of Soul Food Junkies?
Filmmaker Bryan Hurt explores what makes soul food so personal, starting with his own father's health struggle, in a PBS film premiering tonight
January 14, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
VIDEO: The Story Behind the Emancipation Proclamation
You've seen Spielberg's "Lincoln," now hear director of the National Museum of African American History and Culture Lonnie Bunch talk about the forces behind the January 1, 1863 order and the eventual abolition of slavery
January 14, 2013 |
By Leah Binkovitz
The Fisher Space Pen Boldly Writes Where No Man Has Written Before
The Fisher Space Pen has been made famous by Apollo astronauts and Jerry Seinfeld. But just how does it work? And is NASA really spend millions making it?
January 11, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
Ongoing Drought Could Send the Chicago River Flowing in Reverse
Low water levels in Lake Michigan could cause the Chicago River to start flowing the other way
January 10, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
Events January 11-13: Civil Disobedience, Farm-Fresh Foods and Arabic Calligraphy Lessons
This week, protest racial segregation in the 1960s, discover DC's "slow food" movement and learn to write in Arabic
January 10, 2013 |
By Paul Bisceglio
President Obama’s Autopen: When is an Autograph Not an Autograph?
When the President signed the fiscal cliff deal from 4,800 miles away, he did it with the help of a device that dates back to Thomas Jefferson
January 08, 2013 |
By Jimmy Stamp
You Can Now Buy Space Shuttle Launch Facilities
Haven't you always wanted to own a launch pad?
January 08, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
The Candor and Lies of Nazi Officer Albert Speer
The minister of armaments was happy to tell his captors about the war machine he had built. But it was a different story when he was asked about the Holocaust
January 08, 2013 |
By Gilbert King
There Is a Sculpture on the Moon Commemorating Fallen Astronauts
The crew of Apollo 15 placed a small aluminum sculpture on the moon to memorialize those astronauts had died
January 07, 2013 |
By Rose Eveleth
Top 10 Things You Didn’t Know About San Francisco’s Cable Cars
Ever since they became a part of the city’s transit system, they have been iconic mainstays of its cityscape
January 04, 2013 |
By Jeff Greenwald
Events January 4-7: Talk Back to Historic Figures, Weave the Mayan Way and Unplug with Musicians
A professor and gentleman from the 19th century will take your questions, a Mayan weaver will craft a keepsake and an Indie group will keep you in the groove
January 03, 2013 |
By Beth Py-Lieberman
One Small Question About Armstrong’s Giant Leap for Mankind: When Did He Come Up With That Line?
Did Neil Armstrong come up with his now-famous quote long before he landed on the Moon?
January 03, 2013 |
By Colin Schultz
A Short Bike Ride in the Peruvian Andes
The author kicks off 2013 with a 1,100-mile cycling journey through the Andes from Lima, Peru, to Ecuador's lofty capital of Quito
January 03, 2013 |
By Alastair Bland
