Humanities
Critical analysis and thought in the fields of history, law and philosophy
The Kennedy Assassin Who Failed
Richard Paul Pavlick’s plan wasn’t very complicated, but it took an eagle-eyed postal worker to prevent a tragedy
December 06, 2012 |
By Dan Lewis
Besse Cooper, World’s Oldest Person, Passes Away
Born in 1896, Besse Cooper was came into a world that was vastly different than the one she just left
December 05, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Oldest Book Printed on American Soil To Go Up for Sale
A 372-year old book of psalms is set to go up for auction
December 05, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
Collecting the World’s Collections of Small Oddities One Day at a Time
A Q&A with Diana Zlatanovski on how she came to collect collections, what they say about design, and how to be a collector without becoming a hoarder
December 04, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
Dress Codes and Etiquette, Part 3: The Death of the Dinner Jacket on Open Water
Are the days of wearing just a tuxedo t-shirt just over the horizon?
December 03, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
Have GPS Devices Taken the Fun out of Navigation?
With the rise of the digital age, the fascinating skills of map reading and celestial navigation are becoming lost arts
December 03, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
The Pope’s Tweets Are Official Church Doctrine
The pope is officially Tweeting now, under the handle @pontifex, and his Tweets are officially "part of the church's magisterium." Which means that anything he Tweets is the teaching authority of the Catholic Church
December 03, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Video Games Are Officially Art, According to the MoMA
The Museum of Modern Art bought 14 video games last week to add to their permanent collection - making video games not just interesting anthropological artifacts, but also a form of art
December 03, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
A Scholarly Approach to Innovation
The Secretary of the Smithsonian draws the connection between the Clovis tools and Silicon Valley
December 2012 |
By G. Wayne Clough, Secretary of the Smithsonian Institution
Why Mass Incarceration Defines Us As a Society
Bryan Stevenson, the winner of the Smithsonian American Ingenuity Award in social justice, has taken his fight all the way to the Supreme Court
December 2012 |
By Chris Hedges
Looking at the Battle of Gettysburg Through Robert E. Lee’s Eyes
Anne Kelly Knowles, the winner of Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards, uses GIS technology to change our view of history
December 2012 |
By Tony Horwitz
The Tucker Was the 1940s Car of the Future
Visionary inventor
Preston Tucker risked everything when he saw his 1948 automobile as a vehicle for change
December 2012 |
By Abigail Tucker
1 Million Dollars Worth of Rare Dictionaries About to Go on Sale
On December 4, a collection of rare old dictionaries will go on auction at Bonhams in New York City
November 30, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
A Holiday Shopping Reminder: Do We Really Need That Extra Pair of Jeans?
Meaningful purchases trump frenetic shopping and closets bulging with new clothes
November 29, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
NYC Record: No One Shot, Stabbed or Slashed on Monday
It was a "nice way to start the week," says NYPD
November 29, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Uglier Campaign Fundraising Emails Make More Money
All the rules you expect might apply to sending a perfect fundraising email? Throw them out the window
November 29, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
Crockford’s Club: How a Fishmonger Built a Gambling Hall and Bankrupted the British Aristocracy
A working-class Londoner operated the most exclusive gambling club the world has ever seen
November 29, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
The Meals That Starving Travelers Dream Of
Daydreaming of food is a tradition as old as the saga of man versus wild. What would you wish to eat if you were starving in a tent or a dinghy at sea?
November 28, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Danilo Pérez, Creator of Musical Guardians of Peace
The Panamanian performer catches up with Joann Stevens before his Nov. 30 concert at the Kennedy Center
November 28, 2012 |
By Joann Stevens
