Modern Historic Eras
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The Stalking of the President
Charles J. Guiteau said he wanted to kill President James A. Garfield "in an American manner." He passed up several opportunities before he thought the time was right.
January 17, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
The Mystery of the Five Wounds
The first case of stigmata—the appearance of marks or actual wounds like those Christ received during the Crucifixion—was recorded in 1224. Hundreds of cases have followed. But this phenomenon has not been fully explained.
November 18, 2011 |
By Mike Dash
Naval Gazing: The Enigma of Étienne Bottineau
In 1782, an unknown French engineer offered an invention better than radar: the ability to detect ships hundreds of miles away
October 13, 2011 |
By Mike Dash
Dahomey’s Women Warriors
For the better part of 200 years, thousands of female soldiers fought and died to expand the borders of their West African kingdom. Even their conquerors, the French, acknowledged their "prodigious bravery."
September 23, 2011 |
By Mike Dash
If There’s a Man Among Ye: The Tale of Pirate Queens Anne Bonny and Mary Read
Renowned for their ruthlessness, these two female pirates challenged the sailors’ adage that a woman’s presence on shipboard invites bad luck
August 09, 2011 |
By Karen Abbott
When Three British Boys Traveled to Medieval England (Or Did They?)
A 1957 "time traveler" recalls "a feeling of unfriendliness and unseen watchers which sent shivers up one’s back"
July 21, 2011 |
By Mike Dash
What Defines a Meme?
Our world is a place where information can behave like human genes and ideas can replicate, mutate and evolve
May 2011 |
By James Gleick
Ten Unforgettable Web Memes
Cats and failures highlight this list of the memes that have gone mainstream. Which ones did we miss?
April 18, 2011 |
By Megan Gambino, Ryan R. Reed, Jesse Rhodes and Brian Wolly
Turn on, Log in, Wise up
If the internet is dumbing us down, how come I've never felt smarter?
April 2011 |
By Donald Morrison
The Cherokees vs. Andrew Jackson
John Ross and Major Ridge tried diplomatic and legal strategies to maintain autonomy, but the new president had other plans
March 2011 |
By Brian Hicks
What the Luddites Really Fought Against
The label now has many meanings, but when the group protested 200 years ago, technology wasn't really the enemy
March 2011 |
By Richard Conniff
Seeing Dubai Through a Cell Phone Camera
At a shopping mall in Dubai, Joel Sternfeld documents the peak of consumer culture with his iPhone
February 2011 |
By David Zax
There Was an App for That
Software applications changed the course of history
January 2011 |
By Bruce McCall
Arcimboldo's Feast for the Eyes
Renaissance artist Giuseppe Arcimboldo painted witty, even surreal portraits composed of fruits, vegetables, fish and trees
January 2011 |
By Abigail Tucker
A Yuletide Gift of Kindness
Seventy-five years later, Ted Gup learns the astonishing secret about his grandfather's generosity during the Great Depression
December 2010 |
By Ted Gup
How the Battle of Little Bighorn Was Won
Accounts of the 1876 battle have focused on Custer's ill-fated cavalry. But a new book offers a take from the Indian's point of view
November 2010 |
By Thomas Powers
A Viking Mystery
Beneath Oxford University, archaeologists have uncovered a medieval city that altered the course of English history
October 2010 |
By David Keys
My Big Hang-Up in a Connected World
One man's rage against the communication revolution and the dying of civility
October 2010 |
By Ted Gup
President Barack Obama: Why I’m Optimistic
Looking ahead to the next 40 years, President Obama writes about our nature as Americans to dream big and solve problems
August 2010 |
By Barack Obama
Rita Dove on the Future of Literature
The Pulitzer-Prize winning poet discusses how new technologies will affect the creative process
August 2010 |
By Lucinda Moore
