When the Nazis Seized Power, This Jewish Actor Took on the Role of His Life
After he was forced off the German stage in 1934 by antisemitic hecklers, Leo Reuss found a daring way to hide in plain sight
Readers Respond to the September/October 2024 Issue
Your feedback on the First Continental Congress, Douglas MacArthur and England’s tangled history
The Enterprising Woman Who Built—and Lost, and Rebuilt—a Booming Empire During the Klondike Gold Rush
With flinty perseverance and a golden touch, Belinda Mulrooney earned an unlikely fortune in the frozen north and reshaped the Canadian frontier
Even as A.I. Technology Races Ahead, the Prehistoric Science of Wildlife Tracking Is Making a Comeback
Humans perfected how to identify wild animals over millennia, and now biologists are rediscovering the exceptional worth of the tracks and marks left behind
How the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade Went From Its Modest Start to an American Tradition Rivaling Stuffing and Pumpkin Pie
A century on, the country’s most beloved Thursday spectacle reaches new heights
How Recovering the History of a Little-Known Lakota Massacre Could Heal Generational Pain
When the U.S. Army massacred a Lakota village at Blue Water, dozens of plundered artifacts ended up in the Smithsonian. The unraveling of this long-buried atrocity is forging a path toward reconciliation
This Savvy Librarian Was the True Force Behind New York’s Iconic Morgan Library
It fell to Belle da Costa Greene, a Black woman whose racial identity was kept secret for decades, to catalog J.P. Morgan’s immense collection of books and art
Why the Creator of One of the First ‘Lie Detectors’ Lived to Regret His Invention
The early polygraph machine was considered the most scientific way to detect deception—but that was a myth
Meet the Italian ‘Fruit Detective’ Who Investigates Centuries-Old Paintings for Clues About Produce That Has Disappeared From the Kitchen Table
Renaissance paintings, medieval archives, cloistered orchards—how one Italian scientist is uncovering secrets that could help combat a growing agricultural crisis
Back in the 19th Century, Your Election Ballot Could Double as a Work of Art
During and after the Civil War, inventive illustrations allowed Democrats and Republicans to turn American ballots into powerful propaganda
How Scientists’ Tender Loving Care Could Save This Endangered Penguin Species
From fish smoothies to oral antibiotics, researchers are taking matters into their own hands in a radical effort to save New Zealand’s yellow-eyed penguins
Could Anyone Bring an Extinct Animal Back to Life? And More Questions From Our Readers
You’ve got questions. We’ve got experts
Readers Respond to the July/August 2024 Issue
Your feedback on escaped hippos, coastal defenses and ancient cultures
When a Trailblazing Suffragist and a Crusading Prosecutor Teamed Up to Expose an Election Conspiracy
An unlikely duo exposed political corruption in Terre Haute, Indiana, in 1914—and set a new precedent for fair voting across the country
The Celtic Origins of Trick-or-Treating
The spine-tingling roots of a mischievous Halloween tradition
These Colorful Drawings Defy Expectations of Shaker Art
Colorful, intricate drawings on view at the American Folk Art Museum are anything but simple
The Stratocaster Became Rock Music’s Most Iconic Guitar 70 Years Ago
The plucky design behind the legendary instrument that forever changed the look of rock ‘n’ roll
How Black Americans in the South Boldly Defied Jim Crow to Build Business Empires of Their Own
The Great Migration transformed the nation—but millions of African Americans never left their Southern communities. Their unlikely success makes their stories all the more remarkable
Remarkable Documents Lay Bare New York’s History of Slavery
A newly digitized set of records reveals the plight and bravery of enslaved people in the North
General MacArthur’s Dramatic WWII Comeback Began in Australia. Trace His Journey From the Outback to the Queensland Coast
After a harrowing escape from the Philippines, the prickly American famously vowed “I shall return” from a remote train station before marshaling Allied forces to victory
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