CURRENT ISSUE
October 2013
Features
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Cabin Fever
Joseph McGill, a descendant of slaves, has devoted his life to ensuring the preservation of these historic sites
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Existential Hero
On the 100th anniversary of the birth of the famed novelist, our reporter searches the north African nation for signs of his legacy
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Seeing Zapruder
Documentary filmmaker Errol Morris deconstructs the most famous 26 seconds in film history
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The New Lincoln
A former Disney animator makes a provocative discovery by studying photos taken during the Gettysburg Address
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Mole Hunt
A tip provided by a double-agent for the KGB set off one of the most self-destructive mole hunts in FBI history
Secure Speech Cipher System
A new poem by Linda Bierds
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Glory, Glory
New research may settle a family feud over the origins of an American icon
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Animal Intelligence
As a former trainer reveals, the U.S. government deployed nonhuman operatives—ravens, pigeons, even cats—to spy on cold war adversaries
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American Enigma
A new biography of the artist reveals the complex inner life of our greatest and most controversial illustrator
Departments
Contributors
Discussion
From the Castle
From the Editor
Conflict
The rare minerals used to build your cell phone are coming under scrutiny by federal regulators
Top Gun
Bertholdia trigona, a moth native to the Arizona desert, emits ultrasonic clicks at a rate of 4,500 times per second to blur bats' acoustic vision
The Muppets Take the Mall
Elmo, Fozzie Bear, the Count, Miss Piggy and 17 other Jim Henson puppets are coming to the American History Museum
Playlist
The new Coen brothers film is based in part on the life and times of real-life folk musician Dave Van Ronk, the Mayor of MacDougal Street
Fast Forward
A new NASA spacecraft, MAVEN, will explore the geologic history of our planetary neighbor