history
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Writer, Storyteller, Pilot, Spy
Though he fled the country as soon as possible, the writer would maintain an affection for Canada that lasted throughout his life. Over at The Walrus, Michael Hingston explores Roald Dahl’s time at Camp X—a World War II army base…
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Bodies in Space: Teaching after Trauma
Turning onto my street and looking south I feel the ground drop beneath me every time—I turn the corner and the sidewalk falls. I feel invisible then, as if I’ve vaporized.
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Podcatcher #4: Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness
Jonathan Van Ness discusses his podcast, Getting Curious with Jonathan Van Ness, fierceness, curiosity, and hairstyles.
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The Forbidden Maths
Gabrielle Emanuel writes for NPR’s Education section on the history of math education. Emanuel explores how basic mathematics were kept from becoming the common knowledge they are today, due to the influence of centuries-old taboos around money and commerce.
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The 18th Century from a Balloon
In the first of a two-part series at the Public Domain Review, Lily Ford uses 18th century illustrations and drawings from balloonists to capture the changes in science and society brought by the first people to see the world from…
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Sex and the Family
For Notches, Kristy L. Slominski writes about the Reverend Anna Garlin Spencer, an early 20th century Unitarian minister who worked with scientists to educate the public on sexual health. Spencer’s efforts greatly influenced the modern connection between sexuality, sexual behavior, and…
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Sociology and Art with W. E. B. DuBois
Allison Meier writes for Hyperallergic on the hand-drawn, recently digitized data visualizations produced by W. E. B. DuBois (in collaboration with others) to demonstrate the size and scope of black life in America at the turn of the 20th century.…
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Binding the Spirit World
At Lit Hub, Adrian Van Young examines the quiet re-emergence in literature of Spiritualism, a mid-19th century industry that saw mourners and mediums attempt to transcend (or dupe) the boundaries between the living and the dead.
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Restoring the World’s Oldest Library
when I worked for him I understood what kind of architect I wanted to be. He’s a very humane and generous person, and I understood that I didn’t want to do commercial architecture. I wanted to do projects that have…
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Thinking about the Past as If It Were the Future
Chuck Klosterman’s new book, But What If We’re Wrong, theorizes how today will appear in the history books. But how will his own work hold up? The further in the future you peer the more impossible it is to anticipate what…
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Translating Queer Identity and History
For Notches, a journal on the history of sexuality, Claire Hayward collects a series of responses from historians on writing queer history. These responses address the question, methods, and terminology in translating historical queer experiences to the present day, as…
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Rumpus Original Fiction: On Documentation
What is it like to be you? he was always asking, in his way, and it seemed a stupid question then. I didn’t know. I could lie better than I could tell the truth. I hadn’t left yet.