Wild Horses at Play by George Catlin, between 1834 and 1837

The Rise and Fall of the Equestrian Cultures of the Plains

The introduction of the horse to North America by the Spanish transformed the lives of the Indigenous peoples of the Plains in decidedly mixed ways.
Facsimile of the original draft of the United States Declaration of Independence with images of the signers around the border.

Celebrating the Fourth of July

Take a moment to contemplate the history and complexity of Independence Day, American Style.
Tokyo, Japan

Pan-Asianism Redux, or Why We Think Japan Is Special

Observers have long hailed Japan’s aptitude for cultural synthesis. Is this characterization warranted, or does it reflect a collective fantasy about exceptionalism?
Men in striped pants removing dirt or gravel from a ditch, 1911, Panama Canal Zone

Exporting the Convict Clause: Slaves of the State in the Canal Zone

The criminalization of Blackness enabled by the Thirteenth Amendment brought chain gangs to the construction projects of the Panama Canal Zone.
A satirical print depicting the height of John Montagu, 4th Earl of Sandwich, 1788

Of Heights and Men

Given its strong gendered associations, it may be surprising that height hasn’t been well studied by historians.
Indian Coffee House, Mohan Singh Place

Coffee for the Resistance

During Indira Gandhi’s autocratic Emergency in 1975, one New Delhi coffeehouse became a key gathering place for opponents of her politics.
Coco de mer

Coco De Mer: The Magical Derrière of the Sea

Once viewed as a precious item of mysterious origin, the seed of the coco do mer palm, though better understood today, remains a rare and valuable commodity.
Emil Nolde, Red Clouds, watercolour on handmade paper, 34.5 x 44.7 cm.

How a Postwar German Literary Classic Helped Eclipse Painter Emil Nolde’s Relationship to Nazism

While Nolde was one of the many victims of the Third Reich’s repressive responses to “degenerate art,” he was also one of Nazism’s great admirers.
Valerie Jarrett, Senior Advisor to President Barack Obama (2nd R) stands with Congressman Jerrold Nadler at a dedication ceremony officially designating the Stonewall Inn as a national monument to gay rights on June 27, 2016 in New York City.

Stonewall National Monument Declaration: Annotated

In June 2016, President Obama proclaimed the first LGBTQ+ national monument in the United States at the site of the 1969 Stonewall Uprising in New York City.
The "Hungaria Skins" group on the 1997 Day of Honour demonstration, Budapest, Hungary

How Hungary’s Hard Rock Became Hard Right

Punk and hard rock—or at least extremist, right-wing versions of them—are alive and well in post-Cold War Hungary.