Social history
Social history
idea
How the law soothed broken hearts in 19th-century America
What does a deep dive into the transcripts of historical seduction trials reveal about how we account for hurt feelings?
by Jinal Dadiya
Social history
idea
What history tells us about the dangers of media ownership
The media bias problem as a clash of power and psychology – the historic argument between Upton Sinclair and Walter Lippmann
by Maia Silber
History of ideas
idea
How 12th-century Genoese merchants invented the idea of risk
From the docks of 12th-century Genoa to the gambling tables of today, risk is a story that we tell ourselves about the future
by Karla Mallette
Creativity
idea
How a solitary prisoner decoded Chinese for the QWERTY keyboard
China’s personal computing revolution was born not in a suburban garage but a prison cell, and fine-tuned on a teacup
by Thomas S Mullaney
Sex and sexuality
idea
A long history of aphrodisiacs, from health tonic to sexual aid
Long before Viagra, people around the world and throughout history used aphrodisiacs to boost health and improve fertility
by Alison M Downham Moore
Social history
idea
The rise of the bystander as a complicit historical actor
‘The appalling silence of the good people’: how the bystander rose to prominence as a morally complicit actor in history
by Dennis Klein