Social history
Sex and sexuality
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What rude jibes about Caesar tell us about sex in ancient Rome
‘Every woman’s man and every man’s woman’ was a slur Julius Caesar’s political opponents levied. What did it mean?
by Aven McMaster
History of ideas
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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
Social history
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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
Sex and sexuality
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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
Creativity
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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
Social history
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Bunkerised society – why prepping for end times is so American
Millions are preparing for doomsday, not together, but by closing the hatch. It’s a logical response to a hollowed-out state
by Robert Kirsch & Emily Ray