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“Going into position through a ruined town,” by Harvey Thomas Dunn.
military history

The Artists Who Depicted War in a Whole New Way

These unorthodox images were used to drum up support for World War I.
Elliot Carter April 20, 2017
A detail from an early 19th-century cartoon by Thomas Rowlandson.
books

Jest Books Were the 16th-Century Version of Insult Comedy

Think Don Rickles crossed with Shakespeare.
Meaghan Clark April 20, 2017
From left, Dr. Hans Blix, Dr. Fernando Collor de Mello, President of Brazil and Dr. Carlos Menem, President of Argentina, signing an agreement in December 1991.
features

Argentina's Ex-President Appears to Be Cursed

By his own acknowledgment, Carlos Menem brings bad luck.
Natalie Zarrelli April 19, 2017
A portrait of John Alexander Dowie, early 1900s.
sacred spaces

The Sketchy Faith Healer Who Tried to Save New York From Vice

John Alexander Dowie also established his own utopia just outside Chicago.
Matthew Algeo April 18, 2017
Vintage photo of the Tigris River, flowing through Iraq. The cradle of civilization and of <em>shaku maku</em>.
linguistics

The Iraqi Version of 'What's Up?' Is an Existential Riddle

The phrase "shaku maku" offers a question, a playful paradox, and an invitation to share.
Rob Kunzig April 14, 2017
Wall painting at Kapova Cave (Russia). The caverns here are an area of acoustic research for Reznikoff.
archaeology

With Archaeoacoustics, Researchers Listen for Clues to the Prehistoric Past

Investigators in this small, emerging field make noise in caves and measure resonance.
Emma Jacobs April 13, 2017
Mystery Hikers were often thought too rowdy for a respectable Sunday outing.
sports

Rowdy 'Mystery Hikes' to Undisclosed Locations Were All the Rage in the '30s

Tromping through strange woods in stockings and heels? Why not!
Andy Wright April 13, 2017
The inscription roughly translated reads: 'Knight of St. George, a pupil of La Bössiere's father, both in London and in Paris, the reputation of the greatest practitioner of fencing was equally appreciated as a musician.'
music

The 'Black Mozart' Was So Much More

Between composing concertos, Joseph Bologne fenced and fought in the army.
Andrea Valentino April 12, 2017
Blair Niles in 1910, then known as Mary Blair Beebe, on an expedition.
exploration

The Intrepid '20s Women Who Formed an All-Female Global Exploration Society

Excluded from the men-only Explorers Club, they established their own group for adventurers.
April White April 12, 2017
A peeled prawn from the artist Yoshihiro Okada.
art

Raising Orange Peels to an Art Form, One Fruit at a Time

The artist Yoshihiro Okada uses only whole, unbroken peels.
Sarah Laskow April 11, 2017
The melted core, from the side.
science

The Behind-the-Scenes Story of an Unplanned Meltdown at America’s First Nuclear Power Reactor

Ray Haroldsen didn't really notice anything was wrong.
Sarah Laskow April 11, 2017
Viquesney's <em>Spirit of the American Doughboy</em> in Morehead, Kentucky, dedicated in 1929.
wwi

Why Do So Many U.S. Towns Have the Same WWI Soldier Statue?

Decoding the Doughboy, one of the first mass-produced memorials.
Amanda Sedlak-Hevener April 11, 2017
A market where rats, cats, and dogs were sold for eating.
food

During an 1870 Siege, Trapped Parisians Dined on Rat, Cat, and Elephant

In a desperate time, the zoo became a source of food.
Anne Ewbank April 10, 2017
Hamzeh AlMaaytah in his bookstore's storage room.
bookstores

A Jordan Bookseller's 24-Hour 'Emergency Room for the Mind'

At his bookstore in Amman, Hamzeh AlMaaytah administers life-affirming literature.
Shira Telushkin April 10, 2017
European luxury cars can go both ways: the quiet dignity of the Rolls <em>Silver Shadow</em>, or the classic call of the open road with the Porsche 911.
cars

Cracking the Secret Code of Car Names

How a jumble of numbers and letters came to convey fanciness, while cute names came to mean value.
Dan Nosowitz April 7, 2017
Pizzo during his round-trip ride from New York to Los Angeles.
bicycles

The Adventures of Tony Pizzo, Who Rode Around the U.S. Handcuffed to His Bicycle

It all began with a wager made by Fatty Arbuckle.
Garrett Hein April 7, 2017
They look like colorful rocks, but it's just paint.
automotive history

The Anthropocene's Best Gem Is Made Out of Old Car Paint

Sloppy automotive painting created some truly psychedelic jewels.
Eric Grundhauser April 7, 2017
An 1859 map of the Great Salt Lake.
maps

Utah's First Federal Surveyor Fled the Territory Fearing for His Life

And helped start a war between James Buchanan and Brigham Young.
Sarah Laskow April 7, 2017