History & Society

History & Society

Trace how culture, power, and ideas shape societies across time.

February 22nd, 2022.
This century alone has already had a couple of Onesdays (1/11/11 and 11/11/11).
Edward Savage, George Washington, c. 1796
Washington first took the oath of office of the president of the United States with just one natural tooth remaining.
choking under pressure
Choking under pressure seems to have deep evolutionary roots.
Trafalgar Square Pyramid
Take a look at the Times Square Totem, the Trafalgar Square Pyramid, and other landmarks that were never built.
symmetric
If the electromagnetic and weak forces unify to make the electroweak force, maybe, at even higher energies, something even greater happens?
The Kardashev scale ranks civilizations from Type 1 to Type 3 based on energy harvesting.
Extreme North
After it became clear that the world wasn't 6,000 years old, some proposed that northern peoples had emerged independently from others.
A man studies in a library.
Religion fosters traits that are helpful in a school system that relies on authority figures and rewards people who follow the rules.
microdosing psilocybin
Ingesting tiny doses of hallucinogens might not have the outsized benefits that some people claim it does.
A happy girl celebrates Christmas in Finland
Finland reveals that happiness is more about mindset than umbrella drinks and sun-warmed beaches.
Lake Baikal
Lake Baikal holds nearly one-fourth of Earth's fresh surface water and is the most scientifically interesting lake on our planet.
crossword puzzles
Long before the Wordle mania, there was the crossword puzzle craze. And newspapers around the world condemned them as an “invasive weed” that caused mental illnesses and even murder.
A rocket launching into space.
Nearly 200 orbital launches are scheduled for 2022.
dog domestication
The story of dog domestication is one of converting the wild wolf into man's nicer, smarter, best friend. It might be all wrong.
We value human life in a way that assumes we possess a sacred something not found in beings like lambs, turkeys, or mosquitoes.
quadratic formula
The quadratic formula isn't just something that teachers use to torture algebra students. The Babylonians once used it to calculate taxes.
vietnam war
America’s war in Southeast Asia is fading fast from memory. These maps offer a horrific reminder.
5g airplanes
In general, 5G is not a threat to human health or activities, but there are some legitimate questions about interference with airplane instruments.
space expanding
Yes, the Universe is expanding, but you might wonder, "How fast is it expanding?"