Current Events that Relate to History
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CommentThe Future of Search: Will We Still Google It?
Google grew from a Stanford project into a $3T tech giant, pioneering search, data scaling, and AI, now challenged by regulation and chatbots.London Review of Books -
Book ReviewHow the Heartland Responded to AIDS and Shaped Queer Politics
Histories of the epidemic tend to focus on coastal cities, but the response was very different in the middle of the country.The New Republic -
ObituaryThe Paradox of James Watson
The discovery of DNA was evidence of how deeply interconnected humans are, but the late scientist saw only difference.The Atlantic -
BiographyThe Real Marty Supreme
Marty Reisman, a brilliant, hustling ping-pong showman, rose from NYC clubs to global fame, clashed with officials, defied the sponge era, and left a legend.Defector -
CommentPizzastroika
In 1990, one of the great forgotten acts of American subterfuge unfolded. It involved Pizza Hut.Slate -
VideoHabeas Corpus and the Limits of Presidential Power: The Right to a Day in Court
Habeas corpus, the right to challenge unlawful detention, is at the center of a debate over presidential power.Retro Report -
exhibitOn Drugs
Histories of the way those in power have attempted to regulate the flow of drugs, and of the impacts the impacts of those decisions on Americans’ lives.
From the HNN Archive
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How to Succeed in Government Without Really Trying
The long history of promising an “efficient” federal government. -
If the Slipper Doesn’t Fit
A scorched shoe is a crucial part of Zelda Fitzgerald’s modern mythology. But there’s no proof it existed. -
Indifferent to the Fate of Freedom Elsewhere
Jimmy Carter is known for his defense of human rights worldwide. But in 1979, he threatened to deport thousands of Iranian student protesters. -
Elevating the Few
What JD Vance excludes from the history of the Civil War and immigration. -
Whose Side Are College Administrators On?
There’s a long history of politicians targeting student protesters — and of campus leaders abetting those efforts. -
Solve for AI
What the history of the pocket calculator reveals about the future of AI in classrooms. -
“At Any Future Time”
In 1880, the daughter of a Welsh politician turned to fiction to expose perspectives missing from the official record, upending histories for generations to come. -
Slamming America’s Door Behind Him
How a son of European immigrants fought to keep Indian immigrants out of America. -
Governing by Police
The Metropolitan Police Department in DC has been an essential component of Washington politics since its founding. -
When Good Housekeeping Meant Getting Vaccinated Against Polio
The pages of 1950s lifestyle magazines offer a glimpse of a time when childhood vaccines were anything but controversial.