Bill Clinton presided over the only U.S. budget surpluses since 1970. What if those surpluses had never happened? Three grounded scenarios and their consequences.
Scandinavia After the Vikings: Still a Power?
Scandinavia did not vanish after the Viking Age. Denmark, Norway, and Sweden stayed influential through crusades, trade, dynastic unions, and Baltic expansion.
Why Is Italy So Right Wing? 5 Historical Reasons
Italy’s right-wing politics didn’t appear out of nowhere. From Mussolini to Berlusconi and Meloni, here are 5 historical forces that pushed Italy to the right.
How Marines Fooled an AI Guard Tower
In a DARPA test, U.S. Marines defeated an AI-powered camera using somersaults, cardboard boxes, and a fake bush. Here’s what really happened and why it matters.
1970s LA vs Today: Why They Look So Similar
Why does a 1974 Los Angeles street scene look so much like LA today? A comparison of origins, methods, outcomes, and legacy of life in the city then and now.
What If the 1980 MGM Grand Fire Never Happened?
A counterfactual look at the 1980 MGM Grand fire in Las Vegas. How would casinos, fire codes, and the Strip itself be different if 85 people hadn’t died that day?
Renowned Abolitionist Frederick Douglass
Frederick Douglass is a well known African-American who escaped from slavery and went on to become … Renowned Abolitionist Frederick DouglassRead more
How Some U.S. Evangelicals Came To Call Empathy a Sin
Why do some American evangelicals now say empathy is a sin? A history of Calvinism, culture wars, and how “compassion” got redefined in U.S. Christianity.
5 Ways Agriculture Actually Changed Human History
From wheat in the Fertile Crescent to potatoes in the Andes, here are 5 concrete ways agriculture reshaped human history, power, war, and cities.
John Tyler’s Grandson and America’s Long Shadow
How could a man born in 1790 have a grandson alive in 2024? The story of President John Tyler’s family stretches from George Washington to Joe Biden.