Excerpts

On the 50th anniversary of that extraordinary year, historians consider 1968’s meaning and global context.

This past year has shown that the U.S. is far from immune to the forces shaping the rest of the world.

On my transition from editor of terrible history books to a writer of mediocre ones.

Governor McAuliffe has embarked on a campaign to grant clemency more often, and to restore the civil rights of convicted felons.

During the Cold War, US propagandists worked to provide a counterweight to Communist media, but truth eluded them all.

Despite his reputation as a liberal, Dewey's staunch commitment to democracy put him on a collision course with capitalism.

The legacy of the talented singer, songwriter, and producer who died at age twenty-six.

Undermining public education will exacerbate polarization and mistrust.

It's the transatlantic commentariat’s favorite political put-down. It’s also historically illiterate.

The difficult-to-wear skirt helped to break down class barriers.

Vendors hawked the swill as “Pure Country Milk.”

In his final days, King stood by striking sanitation workers. We returned to the city to see what has changed—and what hasn’t.

America loves pitting black intellectuals against each other, but today's activists need both Coates and West.

Protests, populism, and progressivism all clashed in a battle royal. But what really drives election results?

From lynching photos to Black Lives Matter – what does it mean to look at images of African Americans being murdered?

Taxation is at the heart of any serious economic growth policy.

A little-remembered president's most notorious act.

'The Population Bomb' made dire predictions—and triggered a wave of repression around the world.

Characterizing artifacts’ odors provides insight on history and conservation.

It's probably further back than you think.

Connections between public history and policy in the wake of Bears Ears and Grand Staircase-Escalante.

How a work of science fiction anticipated the coming of Trump.

It's been reviled and revered, criminalized and exploited by the CIA. And now and other psychedelic drugs are being tested as legitimate medical treatments.

The Trump administration is working to undo one of the guiding principles of U.S. conservation.

Miss America pageant has a long history of controversy—including the 1968 protests.

The biggest show in Washington 150 years ago was the trial against the President of the United States.

The president's unilateral nuclear authority comes from decisions made at the start of the Atomic Age.

A dozen historians weigh in.

In 1752, the Brits and Americans lopped 11 days off the calendar in one fell swoop.

The civil rights icon also played a key role in pursuing justice for the victims of sexual assault.

Eight decades after the infamous Triangle Shirtwaist fire, corporate profits are still being valued more than workers' lives.

For every amusingly wrong prediction in “Toward the Year 2018,” there’s one unnervingly close to the mark.

Americans purchase approximately 1.6 billion holiday cards a year. Why is this tradition so popular?

Tracing the evolution of Christmas from a drunken carnival to the peaceful, family-oriented, consumeristic ritual we celebrate today.

How I learned to fiddle my way through America's deeply troubling history.

The battle between "Happy Holidays" and "Merry Christmas" goes way deeper than you think.

The Electoral College was created to help white Southerners maintain their disproportionate influence in national governance.

The struggle over blood and belonging in American Indian communities.

Though the practice is now more associated with Halloween, spooking out your family is well within the Christmas spirit.

The #MeToo movement is not the first time women have publicly stood up to sexual harassment.

To the framers, working in secret was meant to deliver enlightened legislation.

Nearly six million Americans are prohibited from voting in the United States today due to felony convictions.

The long road from FDR to Trump.

Rosie the Riveter wasn’t the only woman who pitched in on the homefront.

“Some people call me Hillbilly, Some people call me Mountain Man; Well, you can call me Appalachia, ’Cause Appalachia is what I am.” —Del McCoury

A reminder of history's proximity is prompted by a visit to the National Museum of African American History and Culture.

Lighting, trash burning, powerlines, playing with matches – how do they rank as causes of wildfire?

The Boston Globe’s Spotlight Team confronts one of the city’s most vexing issues.

“Yes, Virginia” is the most reprinted newspaper piece in American history, and this guy wrote it.

A researcher in Boston discovers that the beloved Christmas favorite was first performed in a Boston minstrel hall.