‘Alias Grace’ Is a Fierce, Timely Adaptation of Atwood’s Masterpiece
It’s easy to say Margaret Atwood’s Alias Grace speaks to the cultural moment. But that “moment” — the predatory sexual behavior of men and the undue burden it places on…
Suffragists’ Night of Terror at the Occoquan Workhouse
In November 1917, guards at the Occoquan Workhouse assaulted and terrorized 33 women from the National Woman’s Party. They were serving sentences for charges like “obstructing sidewalk traffic” after peacefully…
Brandon Seifert on Werewolves | The Weird History Podcast
Brandon Seifert has written horror comics such as Witch Doctor, Hellraiser, and The Fly. Lately, he’s been studying werewolf folklore. We talked about the history of werewolf stories, werewolf witch…
How Abandoned and Eroding Victorian Mansions of the Gilded Age Came to Symbolize Impending Doom
In a portentous video essay for Vox, producer Coleman Lowndes explains why the highly decorated, overly trimmed Victorian mansions (McMansions of their time) of the Gilded Age went from being…
The dirty secrets of Hollywood’s golden age
Karina Longworth’s podcast began as a calling card. It was an overnight success
Dollhouses of St. Louis – 99% Invisible
driving around The Ville today, the neighborhood looks very different. Some buildings are simply rundown or abandoned, but others are missing large chunks entirely. Walls have disappeared. The bricks are…
Vintage Halloween Cards Are the Stuff of Nightmares
Anthropomorphic pumpkins, mirror divination, and space-traveling witches all appear in the curious collision of imagery on vintage Halloween cards. {read}
3 Reformation Women: Katharina, Marguerite & Jeanne
Hey it’s the 500th anniversary of the Reformation! I’ve been obsessed with learning about its history all year. This great episode of Missed in History is about three women who…
CIA Considered Bombing Miami and Killing Refugees to Blame Castro
Donald Trump's bold promises earlier this week to finally blow the lid off the JFK assassination mystery by declassifying reams of secret documents turned out to be a gigantic tease.…
Neanderthals With Disabilities Survived Through Social Support
A re-analysis of a 50,000 year old Neanderthal skull shows that, in addition to enduring multiple injuries and debilitations, this male individual was also profoundly deaf. Yet he lived well…