When Does Political Resistance Work?
The effectiveness of popular movements for social change depends on both underlying political conditions and the strategies adopted by activists.
Mars Time Machine
Researchers are creating advanced simulations that will provide a deeper understanding of Mars’s climatic history and help to determine whether it was once able to sustain life.
Iran: Creativity in the Aftermath of Uprising
Pamela Karimi’s new book examines how Iran’s “Women, Art, Freedom” protest movement has influenced the country’s artists and their work.
The Literary Inspirations for Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique
The creative works on which Hector Berlioz drew when writing his macabre and revolutionary symphony were fantastic indeed.
Torpedo Bats, Magnetic Animals, and Challenging Physics
Well-researched stories from Knowable Magazine, NPR, and other great publications that bridge the gap between news and scholarship.
A Close Partnership: Ray and Charles Eames
The Eameses worked together across many fields, but their house in the Pacific Palisades remains the most celebrated example of their collaborative designs.
Recruiting Warrior Queens for the Rani of Jhansi Regiment
Why did so many plantation workers in Burma, Malaya, and Singapore rush to join the all-woman Rani of Jhansi regiment of the Indian National Army?
Lesbians and the Lavender Scare
Lesbian relationships among government workers were seen as a threat to national security in the 1950s. But what constituted a lesbian relationship was an open question.
The Undying Unicorn
What role could a mythical animal play in our lives—centuries after its existence came into question?
Leigh Hunt, the Unstoppable Critic
Convicted and imprisoned for libeling the Prince Regent, Hunt capitalized on his incarceration by turning his prison cell into a newsroom and grand salon.