In Search of the Real Betty Crocker
Betty Crocker, the woman who would become America’s most beloved baker, sprang to life in 1921 in an all-male advertising department.
How Women Crushed on One Another Back in the Day
Same-sex crushes and romantic friendships between college-age women were common throughout the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries.
One Weird Trick for Raising Teachers’ Credentials
What's behind a drop in secondary school teachers' credentials? The profession has widened, but neither the its prestige, nor its pay has kept up.
What Father’s Day Jokes Really Mean
Comic strip dads give us some sociological clues into how views surrounding masculinity and fatherhood have changed.
The Mystical Side of Marshall McLuhan
Communication theorists don't usually merit international celebrity, with one giant exception: Canadian professor and author Marshall McLuhan.
When Tacos Become a Political Flashpoint
In 2008, the “Taco Truck War” broke out in Los Angeles. Taco trucks again became a hot-button issue in the 2016 presidential race. Why?
How Consumerism Created Bigfoot
People have long told stories about wildmen, creatures who straddled the line between human and animal. But Bigfoot himself first appeared in the 1950s.
A Short History of the Condom
Dating back to at least medieval times, the condom has taken a winding path to social acceptance.
What Really Made 1950s Housewives So Miserable
Where did the image of the quietly desperate stay-at-home mother come from?
Why is the U.S. Losing Public Housing?
In much of the U.S., public housing is disappearing as governments fail to maintain the buildings or actively demolish them.