P.T. Barnum’s rise to fame is an emblematic reflection of the deeply entrenched inequalities of 19th-century America. Barnum, known as the “Great American Showman,” capitalized on the public’s thirst for spectacle and curiosity, transforming the entertainment landscape with his audacious displays of oddities and curiosities. He is often remembered for founding what became “The Greatest...
Jacobus "Co" Rentmeester’s 1984 photograph of a young Michael Jordan soaring through the air became both a masterpiece and a source of personal conflict. Originally commissioned by Life magazine, Rentmeester’s image—a fusion of athleticism and art—inspired Nike’s now-legendary Jumpman logo. As Nike’s empire rose on the back of this silhouette, Rentmeester quietly wrestled with the blurred lines between inspiration and appropriation. His eventual legal battle for recognition underscored a deeper story about creative integrity and the fragile balance between artistic vision and corporate power.
In the annals of modern policing, there’s a term that flares up in the headlines when a routine arrest turns fatal, when bodycam footage sparks protests, or when another Black or brown body ends up lifeless on the asphalt. That term is excited delirium—a medical-sounding phrase with a murky past and a troubling present, one that has become a catch-all explanation for deaths that occur under aggressive police restraint.
While the concept of electoral districts might seem straightforward, the processes that determine their shapes and sizes—redistricting and gerrymandering—reveal a more convoluted narrative. As we delve into the distinctions and implications of these processes, we will uncover the nuanced ways in which the mere drawing of lines on a map can serve as a powerful tool, sometimes used to uphold democratic ideals and sometimes to distort them. The contours of these boundaries, quite literally, shape the contours of power and representation in our democracy.
Amidst the tumult of World War II, the United States briefly achieved something that remains elusive today: truly universal childcare. Under the Lanham Act of 1943, the federal government funded “war nurseries,” enrolling an estimated 550,000 children so their mothers could bolster the wartime workforce. Though wildly successful, these centers vanished soon after the conflict ended—victims of shifting politics and deep-rooted biases. This forgotten chapter of American history reveals how effectively the nation can rally behind working parents, and how readily it can abandon them once the crisis subsides.