Wit’s End: No More Bread, No More Circuses
The year 2020 was a circus, all right. But was it my circus?
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The Kitchens
THIRD RUNNER-UP IN THE 2021 GREAT AMERICAN FICTION CONTEST: Rosa is a masterful chef, but sometimes you have to wait for just the right ingredients.
The White League’s Violent Insurrection in Louisiana Was Almost a Success
Almost 150 Years ago, a white supremacist paramilitary group took over the state of Louisiana in an escalation of a “race war” to resist Reconstruction and disenfranchise Black voters.
The Human Stories Behind the COVID-19 Statistics
Coronavirus case spikes have brought day after day of 9/11-sized mortality numbers, relentless waves pounding a weary shore. In the scarcely visible wake, there are people surviving, saying goodbye, and struggling to move on.
Considering History: Let’s Remember All of American History in 2021
American history is multi-layered, often contradictory, and always challenging, making it far more difficult to remember, much less to commemorate, than the simplified myths often represented by our monuments.
News of the Week: Best of the Year, The Landlord’s Game, and Whipped Coffee Is Really Popular (Apparently)
In the news for the last week of 2020 are loads of year-end “best of” lists, Christmas music you can keep listening to, Smokey Bear impersonators, and more.
In a Word: The Words of 2020
A look back at the word histories we explored in 2020.
Songs Made by the Movies
Songs that got a second (or first!) life thanks to the big screen.
The Deep Roots of America’s Fear and Distrust of Russia
Most historians agree that World War II would have been lost had it not been for the overwhelming sacrifices of the USSR, but placating Stalin meant betraying smaller nations like Poland.
My Best-of-2020 List: Cherished Memories
In a year that hasn’t offered much to celebrate for most people, Val Lauder makes her own best-of-2020 list with something we all share: our most treasured memories.
The H Street Sledding Record
For a truly magical Christmas, you just need snow, a Flexible Flyer, and a few shovelfuls of genuine reindeer droppings.
News of the Week: Christmas Memories, TV Reboots, and Have You Ever Had Slumgullion?
In the news for the week ending on Christmas Day 2020 are words of the year, old TV shows returning, the Twilight Zone, an ax-wielding dog, and more.
In a Word: Solstices and Equinoxes
One good astronomical event deserves another.
Nostalgia Is Good for You
Some think it’s self-indulgent to romanticize the past, but research shows surprising benefits for both mind and body.
Rent-A-Kid for Christmas?
Here’s a bright idea! Let’s help families burdened with lots of kids offload a few to childless couples for the holidays.
Homebody
“You think you want to know the future, but you already do. That’s normal human experience.”