Medieval Skyscrapers, Cars for Justice, and Russian Noir
The Skyscrapers of Medieval Italy (Ex Urbe)
by Ada Palmer
In medieval Italy, factional wars led powerful families to build huge towers that served as little urban fortresses. Their stubs are still there today.
Remembering the Sojourner Motor Fleet (Black Perspectives)
by Travis Wright
The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee’s organizing efforts in the South were both dangerous and laborious. A fleet of cars—donated by supporters and modified for stealth—became a crucial tool for keeping up the fight.
The Modern Women in the Canvas (Smithsonian Magazine)
by Brigit Katz
The work of Victorian artist James Tissot depicts a historical moment of modernization by showcasing daily life for women of different classes, at home and in the urbanizing public world.
From Russia with Noir (CrimeReads)
by Joseph Finder
Eccentric detectives and strange, gloomy criminals are perennial favorites in American crime fiction. Their lineage goes back to Russian writer Nikolai V. Gogol and a rich history of cultural exchange between the two countries.
The Mirage of Nostalgia (Vox)
by Bryan Walsh
Across the political spectrum, many people yearn for a past that feels like it was more prosperous. The idea that material life was cushier in previous decades is pretty easily disproved. So why do we keep believing it?
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