Drawing on period newspaper accounts and scholarship, this article reconstructs how the national and local press covered the Black Panther Party from its 1966 founding in Oakland through the height of its influence, revealing a coverage marked by fascination, fear, and conflict.
Drawing on contemporary reports, this article reconstructs how American cities in 1918 enforced mask ordinances and other public health measures during the influenza pandemic, revealing both compliance and resistance, and the early evidence that these interventions saved lives.
Drawing on the pages of the nation’s newspapers, this article reconstructs how Americans experienced Prohibition as it unfolded—from the ratification of the 18th Amendment to the rise of bootlegging and the eventual repeal—through the words of the reporters and editors who lived through it.
George Pullman’s luxurious sleeping cars transformed American rail travel in the 1860s, but his company town and labor practices led to one of the most famous strikes in U.S. history. This article draws on contemporary accounts to explore how travelers, workers, and the public experienced the rise of the ‘palace car.’
Drawing on contemporary newspapers and personal diaries, this article explores how the 1918 influenza pandemic was known, reported, and misunderstood, revealing the fears, remedies, and language of the era.
Drawing on contemporary obituaries and news reports from the BBC and Al Jazeera, this article reconstructs the life and reign of Sheikh Jaber Al-Ahmad Al-Sabah, from his early political career to his leadership through the Gulf War and his death in 2006.
Using photographs, executive orders, and personal records, this article reconstructs how Japanese Americans experienced forced relocation during World War II—a story of fear, loyalty, and injustice as documented by those who lived it.
Drawing on contemporary records, speeches, and personal accounts, this article traces how 1950s Britain moved from post-war rationing to the consumer boom, revealing the optimism, fears, and uneven realities of the era.
In the early 1950s, American schoolchildren learned to dive under their desks at the sound of a siren, rehearsing for a nuclear attack that many feared could come at any moment. Drawing on federal civil defense guidelines, the iconic ‘Duck and Cover’ film, and state curricula, this article reconstructs the daily routines, anxieties, and expectations of Cold War classrooms.
In 1893, the World’s Columbian Exposition in Chicago created the Board of Lady Managers to oversee women’s participation. Headed by Bertha Palmer, the board built the Woman’s Building and hosted the World Congress of Women, yet it excluded African American women, sparking a national debate about race, gender, and public leadership.