August 10, 2019
Introduction Very few Americans have completed their public education without hearing the story of Anne Frank and likely reading her diary. The story of the young holocaust victim functions as a microcosm of the horrors of the holocaust, and a glimpse into the lives of those who experienced the worst...
July 24, 2019
As often as we hear of the declines of traditional publishing, newspaper circulation, or book sales, the fact remains: people read. They are just reading in different ways than their predecessors. Reading has always been a treasured pastime; a gateway into new knowledge, perspectives, and ideas. For many people, reading...
June 26, 2019
Something about the boiling tension of the summer months seems to act as a catalyst for the motley events of human life. Ice cream sales go up alongside the murder rate, pop radio ascends into the stratosphere, and some of our inner Blanche DuBois’s make an appearance as we lament...
June 12, 2019
Everyone who was anyone sometime between 1985 and 2000 remembers her; clad in angular red, booted to the knees, mysterious eyes peering over a crisp collar. Carmen Sandiego, a singularly beloved villain, has captivated the imaginations of children for 30 years as they read, played, and watched all they could...
May 22, 2019
Introduction The year 2019 marks the centenary of the Treaty of Versailles being written, signed, and rejected by the U.S Senate. These events also coincide with the end of World War 1. Named after the palace and town that it was signed in, the Treaty of Versailles outlined the peace agreements...
May 11, 2019
Introduction On May 6th, 2019, the world welcomed a new member of the British Royal Family: Archie Harrison Mountbatten-Windsor. The first sneak peak of the new baby was produced on instagram, and within hours #royalbaby was trending on twitter. Despite his family's ancient pedigree, it was clear from the beginning that...
May 1, 2019
Introduction When buildings witness the growing pains of a nation, and weather the assaults of time, they become emblematic of their surroundings. Structures that were once merely beautiful can take on a new power when hallowed by the ages; an undeniable power that seduces the whole world. Notre Dame de Paris is...
April 13, 2019
When the Amber Waves Were Blue Anyone who has ever driven through Kansas is familiar with the endless wheat fields whose brassy waves resemble those of the ocean. Not everyone knows that when they are in Kansas, they are standing on what was once the bottom of a 3,000 foot-deep ocean...
April 2, 2019
In 1970, activism was on the mind of Americans. Anti-war movements had rocked the country, and the United States was still forming a new consciousness in the wake of the Civil Rights Movement. There must have been a palpable sense that, as Eleanor Roosevelt put it, "a small group of thoughtful,...
November 9, 2018
In Game of Thrones, during the Battle of Blackwater Bay, the Lannister forces under the direction of Tyrion Lannister unleash a devastating and dangerous weapon: Wildfire. This incendiary weapon, capable of burning even on water and near impossible to put out, engulfs the fleet of Stannis Baratheon in unnatural green...