NEW ORLEANS, La. — The marriage certificate still exists in the Louisiana state archives, yellowed and brittle, bearing the names Jeremiah Aldritch and Celeste, listed simply as property under his signature. What makes this document disturbing is not just the grotesque nature of the union between a plantation owner and his enslaved cook, but the … Read more
By early 1944, Japan believed it had found the formula to halt America’s Pacific advance. The strategy was rooted in centuries of samurai doctrine: build vast island fortresses, fill them with steel bunkers, heavy artillery, and thousands of troops, then wait for the United States to bleed itself dry in frontal assaults. The Americans, however, … Read more
Ethel Skakel Kennedy died in Boston on October 10, 2024, at the age of 96. She outlived her husband Robert F. Kennedy by more than 56 years and buried four of her children before her own death. Her passing, along with the eventual publication of her son’s private journals, reopened questions the family spent seven … Read more
In June 2018, Dr. Sarah Mitchell was working through the basement archives of the Georgia Historical Society when she pulled a portrait from a cardboard box marked Atlanta collection. The photograph showed a Black woman and a boy of about 12, posed formally in a professional studio. At first glance, it seemed unremarkable. Portrait photography … Read more
Edward V was only twelve years old when he and his younger brother vanished from history. Most people believe they were murdered by their uncle, King Richard III. But the truth has never been fully confirmed, and centuries later, a discovery in a royal chapel would only deepen the mystery. Edward’s life began in chaos. … Read more
Inside the Nazi concentration camp system, the men and women who ran it found ways to be entertained. The forms that entertainment took were documented in testimony, described independently by survivors, and confirmed by historians. Cruelty on this scale was not maintained purely through ideology or fear of punishment. It was maintained in part through … Read more
On February 17, 1944, a Japanese cruiser and her escorts were fleeing north from the burning wreckage of Truk Lagoon. They were hoping that distance and darkness would save them from the American carrier aircraft that had just devastated Japan’s most fortified island outpost. Instead, they ran into the guns of the USS Iowa and … Read more
In the spring of 1864, the Civil War entered its fourth year. For three years, Robert E. Lee had commanded the Army of Northern Virginia with near-legendary success. One Union general after another—McClellan, Pope, Burnside, Hooker—had come with larger armies and left defeated after sharp fights. Lee had made it look almost easy. Then Ulysses … Read more
In February of 1842, Charles Dickens stepped off a train in Lowell, Massachusetts. He toured three factories, watched workers in clean dresses file past, and left less than twelve hours later, convinced he had witnessed proof that industry and decency could share the same roof. He wrote as much in his book *American Notes*, and … Read more
Mi chiamo Elisa Conti, ho ventinove anni e per tutta la vita sono stata la figlia di mezzo. Non nel senso di paciera, quella che ricuce gli strappi. Di mezzo come un mobile presente, utile, talmente scontato da diventare invisibile finché a nessuno serve un posto dove appoggiare le chiavi. Burgano, pranzo di Pasqua. Il … Read more