Bunk combs the web for new interpretations of American history, and highlights the fascinating connections between them.
Comment
The Magic Thinking of Kennedy-ism
The hero worship of the family of American royalty has a dark side: a tendency toward conspiracism that fits with the MAGA movement.
Book Excerpt
How the Trans-Atlantic Slave Trade Continues to Impact Modern Life
A new Smithsonian book reckons with the enduring legacies of slavery and capitalism.
Origin Story
“The Relationship Between Public Morals and Public Toilets”
Christine Jorgensen and the birth of trans bathroom panic.
Partner
Book Excerpt
The Soundtrack to Vietnam War History Isn’t Quite Historically Accurate
Why rock overtook every other genre to define our understanding of America at war.
Comment
Can Land Repair the Nation’s Racist Past?
California’s approach to Black reparations shifts toward land access, ownership and stewardship.
Explainer
Meaning in Decline
The surprising influence of premillennial eschatology on American culture.
Comparison
The First Punch
There are uncanny parallels between the elections of 2024 and 1856, with one big exception: in 1856, it was the political left that was on the offensive.