Picture of Patrick Swayze and Jennifer Grey in the film, "Dirty Dancing."

The Back-Alley Abortion That Almost Didn't Make it into 'Dirty Dancing'

For the 30th anniversary of "Dirty Dancing," we spoke to the film's screenwriter about her revolutionary decision to include a depiction of an illegal abortion.
Lin Manuel Miranda and fellow actor dressed in colonial era clothing

How to Love Problematic Pop Culture

Revisiting the contradictions in "Hamilton" – and in the pushback to criticisms of the beloved musical.

Every Song of the Summer Since 1958

Each year there is one undeniable 'song of summer.'

Generations of Village Voice Writers Reflect on the End of Print

The end of an era.

The Secret Queer History of Kombucha

Discover the unknown history of this fizzy, fermented drink.
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When ‘Free Speech’ Becomes a Political Weapon

What we can learn from liberal anti-communists.

How a Recording-Studio Mishap Shaped '80s Music

You know that punchy percussive sound popularized by Phil Collins and Prince? This is where it came from.

Spectacle of Hate

From cross-dressing to white robes to Tiki torches, what we can learn from white supremacists’ long history of carefully cultivating their own aesthetic.

The True American

A review on the many publications about Henry David Thoreau's life for the bicentennial anniversary of his birthday.

Take a Hike!

Why do people hike?

Charlottesville and the Trouble with Civil War Hypotheticals

Only by the most specific, immediate definition can we consider the Confederacy to have lost the Civil War.

How Chop Suey Saved San Francisco's Chinatown

For Chinese immigrants, surviving in America has always required intense strategy.

Conservatives Say Campus Speech Is Under Threat. That’s Been True for Most of History.

There’s never been a golden age of free speech at American universities.

Alexander Hamilton: Statesman, Dueler, Birthday Party Theme

Projected to earn $1 billion and earning Tony-Award glory, 'Hamilton' the musical is still going strong in backyards and classrooms across the country.

The 19th-Century African-American Actor Who Conquered Europe

And why you might never have heard of Ira Aldridge.

How Ice Cream Helped America at War

For decades, the military made sure soldiers had access to the treat—including spending $1 million on a floating ice-cream factory.

The Role of HBCUs and the Black Press in the Rise of the American Tennis Association

Historically black colleges and universities hosted all but six ATA tournaments from 1927 to 1968.
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The Vietnam War That Never Goes Away

Popular theater productions and Hollywood movies about the Vietnam War have a continued place in popular culture and memory.

The NFL’s Pending Hall of Fame Problem

If everyone is breaking records, then who goes to Canton?

We Need to Talk About Digital Blackface in GIFs

Are you part of the problem?

The TV That Created Donald Trump

Rewatching “The Apprentice,” the show that made his Presidency possible.

The Umpire Strikes Out: Baseball Music and Labor

The classic baseball hit "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" has a lot more to do with U.S. history than one might think.
Charlie Chaplin and other actors in a silent film.

Curing (Silent) Movies of Deafness?

In many ways, silent film was an art form entirely different from the "talkies" we enjoy today.

The Rise and Fall of the “Sellout”

The history of the epithet, from its rise among leftists and jazz critics and folkies to its recent fall from favor.

A New View of Grenada’s Revolution

The documentary, "The House on Coco Road" tells the little-known story of Grenada's revolution and subsequent U.S. invasion.

Asking the Tough Questions With an 18th-Century Debate Society

Is polygamy justifiable? Is it lawful to eat swine's flesh?

The Georgia Peach May Be Vanishing, but Its Mythology Is Alive and Well

It's been a tough year for the Georgia peach.

Trump Hasn’t Killed Comedy. He’s Killed Our Stupid Idea of Comedy.

You and I have grown up during a period in which comedy became strangely bound up with truth and virtue. Trump has cut the knot.
Two Papasan chairs

Tracing the Elusive History of Pier 1's Ubiquitous 'Papasan' Chair

The bowl-shaped seat's conflicted heritage incorporates the Vietnam War.

Wild Thing: A New Biography of Thoreau

Freeing Thoreau from layers of caricature that have long distorted his legacy.