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COVID-19 pandemic

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Demonstrators outside the New York City offices of New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) on Aug. 31.
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The Supreme Court Ended The Eviction Ban But Not The Fight Against Evictions

Historically, the failures and limitations of federal policy have emboldened activists.
by Maia Silber via Made by History on September 9, 2021

50 Years After Attica, Prisoners Protest Brutal Conditions

If this nation hopes to achieve a justice system that is just, it must remain ever vigilant for any echo from Attica.
by Heather Ann Thompson via Time on September 8, 2021
The illustration “Vaccinating the Poor,” by Solomon Eytinge Jr

The Surprisingly Strong Supreme Court Precedent Supporting Vaccine Mandates

In 1905, the high court made a fateful ruling with eerie parallels to today: One person’s liberty can’t trump everyone else’s.
by Joel Lau, Peter S. Canellos via Politico Magazine on September 8, 2021
Protest signs from the 1963 March on Washington

A Federal Job Guarantee: The Unfinished Business of the Civil Rights Movement

The 1963 March on Washington put a government guarantee to a job at the front of the civil rights agenda. It’s long past time to complete the work.
by Ayanna Pressley, David Stein via The Nation on September 2, 2021
Moscow COVID-19 vaccination center
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The U.S. and Russia Could Join Forces to Get People Vaccinated. They Did Before.

The forgotten history of Soviet-American vaccine diplomacy.
by Yana Demeshko, Ruth Gabor, Ivan Grek, Kristen Ho via Made by History on September 1, 2021
Vaccinations in Senegal
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Sending Vaccines to African Nations is Crucial. But They’re Rightly Wary About Foreign Medical Aid.

How medical humanitarianism helped facilitate exploitation of Africa.
by Gregg Mitman via Made by History on August 13, 2021
Painting of smallpox vaccination

The Long History of Mandated Vaccines in the United States

Vaccines against smallpox during the Revolutionary War are one example of how mandates have protected the health of Americans for more than two centuries.
by Lindsay M. Chervinsky via Governing on August 5, 2021
Person getting vaccinated

Vaccine Mandates Are as American as Apple Pie

Those who claim that vaccine resistance is an expression of liberty are historically illiterate.
by Matt Ford via The New Republic on July 30, 2021

Seeing the Pandemic Through the Shuttered Bungalows of an L.A. Sanatorium

Once a haven for tuberculosis patients, Barlow Respiratory Hospital is uniquely suited to the COVID and post-COVID eras.
by Elizabeth Svoboda via Atlas Obscura on July 15, 2021
Drawing of ailing person in bed with another person sitting in chair facing them

How Early Americans Narrated Disease

Early Americans coped with disease through narratives that found divine providence and mercy in suffering.
by Philippa Koch via Zócalo Public Square on July 6, 2021
shelves full of old medicine bottles

The US Drug Industry Used to Oppose Patents – What Changed?

Patent medicine used to be associated with fraud and profiteering. What shifted the industry's positions on medical ethics and intellectual property?
by Joseph M. Gabriel via The Conversation on June 29, 2021
The author’s cat, Kali, helping review page proofs.

Helping Humans Cope: The Popularity of Pandemic Pets and Civil War Companion Animals

Marcy Sacks compares the increased desire for animal companions during the Civil War and the COVID-19 pandemic.
by Marcy Sacks via Muster on June 29, 2021
A lightbulb with a virus inside

World War II’s Lesson for After the Pandemic

The U.S. needs another innovation dream team.
by Derek Thompson via The Atlantic on June 28, 2021
Illustration of a stick figure on a ladder adding to very tall stacks of paper

Living Memory

Black archivists, activists, and artists are fighting for justice and ethical remembrance — and reimagining the archive itself.
by Megan Pillow via Guernica on June 23, 2021
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Covid-19 Changed the Way We Watch Movies. The 1918 Pandemic Set the Stage

The 1918 flu pandemic helped to usher in the Hollywood studio system. Could Covid-19 transform the industry?
via Retro Report on April 21, 2021
Pedestrians wearing protective masks walk past diners eating outdoors in Brooklyn's Park Slope neighborhood last month.
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Revisiting a 19th Century Medical Idea Could Help Address Covid-19

When germ theory displaced the idea of "miasmas" we lost important knowledge about tackling airborne disease.
by Melanie A. Kiechle via Made by History on April 21, 2021
A comic overview of vaccine development production trials to deliveries.

The Last Time a Vaccine Saved America

Sixty-six years ago, people celebrated the polio vaccine by embracing in the streets. Our vaccine story is both more extraordinary and more complicated.
by Howard Markel via The New Yorker on April 12, 2021
The Gun Violence Memorial

What Should a Coronavirus Memorial Look Like? This Powerful Statement on Gun Violence Offers a Model

The pandemic, like other open wounds, must be remembered with an “open” memorial.
by Philip Kennicott via Washington Post on April 9, 2021
Armistice Day celebration with a large crowd of people

People Gave Up on Flu Pandemic Measures a Century Ago When They Tired of Them – And Paid a Price

At the first hint the virus was receding, people pushed to get life back to normal. Unfortunately another surge of the disease followed.
by J. Alexander Navarro via The Conversation on March 23, 2021
Two characters in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, one rabbit and one human.

Archivists Are Trying to Chronicle Animal Crossing: New Horizons’ Unforgettable First Year

The challenge of documenting a virtual world.
by Jay Castello via The Verge on March 16, 2021
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COVID-19 in History

Living through a momentus time has prompted many reflections on what the past has to teach us about why the pandemic took the shape that it did – and how we can better respond to it.

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