entertainment — Bunk History

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Soldiers burning books.

How We Roasted Donald Duck, Disney's Agent of Imperialism

Why a 47-year old anti-colonialist critique by Chilean dissidents may be newly relevant in the Trump era.

by Ariel Dorfman via The Guardian on October 5, 2018

The Surprising History (and Future) of Dinosaurs

For well over a hundred years, paleontology has done double duty as mass entertainment.

by Chantel Tattoli via The Paris Review on September 28, 2018

Illustration of Howard Thurston, gazing into a skull while surrounded by supernatural creatures

Howard Thurston, the Magician Who Disappeared

Overshadowed by more famous contemporaries, the visionary behind “The Wonder Show of the Universe” left a far-reaching legacy.

by Eliza McGraw via Smithsonian on August 9, 2018

The Greatest Upset in Quiz Show History

Agnes Scott vs. Princeton, GE College Bowl, 1966.

by Lynn Q. Yu via Slate on August 6, 2018

The Healing Buzz of "Drunk History"

Sweet, filthy, and forgiving, it’s a corrective to the authoritative, we-know-better tone of most historical nonfiction.

by Emily Nussbaum via The New Yorker on July 16, 2018

The Wild Weird World of American Roadside Attractions

From "real" mermaids in Florida to the world's largest ball of twine, pulling off the highway is more fun than you would think.

by Richard Ratay via Literary Hub on July 3, 2018

When Did TV Watching Peak?

It’s probably later than you think, and long after the internet became widespread.

by Alexis C. Madrigal via The Atlantic on May 30, 2018

Roseanne Barr

Why Roseanne Barr Paid a Bigger Price For Tweeting Than Donald Trump Has

These days, Hollywood is more democratic than Washington.

by Kathryn Cramer Brownell via Made By History on May 30, 2018

A Timeline of Working-Class Sitcoms

Over the years, there have been surprisingly few of them.

by Kathryn Van Arendonk via Vulture on May 18, 2018

Reliving Johnny Cash's 'At Folsom Prison' at 50: An Oral History

Eyewitnesses to the Man in Black's legendary 1968 concerts at the California prison recall Cash's shining moment.

by Michael Streissguth via Rolling Stone on May 7, 2018

Thank Sean Hannity for the Trump Presidency

The conservative media made this president, and the conservative media will keep him in office.

by Brian Rosenwald via Made By History on April 23, 2018

Don the Talking Dog.

When Don the Talking Dog Took the Nation by Storm

Although he 'spoke' German, the vaudevillian canine captured the heart of the nation.

by Greg Daugherty via Smithsonian on April 23, 2018

A Spoonful of Sitcom Synergy: 25 Years of the "Disney Episode"

Why don't TV families go to Disney World as much as they used to?

by Myles McNutt via The A.V. Club on April 17, 2018

Just Like Us

Boston and Providence meet the famous Siamese twins, Chang and Eng Bunker.

by Yunte Huang via Lapham’s Quarterly on April 9, 2018

Hollywood Has Always Been Political. And it Hasn’t Always Been Liberal.

Conservatives have used celebrity glitz effectively, too.

by Kathryn Cramer Brownell via Washington Post on March 2, 2018

Thomas Hamblin

Reflections on 1830s Theater Manager Thomas Hamblin in the #MeToo Era

Over the 1830s, Hamblin transformed the fortunes of the Bowery by featuring melodramas starring young women, but this wasn't without issues.

by Sara Lampert via Nursing Clio on February 8, 2018

The Music I Love Is a Racial Minefield

How I learned to fiddle my way through America's deeply troubling history.

by Michael Mechanic via Mother Jones on December 21, 2017

People visit the Trylon and Perisphere at the 1939 New York World's Fair

Color Photos of the 1939 New York World's Fair

Photographer Peter Campbell captured many scenes from the 1939 New York World's Fair in full color, both during the day and at night.

by Alan Taylor via The Atlantic on November 6, 2017

Stereograph titled 'The Toucans' depicting three toucans and a snake amid plants and rocks

Stereographs Were the Original Virtual Reality

The shocking power of immersing oneself in another world was all the buzz once before—about 150 years ago.

by Clive Thompson via Smithsonian on September 21, 2017

Think This Solar Eclipse Is Getting a Lot of Hype? You Should Have Seen 1878

The darkness of the eclipse lit up American minds more than a century ago.

by Olivia B. Waxman via TIME on August 18, 2017

Trump speaking.

How the U.S. Lost Its Mind

Make America reality-based again.

by Kurt Andersen via The Atlantic on August 9, 2017

Cinematic Airs

A pair of 1959 films brought "Smell-o-vision" into movies.

by Christopher Turner via Cabinet on July 1, 2017

How Watching Congressional Hearings Became an American Pastime

Decades before Watergate, mobsters helped turn hearings into must-see television.

by Jackie Mansky via Smithsonian on June 8, 2017

The History of American Fear

An interview with horror historian David J. Skal.

by Cori Brosnahan, David J. Skal via PBS on October 28, 2016

Photo of three of the Cherry sisters: one playing a bass drum, standing between two in awkward dance poses.

The Shaming of the Cherry Sisters

How “Vaudeville’s worst act” fought for fame and respect on the stage.

by Jack El-Hai via Longreads on October 1, 2016

Puppeteer Burr Tillstrom poses with puppets and a small Christmas tree on the set of his television program.

Together With the Kuklapolitans

In the middle of the past century, a gentle crew of puppets united the TV watchers of America.

by Jacqui Shine via Slate on February 16, 2015

The Manly Sport of American Politics

19th-century Americans abandoned the English phrasing of "standing" for election and begin to describe candidates who "run" for office. The race was on.

by Kenneth Cohen via Commonplace on April 1, 2012

A man making fists, ready to box.

Storm of Blows

In the 1890s, boxing went from lower class brawling to upper class show of masculinity.

by Melissa Haley via Commonplace on January 1, 2003

Irving Thalberg and his wife, with Louis Mayer.

The Wizard Behind Hollywood’s Golden Age

How Irving Thalberg helped turn M-G-M into the world’s most famous movie studio—and gave the film business a new sense of artistry and scale.

by Adam Gopnik via The New Yorker on June 9, 2025

Beyonce concert.

Why Beyoncé Is Carving a Route Along the ‘Chitlin' Circuit’

From Jim Crow-era performance to contemporary gospel musicals, entertainers have shaped the Black public sphere.

by Rashida Z. Shaw McMahon via Zócalo Public Square on May 5, 2025

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