popular culture — Bunk History

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Suburban cul de sac.

How Fear Took Over the American Suburbs

On the rise of suburban vigilantes and NIMBYs in the late 20th century and their enduring power today.

by Kyle Riismandel, Sarah Holder via CityLab on January 14, 2021

Carolers walking and carrying sheet music

The Forgotten Civil War History of Two of Our Favorite Christmas Carols

Over time, the historic roots of some holiday music have been forgotten.

by Christian McWhirter via Made By History on December 23, 2020

How PEZ Evolved From an Anti-Smoking Tool to a Beloved Collector's Item

Early in its history, the candy company made a strategic move to find its most successful market.

by Theresa Machemer via Smithsonian on December 15, 2020

A newsboy holding a bag of papers.

Popular Journalism’s Day in ‘The Sun’

The penny press of the nineteenth century was a revolution in newspapers—and is a salutary reminder of lost ties between reporters and readers.

by Batya Ungar-Sargon via New York Review of Books on December 15, 2020

An illustration of a kid imagining going to space.

Selling the American Space Dream

The cosmic delusions of Elon Musk and Wernher von Braun.

by David Beers via The New Republic on December 7, 2020

Cover of "The Meaning of Soul: Black Music and Resilience Since the 1960s"

In Search of Soul

A musicological conversation about the history and social value of Black music.

by Sasha Frere-Jones, Emily J. Lordi via Bookforum on November 24, 2020

Person holding suitcase at gas station with other person in background

Night Terrors

The creator of ‘The Twilight Zone’ dramatized isolation and fear but still believed in the best of humanity.

by Andrew Delbanco via New York Review of Books on October 29, 2020

Vanilla Ice in front of an American flag

The Rise and Fall of Vanilla Ice, As Told by Vanilla Ice

Thirty years after "Ice Ice Baby," Robert Van Winkle is ready to talk about it all—his rise, his fall, and that infamous night on the balcony.

by Jeff Weiss via The Ringer on October 6, 2020

Drawing of different kinds of fast food, such as pizza, a taco, and a hamburger

Fast-Food Buffets Are a Thing of the Past. Some Doubt They Ever Even Existed.

A McDonald’s breakfast buffet. An all-you-can-eat Taco Bell. This isn’t the stuff dreams are made of, but a real yet short-lived phenomenon.

by MM Carrigan via Eater on September 29, 2020

Re-watching ‘The Civil War’ During the Breonna Taylor and George Floyd Protests

The landmark Ken Burns documentary hasn’t aged well. But it continues to shape American perceptions about the Confederacy and slavery.

by Gillian Brockell via Retropolis on September 26, 2020

Abraham Lincoln

Why We Keep Reinventing Abraham Lincoln

Revisionist biographers have given us countless perspectives, from Honest Abe to Killer Lincoln. Is there a version that’s true to his time and attuned to ours?

by Adam Gopnik via The New Yorker on September 21, 2020

Reaganland Is the Riveting Conclusion to a Story That Still Isn’t Over

Rick Perlstein’s epic series shows political history and cultural history cannot be disentangled.

by Jack Hamilton via Slate on August 3, 2020

Americans Are Determined to Believe in Black Progress

Whether it’s happening or not.

by Jennifer A. Richeson via The Atlantic on July 27, 2020

Married to the Momism

Philip Wylie’s "Generation of Vipers," revisited.

by Emily Harnett via Lapham’s Quarterly on July 23, 2020

Illustration taken from The Great Gatsby, The Graphic Novel

Greil Marcus Takes a Deep Dive Into "the Stubborn Myth of The Great Gatsby"

An insightful exploration of the ways America has read ‘the Great American Novel.’

by Allen Barra via The National Book Review on July 17, 2020

"Defining the '90s Music Canon" over TLC and Spice Girls album covers.

Defining the ’90s Music Canon

Which songs will future generations use to characterize the decade?

by Matthew Daniels via The Pudding on July 1, 2020

Warner Sallman's "Head of Christ" painting.

How Jesus Became White — and Why It’s Time to Cancel That

Nearly a century later, both ‘Head of Christ’ and criticism of its role in enshrining Jesus as white endure.

by Emily McFarlan Miller via Religion News Service on June 25, 2020

An row of small suburban houses, with an SUV parked in a driveway and an American flag in the foreground.

Trump Doesn’t Understand Today’s Suburbs—And Neither Do You

Suburbs are getting more diverse, but that doesn't mean they’re woke.

by Thomas J. Sugrue, Zack Stanton via Politico Magazine on June 8, 2020

New York workers, angered by the Mayor's apparent anti-Vietnam-War sympathies, wave American flags as they march in a demonstration near City Hall in New York City on May 15, 1970.

The 'Hard Hat Riot' of 1970 Pitted Construction Workers Against Anti-War Protesters

The Kent State shootings further widened the chasm among a citizenry divided over the Vietnam War.

by Angela Serratore via Smithsonian on May 8, 2020

Coronavirus Has a Playlist. Songs About Disease Go Way Back.

Coronavirus songwriting has gone as global as the pandemic itself, creating a new genre called pandemic pop. It’s a tradition with a long history.

by Anthony DeCurtis via Retro Report on April 17, 2020

The History of the Hawaiian Shirt

From kitsch to cool, ride the waves of undulating popularity of a tropical fashion statement.

by Teddy Brokaw via Smithsonian on April 16, 2020

Sasha Geffen next to their book

Pop Music Has Always Been Queer

Sasha Geffen’s debut book reveals that the history of pop music is a history of gender rebellion.

by Tal Milovina via The Nation on April 8, 2020

Freddie Bartholomew in fighting stance as Little Lord Fauntleroy for the film.

The Masculinization of Little Lord Fauntleroy

The 1936 movie Little Lord Fauntleroy broke box office records, only to be toned down and masculinized amid cultural fears of the “sissified” male.

by Kristin Hunt, U. C. Knopfelmacher via JSTOR Daily on March 26, 2020

In the Time of Monsters

Watchmen is a sophisticated inquiry into the ethical implications of its own form—the flash and bang, the prurience and violence of comic books.

by Namwali Serpell via New York Review of Books on March 19, 2020

Comic Gold

The Gold Rush introduced a new figure into the American imagination – the effete Eastern urbanite who travels to the Wild West in quest of his fortune.

by Alex Andriesse via The Public Domain Review on March 12, 2020

Superman comic illustration

Why Superheroes Are the Shape of Tech Things to Come

Superman et al were invented amid feverish eugenic speculation: what does the superhero craze say about our own times?

by Iwan Rhys Morus via Aeon on March 5, 2020

Foolish Questions

Screwball comics wage a gleeful war on civilization and its discontents—armed mostly with water-pistols, stink bombs, and laughing gas.

by Art Spiegelman via New York Review of Books on February 25, 2020

The Noise of Time

What does the past sound like – and can listening to it help us understand history better?

by Sanjana Varghese via New Statesman on February 19, 2020

The Real Calamity Jane Was Distressingly Unlike Her Legend

A frontier character's life was crafted to be legendary, but was the real person as incredible?

by Sam Leith via The American Spectator on February 6, 2020

Why are Pop Songs Getting Sadder Than They Used to Be?

The most popular songs today are sadder than they were 50 years ago: can cultural evolution explain this negative turn?

by Alberto Acerbi, Charlotte Brand via Aeon on February 4, 2020

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