Filter by:

Filter by published date

Viewing 61–76 of 76 results. Go to first page
A graphic depicting covid-19 with a plane on top of it.

Emerging Diseases, Re-Emerging Histories

The diseases that prove best suited to global expansion are those that best exploit humans' global networks and behaviors in a given age.

The Empire of All Maladies

Indigenous scholars have long contested the “virgin-soil epidemics” thesis. Today, it is clear that the disease thesis simply doesn’t hold up.

Historical Insights on COVID-19, the 1918 Influenza Pandemic, and Racial Disparities

Illuminating a path forward.
Hands exchanging money.
partner

Will Covid-19 End the Use of Paper Money?

Our cash could spread disease — and there is precedent for changing it because of the pandemic.

How Racism Is Shaping the Coronavirus Pandemic

For hundreds of years, false theories of “innate difference and deficit in black bodies” have shaped American responses to disease.

Disease Has Never Been Just Disease for Native Americans

Native communities’ vulnerability to epidemics is not a historical accident, but a direct result of oppressive policies and ongoing colonialism.
Nurse Minnie Sun holding a baby in the Chinese Hospital

When Chinese Americans Were Blamed for 19th-Century Epidemics, They Built Their Own Hospital

The Chinese Hospital in San Francisco is still one-of-a-kind.

How Epidemics Shaped Modern Life

Past public health crises inspired innovations in infrastructure, education, fundraising and civic debate—and cleaned up animal carcasses from the streets.

Keep it Clean: The Surprising 130-Year History of Handwashing

Until the mid-1800s, doctors didn’t bother washing their hands. Then a Hungarian medic made an essential, much-resisted breakthrough.

History in a Crisis - Lessons for Covid-19

The history of epidemics offers considerable advice, but only if people know the history and respond with wisdom.
George Washington on the cover of Alexis Coe's "You Never Forget Your First."

A New Book About George Washington Breaks All the Rules on How to Write About George Washington

A cheeky biography of the first president pulls no punches.

When New Yorkers Burned Down a Quarantine Hospital

On September 1st, 1858, a mob stormed the New York Marine Hospital in Staten Island, and set fire to the building.
Children in New York City waiting in line for immunization shots, 1944

Vaccination Resistance in Historical Perspective

The vaccination skepticism of today is rooted in postwar social movements, prompting a new generation of parents and children to question drugs and doctors.
A diagram of vaccination rates across the 50 states.

Battling Infectious Diseases in the 20th Century: The Impact of Vaccines

The number of infected people, measured over 70-some years and across all 50 states and the District of Columbia, declined after vaccines were introduced.
Cover of "Empire of Necessity" featuring a painting of violence being wrought on enslaved men.

The Bleached Bones of the Dead

What the modern world owes slavery. (It’s more than back wages).
partner

Who Invented Memorial Day?

As Americans enjoy the holiday weekend, does anyone know how Memorial Day originated?

Filter Results:

Suggested Filters:

Idea