The Late ’30s Deplatforming of Father Coughlin

Then as now, not many people were willing to raise their own voices to defend the speech of a vulgarian spewing hate over a mass medium.
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Lawmakers Take Aim at Insidious Digital ‘Dark Patterns’

A new California law prohibits efforts to trick consumers into handing over data or money. A bill in Washington state copies the language. “agreement obtained through use of dark patterns does not constitute consent.”
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'Seen all this before': Tourism NZ says ditch influencer shots for something new

No more lavender fields or mountain tops please, urges agency in effort to stop people ‘travelling under the social influence’
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Archaeologists in Turkey Have Discovered a Mysterious Ancient Kingdom Lost in History

It was said that all he touched turned to gold. But destiny eventually caught up with the legendary King Midas, and a long-lost chronicle of his ancient downfall appears to have literally surfaced in Turkey.
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The viral ‘Wellerman’ sea shanty is also a window into the remarkable cross-cultural whaling history of Aotearoa New Zealand

The whaling story behind 'Soon May the Wellerman Come' reminds us of the crucial connections between Māori and Europeans that shaped early 19th century settlement.
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From mummies to mosques—new Google Arts & Culture initiative brings Egypt’s archaeological treasures to the masses

New online platform aims to turn traditionally scholarly subject into something "easily digestible and fun to explore"
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When Radio Stations Stopped a Public Figure From Spreading Dangerous Lies

When radio was king, many outlets chose to cease broadcasting Father Charles Coughlin's anti-Semitic sermons
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Pink seesaws across US-Mexico border named Design of the Year 2020

Creators say they hope the work encourages people to build bridges between communities
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The word "Orwellian" has lost all meaning

How the right made the word "Orwellian" an empty cliché.
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Viennetta, the Fanciest Dessert of the ’90s, Is Back

The height of sophistication — and the freezer aisle — is returning after 30 years
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The Art of Whaling: Illustrations from the Logbooks of Nantucket Whaleships

The 19th-century whale hunt was a brutal business, awash with blubber, blood, and the cruel destruction of life. But between the frantic calls of “there she blows!”, there was plenty of time for creation too. Jessica Boyall explores the rich vein of illustration running through the logbooks and journals of Nantucket whalers.
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Can Tokyo Safely Host the Olympic Games This Summer?

It is Tokyo’s fate to stage the world’s largest sporting event a year later than planned, at a time of global economic uncertainty and amid a pandemic that will be far from over on July 23. Is it really ready?
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At This Banana Farm, the Bunches Grow in 430 Shapes and Sizes

India's "plantain man" has traveled widely to build a collection of unusual varieties.
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The Lost History of an American Coup D’État

Republicans and Democrats in North Carolina are locked in a battle over which party inherits the shame of Jim Crow.
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The fried chicken sandwich wars are heating up. Here are the new entrants

The fried chicken sandwich wars sparked by Popeyes in 2019 are still clucking along two years later.
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When Americans Committed Insurrection

Until 2021, Americans had confronted federal authority with armed aggression just four times.
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Great walls of China: Beijing's burgeoning graffiti scene – in pictures

A thriving graffiti culture has been brewing for decades in Beijing, featuring Chinese characters, animals of the zodiac ... and complaints about the price of pork
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Customers in Europe hit by post-Brexit charges when buying from UK

Shoppers tell of shock at unexpected bills for VAT or customs declarations as some retailers stop shipping to continent
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In India, Smartphones and Cheap Data Are Giving Women a Voice

About 200 million women in the country are illiterate. But voice memo and image-sharing apps make it easier to connect, communicate, and run businesses.
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The scope of China's use of forced labor in Xinjiang is bigger than we knew

Recent investigations reveal vast factories inside mass internment camps.
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Toxic City: The Cost of Gold Mining in South Africa

Mountains of waste from Johannesburg’s omnipresent gold industry may be ruining the health of nearby residents.
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A deadly illness left Reuben with time on his hands, and made him one of the world's few solo watchmakers

Reuben Schoots is building a mechanical watch entirely by hand — a feat accomplished only by a handful of people in the past century. But he is learning more than just a lost craft.
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