The First Amendment protects, among other rights, the freedom of speech. In this opinion piece, UCLA law professor Eugene Volokh delves into what the Founders meant by the term “speech.”
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10,000 Year Clock
Look 10,000 years into the past, and you’ll see humans beginning to cultivate the earliest agricultural crops. What changes would a look 10,000 years into the future reveal? For Amazon.com founder Jeff Bezos, the distant future will include a functioning clock, being built now in the desert of West Texas.
Sojourner Truth
A former slave, Sojourner Truth was an ally of Frederick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison in the fight for the abolition of slavery. Watch a mini-biography and read about this brave abolitionist and women’s rights advocate.
The Perfect Statement On Holiday Consumerism: A $500 Cardboard Box
A recycled cardboard box for Christmas? Ad agencies created this gift which they say will stimulate creativity but also help raise funds for two charitable causes. Read about it here.
Olympic Athletes Who Took a Stand
Olympic track stars Tommie Smith and John Carlos were medalists in the 1968 Olympic Games. Read about their gesture of protest and its consequences.
The Fight for Women’s Suffrage
The fight for women’s suffrage did not begin or end when the Civil War was over. Explore the complete history of the fight for women’s right to vote, and browse photo galleries and videos about the soldiers in the fight.
Philippe Petit
Meet Philippe Petit, a man who said, “To me, it’s so simple that life should be lived on the edge of life.” Read his biography to learn about the risks this man is renowned for taking.
Innovative Audubon Program Connects Elders with Alzheimer’s to the Outdoors While Creating Healthy Bird Habitats
An Audubon Society program for nursing homes and assisted-living facilities, Bird Tales is intended to help people with dementia connect to the natural world. By encouraging elderly patients to create better habitats for native bird populations, both communities benefit.
United States Holocaust Memorial Museum
Browse this site to learn about the Holocaust and view the online exhibits.
On the Bard’s birthday, is Shakespeare still relevant?
How can Shakespeare still be relevant in the age of the smartphone? Alexandra Petri takes a light-hearted view in this opinion piece.
How Writing Changed the World
It’s no exaggeration to say that the advent of writing changed everything for humans. Here’s a look at some of the key shifts in history that resulted from those first scratches on clay tablets.
The Fight for Women’s Suffrage
It’s hard to believe that women have had the right to vote in the U.S. for less than a century. For many decades before the 19th Amendment was finally ratified in 1920, women worked tirelessly to win this essential part of citizenship.
Juneteenth: A New Birth of Freedom
Have you ever heard of Juneteenth? On June 19, 1865, almost two and a half years after President Lincoln issued the Emancipation Proclamation, word finally reached Texas that the Civil War was over and that any slaves were free. Learn more about this celebration of freedom.
Revive & Restore
Have you ever imagined what it might be like to see a wooly mammoth crossing the plains? Some scientists are working to turn back the clock and revive extinct species. This multimedia site from The Long Now Foundation details the efforts.
Optical Illusions: When Your Brain Can’t Believe Your Eyes
How do optical illusions fool us? In this article, Cari Nierenberg explores the root cause: a mismatch between what the eyes perceive and how the brain interprets the information.
5 Ways to Listen Better
What conflicts can you think of that happened because someone simply didn’t listen? People who tune out others’ ideas or hear only what they want or expect to hear can’t understand others or the world around them. In this TED Talk, sound expert Julian Treasure provides five tips for conscious, careful listening.
Product Placement Can Be A Lot More Powerful Than We Realize
Discover the powerful means by which product placement subtly directs us to prefer and choose brands.
John F. Kennedy: The Space Program
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This site highlights major achievements in President Kennedy’s expansion of the space program. Learn more about the “space race” between the United States and the Soviet Union, as well as access historic speeches online.
Life at the Bottom: The Prolific Afterlife of Whales
After a whale dies, its sunken carcass becomes home to hundreds of species of underwater creatures. This in-depth article from Scientific American describes the phenomenon known as whale fall.
Opinion: Why Nazi Hunting is Still a Worthy Pursuit
Dr. Efraim Zuroff asserts that we should continue to pursue and bring to justice Nazis who participated in the atrocities of the Holocaust, more than 60 years after the war ended.