Author Archives: Paul Looby

What Can Bees Teach Us About Gang Warfare?

In Los Angeles, an anthropologist is using equations to teach police about how street gangs operate.

“Slaves of the Marriage Union”

This article profiles Elizabeth Packard, a woman forced into an insane asylum by her husband during the Civil War. After her release, she became a women’s rights activist who argued that the condition of women was similar to slavery.

Journey to “The Crucible”

In this essay, Arthur Miller describes how he prepared to write his famous play by immersing himself in the world of the Salem witch trials.

Proud to be a Mill Girl

New England industrialists hired thousands of young women from farms to work together in early textile mills—and spawned a host of unintended consequences.

William Ury: The Walk from “No” to “Yes”

Noted mediator William Ury describes the “third side,” a technique for resolving conflict in trouble spots such as the Middle East.

Steve Jobs’ 2005 Stanford Commencement Address

In his 2005 commencement address at Stanford University, Steve Jobs tells graduating students that the key to his success was finding out what he loved.

Slave Rebellions: A Timeline

How did enslaved people fight against their condition? This timeline gives information about the major escape operations and rebellions from slavery that occurred in the Western Hemisphere.

The Words That Remade America

Historian Gary Wills discusses the significance of the Gettysburg Address.

Compromise 1: Philadelphia Story

Joseph Ellis, a Pulitzer Prize–winning historian, explores the issues of regional power and slavery that overshadowed the Constitutional Convention in 1789. Through hard bargaining, delegates such as Benjamin Franklin and James Madison drafted a Constitution that has endured for centuries. However, their compromises planted the seeds of the Civil War.

The Peopling Of America

People have been immigrating to America for tens of thousands of years. Use this interactive timeline to see how immigration patterns have changed over time.

Address at the Conclusion of the Selma to Montgomery March

Read or listen to one of the most important speeches by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

As We Seek Nature, We Wall It Out

Diane Ackerman contemplates the wildlife that creeps into our urban habitats.

Sweden’s “Gender-Neutral” Preschool

In Stockholm, Sweden, educators are using a controversial approach to shield young children from gender stereotypes.

I’ve Been Haunted by Anne Frank’s Memory for So Long

After Anne Frank’s death, her father married the mother of Eva Schloss, who had gone into hiding with her family and survived a concentration camp. In this interview, Schloss talks about her experiences growing up as Anne Frank’s stepsister.

Immigration Explorer

The vast majority of Americans can trace their roots to another country. This interactive map from The New York Times makes it easy to see where and when different groups settled in the United States. Use the pull-down menu in the upper left corner to select a national group, then move the arrow on the timeline to see how many people entered the United States during each decade.

The Best Tool for Helping Damaged Young People—Nature

Researchers are evaluating the effect that a dose of the wilderness can have on troubled young people.

Sarah Hendrickson Jumping Back In

An American athlete has rushed through the rehabilitation of her injured knee so she can compete in the first Olympic women’s ski jumping competition.

Vicky Pryce: “Prison Clearly Does Not Work”

Fresh from jail, the economist and author of Prisonomics explains why the system costs too much, locks up the wrong people, and does not prevent reoffending.