November 19, 2012

What Do You Call an Irishman from Atlantic City?

By Brendan Carney Byrne

“Boardwalk Empire” and the rise and fall of the Irish-American mobster as politician.

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November 13, 2012

First Ladies-in-Waiting

By Angela Serratore

Not all First Ladies are married to the president—the story of two presidential nieces who shaped Washington social politics for years to come.

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November 09, 2012

Silence Wins the Day

By Peter Foges

On the brink of war, a stand-off between two would-be Prime Ministers changed the shape of world politics forever.

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November 05, 2012

Spinners and Losers

By Miles Klee

A BBC comedy series explores the gaffe-prone world of professional politics, onscreen and off.

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September 14, 2012

The Magician in the Laboratory

By Peter Foges

Rupert Sheldrake was a scientific superstar, then he was mocked as a magician. A look at scientific sorcerers throughout the ages.

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September 12, 2012

Beyond the Fields We Know

By Michael Dirda

The supernatural literature of Arthur Machen, Walter de la Mare, and Algernon Blackwood, and the abiding appeal of supernatural literature.

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September 04, 2012

The Father and Son Who Believed in Faeries

By A.N. Devers

The dream world of Arthur Conan Doyle’s father.

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July 20, 2012

How to Make Friends and Walk on Swords

By Angela Serratore

During the nineteenth century, magic tricks were commonly published in newspapers, encouraging teenagers to take dangerous risks to impress their friends.

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July 16, 2012

Gold and Silver Coined from Human Blood

By Laurent Merceron

Witch hunts were big business, employing hundreds of judges, jailers, and executioners across Europe for hundreds of years.

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