Bugging the Nazis in World War II
October 29, 2019
Helen Fry— In 1939 British intelligence took over Trent Park in North London, the former country house of the aristocrat Sir Philip Sassoon. The house was “wired for sound,” and… READ MORE
Category: History
When the Austrian School of Economics Supported a Progressive State
October 23, 2019
Janek Wasserman— Friedrich Hayek’s Road to Serfdom is inarguably the most famous book associated with the Austrian School of Economics. The basic premises of Hayek’s argument are well known: “socialist” trends… READ MORE
Einstein, Anglophilia, and America
October 22, 2019
Andrew Robinson— “Einstein was an Anglophile,” declared three leading US scholars of Albert Einstein—Alice Calaprice, Daniel Kennefick and Robert Schulmann—without hesitation or qualification in their study, An Einstein Encyclopedia, published by… READ MORE
A Huge Turning Point in Archaeology
October 21, 2019
Brian Fagan— The bombshell exploded a few months after John Evans and Joseph Prestwich returned from their visit to the Somme gravel pits with axes and elephant bones. Charles Darwin’s On… READ MORE
Political Obligation: An Ancient Illustration
October 15, 2019
Judith N. Shklar— Obligation may lead to conflict. It implies, on one hand, the duty to obey the law, to keep promises, to follow social rules generally, because society depends… READ MORE
Why Jewish Writers Avoid the “Jewish Writer” Label
October 14, 2019
Adam Kirsch— Several years ago, I moderated a discussion between two novelists at the Museum of Jewish Heritage in Manhattan. The setting seemed appropriate, since these were Jewish writers who… READ MORE
The Rising of Croatia
October 11, 2019
Marcus Tanner— The long rule of the Turks over most of Croatia came to a sudden end in the 1680s. Responsibility for the conflict fell squarely on the Turks. In… READ MORE
America’s Long Jewish History
October 10, 2019
Jonathan D. Sarna— New Amsterdam, part of the remote Dutch colony of New Netherland in present-day New York State, was among the New World’s most diverse and pluralistic towns. A… READ MORE
The Emperor and His Family
October 9, 2019
Geoffrey Parker— In 1855 the French historian Jules Michelet hailed Archduchess Margaret of Austria as ‘The real “strong man” of the family’ whose efforts, above those of all others, ‘made… READ MORE
Oppenheim’s Library: A Window into Jewish Culture
October 7, 2019
Joshua Teplitsky— In January of 2019, Netflix launched a new television program for audiences who had enjoyed previous “home improvement” style shows about living more efficiently with greater style and… READ MORE
From 9/11 to 9/11: The Widening of the Atlantic