An ob-gyn in Virginia performed unnecessary surgeries on patients for decades. When his victims learned the truth, they fought back.
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In 1848, An Enslaved Couple Fled to Boston in One of History’s Most Daring Escapes
“Risking their lives for liberty and for love, Ellen and William Craft devised a bold plan: They’d don disguises — she as a white man — and embark on the perilous journey north.”
Moral Panics Come and Go. Sex Bracelet Hysteria Is Forever.
When the popularity of colored jelly bracelets led to a bizarre moral panic, it demonstrated more about adults than the kids wearing them. By the spring, a Fox News segment cautioned that “kids today may be trading sex acts like we traded baseball cards.” On Good Morning America, Diane Sawyer cautioned parents to ask their children […]
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
“Featuring reads from Grace Glass and Sasha Tycko, Max Graham, Alex Blasdel, James Somers, and Ben Goldfarb.”
The Women at the Cutting Edge of Butchery
Butcher shops have been struggling to survive. But now women are picking up the knife.
Momo’s Deadline
Linda Button on her toughest writing assignment yet: her business partner’s epitaph.
Rescuing the Rescuer: Saving Myself from a Lifetime of Hurt
How witnessing trauma after trauma on the mountain exacts a cumulative emotional toll on ski patrollers.
Belting out Songs and Our Top 5
“There’s something about losing yourself in a communal experience that’s immensely appealing in this age of virtual meetings and not-so-social media. We want to see the artists we love in person. We want to believe they’re singing directly to us.” Elizabeth Blackwell, a regular commentator on cultural phenomena (check out her Reality TV and Pivotal […]
Fast Times on America’s Slowest Train
A surreal train ride between Chicago and New Orleans proves that Amtrak still has a lot to offer. (Not including speed or the food.)
I Nearly Died Drowning. Here’s What It’s Like to Survive.
On coming to terms with a near-death experience.


