Skip to main content

124 stories related to History

A cake of dried pu-erh with a colorful tag.
Like a Fine Wine, China’s Traditional Pu-Erh Tea Gets Better Over Time
2 minute read
The Secret Perfume of Birds cover
The Secret History of Bird Smells
7 minute read
A navy blue watch on a desk next to a picture of the moon
A. Lange & Söhne’s Latest Timepieces Transform a Wrist Into a Site of Wonder
2 minute read
Split screen of jewelry designer Elsa Peretti and fashion stylist Kate Young
The Distilled Splendor of Elsa Peretti’s Jewelry and Homewares
3 minute read
Billy Martin standing before a bright, white light, looking into the camera.
Drummer Billy Martin’s Covid-19 Quarantine Playlist
3 minute read
Craft & Forge artisan
Spare Home Accessories, Informed by the Artisans of Colonial Williamsburg
3 minute read
The Rebirth Brass Band in a still from “Take Me to the River: New Orleans.” (Courtesy “Take Me to the River: New Orleans”)
Songs from the Big Easy, Recorded by Top Musicians Across Generations
3 minute read
The Reverso watch
An Iconic Japanese Woodblock Print, Translated Into a Wrist-Sized Wonder
2 minute read
A Vintage Odyssey cover image, featuring a vintage microphone.
The History of Vintage Recording Gear, Written by an All-Knowing Industry Veteran
2 minute read
A patchwork tapestry by Megumi Shauna Arai.
Megumi Shauna Arai’s Enchanting Textiles Are Patchworks of Stories and Traditions
4 minute read
Perfumer Yosh Han
A San Francisco Perfumer’s Campaign to Decolonize Scent
6 minute read
Catherine Haley Epstein stands with her hand on her hip in front of several drawings.
This Olfactory Expert Is Amassing a Vocabulary for Smells
4 minute read
Facade of the New York tofu shop Fong On
The Evolution of the Fare at Fong On, New York’s Oldest Family-Owned Tofu Shop
3 minute read
Building with the words "blues blood bruise" illuminated on its facade
A New Exhibition Explores the Omnipresence of Black Grief
3 minute read
A photograph of images from the Picture Collection’s Handshaking folder by Taryn Simon, featured in the exhibition “The Color of a Flea’s Eye.”
The Incredible Past and Pivotal Future of the New York Public Library Picture Collection
4 minute read
Two Cartier watches
Cartier’s First Solar-Powered Watch Features Straps Made From Food Scraps
3 minute read
Cecilia Bembibre in a blue shirt, leaning over a table with a book.
Cecilia Bembibre Is On a Mission to Save the Scents of History
2 minute read
Courtesy The University of Chicago Press
A Commemoration of AACM’s Legacy in Experimental Jazz
3 minute read
A piece of Monique Péan's jewelry.
Jewelry Designer Monique Péan Creates a Feat of Meteoric Proportions, Literally
4 minute read
A classic ice cream truck in the summer.
A New Ice Cream Truck Jingle, Created by Wu-Tang Clan Rapper RZA
2 minute read
Author and professor Hsuan L. Hsu on a yellow background.
In Literature and Art, Smell Is a Powerful Means to Convey Risk
2 minute read
Charlie Chaplin riding the gears of a massive machine.
What We’re Watching on the Criterion Collection’s New Streaming Service
2 minute read
A single red rose on a white background.
Why Roses Are Synonymous With Love
5 minute read
Courtesy Strange Attractor Press
A New Book Explores How, Via X-Rays, Banned Albums Made It Into the Cold War–Era U.S.S.R.
2 minute read
Meech Boakye’s corn-on-the-cob broth. (Courtesy Meech Boakye)
Meech Boakye Explores the “Multispecies Collaboration” That Produces Our Food
3 minute read
Stylist Kate Young
Stylist Kate Young on Cartier’s Ever-Enduring Timepieces
4 minute read
Taste Makers book by Mayukh Sen
Meet Seven Immigrant Women Who Shaped the Way America Eats
3 minute read
Return Brewing’s inaugural beers, Heathenous and Polished Pilsner.
In New York’s Hudson Valley, a Brewery of Innovation and Intent
3 minute read
One of three versions of Thomas Ball’s sculpture “Emancipation Group” on view at “re:mancipation.” (Courtesy the Chazen Museum of Art and the Colby College Museum of Art)
Sanford Biggers, a Collective of Artists, and a Museum Interrogate a Problematic Abraham Lincoln Monument
10 minute read
“The Sense of Smell in the Middle Ages: A Source of Certainty” book cover
Dr. Katelynn Robinson Unpacks the Role of Odors in the Middle Ages
5 minute read
A painting depicts a young woman smelling a red flower.
According to This French Historian, “Bad” Odors Are Learned, Not Inherent
2 minute read
Stissing House
How a Storied Heritage Building Became a Contemporary Community Pub
5 minute read
David Bowie shooting a video for the song “Rebel Rebel” in 1974. (Photo: AVRO)
David Bowie’s Music as a Navigational Portal to Our Inner Worlds
4 minute read
Black and white abstract photo of twin towers by Simon Chaput
Simon Chaput’s Striking Photos of the Twin Towers Are a Love Letter to New York
5 minute read
The Ebony test kitchen. (Photo: Francis Dzikowski. Courtesy the Museum of Food and Drink.)
In Manhattan, an Exhibition Honoring How Black Food Traditions Shaped What America Eats
6 minute read
Papier d’Arménie burning papers
These Scented Strips of Paper From France Are the Ultimate Deodorizers
5 minute read
A promo image by The Black Music History Library with white text on black background.
This Digital Archive Will Teach You About Black Music History
1 minute read
A kintsugi kit on a wooden table, next to several repaired plates.
The Enduring Relevance of Kintsugi, the Japanese Art of Repairing Broken Ceramics
2 minute read
The front and back cover of Spencer Bailey's book, “In Memory Of: Designing Contemporary Memorials”
Spencer Bailey on Memorials, Abstraction, and the Act of Unforgetting
7 minute read
Laurent Pouppeville, director of the Musée International de la Parfumerie. (Courtesy Communauté d’Agglomération du Pays de Grasse)
How Grasse, France, Went From a Smelly City to the Perfume Capital of the World
4 minute read
A vintage envelope addressed by former president Abraham Lincoln
The Fascinating, Often Shameful History of U.S. Voting Ballot Design
2 minute read
Author and professor A. Joan Saab
The Strange, Long-Standing Relationship Between Seeing and Believing
4 minute read
A dew-covered white and pink rose.
Author and Curator Peter Kukielski on the Wonders of Roses in Bloom
4 minute read
Qahwah House coffee and pastries
A Café That Makes Traditional Coffees Using Beans from Yemen, the Brew’s Birthplace
6 minute read
Baked potatoes sitting on wax paper with salt and pepper.
The Overlooked Potential of a Hot Potato
2 minute read
Stylist Kate Young walks viewers through the signature elements of the Burberry trench on her YouTube show, “Hello Fashion.”
The Perennial Power of the Burberry Trench
3 minute read
Two speakers made from cast iron.
Vintage Loudspeakers, Restored and Transformed Into Aural Works of Art
2 minute read
An old pair of scissors with a yellow handle.
This Necessary New Book Honors the Craftsmanship of Tools
2 minute read
Writer and author Julian Sanction
Why History’s Harrowing Polar Expeditions Get Julian Sancton’s Blood Pumping
5 minute read
Malcolm James in a blue tracksuit, in front of a white background.
How Technology, Politics, and Perception Transformed the Role of Music in Black Life
2 minute read
A photo of a model in a glittering dress, from inside Studio 54.
A Studio 54 Playlist by Brooklyn Museum Curator Matthew Yakobosky
2 minute read
9/11 survivor Michael Hingson and his guide dog, Roselle.
How Scent Helped This Blind 9/11 Survivor Escape Tower One
4 minute read
Installation view of the “Hermès in the Making” exhibition in Troy, Michigan. (Photo: William Jess Laird)
In Detroit, a Six-Day Hermès Exhibition Celebrates Craft and Community
6 minute read
Stylist Kate Young
Dior’s Practically Unparalleled Design History
4 minute read
Laura Baldassari on a red background, singing.
Laura Baldassari’s Opera Playlist Is Exactly What We’re Craving Right Now
3 minute read
Two bundles of palo santo sticks in a gold tray.
The Cleansing Craze Around Palo Santo
2 minute read
A wide-blade rip saw.
The Tools and Techniques That Built Japan
2 minute read
Three clear perfume vials with insects encased in their glass stand on a white backdrop.
Artist Anicka Yi Mines Biology and Technology to Craft a Line of Perfumes
5 minute read
A security officer wearing bright yellow and orange safety gear.
“Worn Stories” Explores How Memories Are Made and Maintained Through Clothing
2 minute read
A Letter from Mother Teresa, submitted to the Museum of Material Memory by Siddharth Sunder. (Courtesy Museum of Material Memory)
A Digital Museum Tells Time-Honored Stories of the Indian Subcontinent Through Everyday Objects and Family Heirlooms
12 minute read
Neanderthal perfume in a white case.
Lonneke Gordijn of Studio Drift’s Favorite Perfume
2 minute read
A solar-powered mezcal wheel at Casa Silencio. (Courtesy Casa Silencio)
These Eclectic Mezcal Experiences Are Gateways to Mexico’s History and Culture
3 minute read
Installation view of “Plastic: Remaking Our World.” (Photo: Bettina Matthiessen)
At Germany’s Vitra Design Museum, an Exhibition Considers the Promises and Problems of Plastic
6 minute read
A large glacier on a cliff above the ocean.
A New Podcast Unpacks the Beauty and Fragility of Glacier National Park
2 minute read
The entrance to the Bauhaus Museum Dessau.
A New Bauhaus Museum Worthy of Its Lineage
2 minute read
Daniel Libeskind in a black suit in front of a red wall, sitting on a geometric seat.
Daniel Libeskind’s “Classical Studies” Playlist
2 minute read
(Photo: Delfino Sisto Legnani)
A Book About Joints Celebrates the Big Ideas Behind Tiny Details
4 minute read
Rana and Harjit Sodhi holding a photo of their late brother, Balbir Singh Sodi, who died on 9/11
These Illuminating 9/11 Podcast Episodes Bring Survivor Stories to Life
4 minute read
The “shite” (primary performer) in “Makura Jido” (“Chrysanthemum Boy”). (Photo: Yutaka Ishida. Courtesy Japan Society)
Ever Heard of Noh Theater? Our Primer to Three Major Productions Arriving in New York City This Fall
16 minute read
A woman kneels and paints a large rolled canvas on the ground, in front of other paintings lined up on a wall.
Helen Molesworth on the “Radical Women” Featured in the Getty’s New Podcast
5 minute read
“Whole Earth: The Many Lives of Stewart Brand” by John Markoff
A New Biography Looks Back on Stewart Brand’s Planetary Impact
12 minute read
Tubes of sunscreen and a perfume shot in front of palm leaf branches
This ’80s Summer–Inspired Fragrance Line Evokes the Era’s Popsicles, Pool Toys, and Speedos
2 minute read
Karl Lagerfeld in 2014. (Photo: Christopher William Adach)
A New “Cultural Biography” on Karl Lagerfeld Illuminates the Person Behind the Image
23 minute read
An orange and blue candle on a wood surface.
A Designer Pays Homage to His Grandfather With a Line of Evocative Candles
1 minute read
black and white photo of scholar and critic Donatien Grau
A New Book Tackles the Hotly Debated Role of Encyclopedic Museums
4 minute read
Four bottles of perfume next to a large quill feather.
This Perfume Brand Makes Scents That Evoke Los Angeles’s Rich Music History
2 minute read
Courtesy Parfum d’Empire
How a Spidery Weed Spawned This Sweet-Smelling Perfume
3 minute read
Perfume samples at The Institute for Art and Olfaction. (Courtesy The Institute for Art and Olfaction)
Nuri McBride Paves the Way for Broader Understandings of the Crafts and Cultures of Scent
6 minute read
Harriet Tubman's face stamped onto a $20 bill.
Harriet Tubman’s Face Can Appear on a $20 Bill After All
1 minute read
Incense burning on a pack of sticks on a red background.
The Best Japanese Incense Sticks Around
1 minute read
Glen Adamson in a dark jacket and shirt, smiling at the camera.
Glenn Adamson’s New Book Explains How Skilled Makers Made America
2 minute read
Five bottles of perfume on an ombre table
Old Family Photographs Are This Self-Taught Perfumer’s Muse
2 minute read
Two wooden boxes, one with a clear top and one with a wooden top.
These Wood Boxes Hold Centuries of Japanese Culture and Craftsmanship
2 minute read
Moromi condiments
A Connecticut Condiment-Maker Combines Local Ingredients With Japanese Fermented-Food Traditions
3 minute read
Book Cover of Until Proven Safe
A New Book Explores the Longstanding Practice of Quarantine—and Why It Must Change
2 minute read
An orange and white handout from Black Mountain College.
Black Mountain College Is About to Come to a Screen Near You
2 minute read
Bundle of incense sticks by Baba Watermill.
A Storied Japanese Watermill Produces the Primary Ingredient in This All-Natural Incense
2 minute read
Courtesy the Metropolitan Museum of Art
On the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s New Podcast, Materials Get the Spotlight
4 minute read
Washington Square Park in New York City’s Greenwich Village. (Photo: Spencer Bailey)
A Walking Tour of Greenwich Village With Architecture Critic Michael Kimmelman
28 minute read
Interior of an industrial space with yellow scaffolding
This Soundscape Brings an Age-Old Model of Communal Living to Life
3 minute read
A book cover with plants inside a vial.
Harold McGee Unpicks the Science of Scent
1 minute read
Ted Gioia in front of a large window.
Jazz Critic and Historian Ted Gioia’s “Subversive Songs” Playlist
3 minute read
A Radiooooo illustration with a woman with red hair and blue skin.
Avoid Algorithms With the Incredibly Refreshing Radiooooo
2 minute read
Soy sauce sommelier Keiko Kuroshima
Meet Keiko Kuroshima, Japan’s First Female Soy Sauce Sommelier
4 minute read
Author and scholar Elliott H. Powell with a red scarf in front of a mural.
Elliott H. Powell Traces the History of Black Musicians Engaging with South Asian Culture and Sounds
2 minute read
Michael W. Twitty sitting with a plate of biscuits in front of a large open fireplace.
Michael W. Twitty Unpacks the Overlooked History of Southern Food
2 minute read
Peter Adjaye wearing headphones and a fedora, on a light blue background.
Peter Adjaye’s Emotive Soundscapes Immerse Listeners in the Past and Present
4 minute read
Ha Ko's paper leaf-shaped incense
Exquisite Leaf-Shaped Incense, Made from Japanese Washi Paper
2 minute read
Cover of “The Trayvon Generation” by Elizabeth Alexander
Elizabeth Alexander Explores the Grief, Gratitude, and Creativity of the “Trayvon Generation”
5 minute read
The Earth on a black background
What We’re Reading on the Internet Archive
1 minute read
A jade gua sha tool next to a sprig of rosemary.
The World of Gua Sha Facial Massages
2 minute read
Photo: Tom Arber
How a Master Organist is Making the Archaic Instrument Cool Again
8 minute read
A pink and blue throw blanket over a grey felt couch.
Røros Tweed’s Intricately Crafted, Beautifully Designed Throw Blankets
1 minute read
View of Thomas J Price’s “Beyond Measure” exhibition at Hauser & Wirth’s Downtown Los Angeles gallery. (Photo: Keith Lubow. Courtesy the artist and Hauser & Wirth)
With His Monumental Bronze Sculptures, Thomas J Price Honors the Everyday Features of Black Life
6 minute read
An old sweater darned with purple thread.
With Darning, Celia Pym Brings the Stories of Clothes to Life
2 minute read
A still from Steve McQueen's "Small Axe" depicting two people holding each other on the street in London
In “Small Axe,” Steve McQueen Exposes Nuanced Truths of Black Life in Britain
3 minute read
author and environmental anthropologist Gina Rae La Cerva
Environmental Anthropologist and “Feasting Wild” Author Gina Rae La Cerva’s Media Diet
6 minute read
A digital collage featuring scam rap stars, financial app logos, and piles of bitcoin tokens and U.S. dollars.
A&R Rep Kolby Turnher’s “Scam Rap” Playlist
3 minute read
Elyn Zimmerman's 1993 World Trade Center bombing memorial
Elyn Zimmerman Created a Memorial to the 1993 World Trade Center Bombing—Then It Was Destroyed on 9/11
7 minute read
Potter Edmund de Waal with books
Master Potter Edmund de Waal on the Necessity of Revisiting the Past
6 minute read
Four images arranged in a grid depicting a man in a suit, the words "Less than Zero" in red on a black background, an address, and a picture of an outdoor courtyard
Benjamin Critton on Modernist Homes in Popular Films
4 minute read
A large white fireworks explosion in a black sky.
The Fraught, Noisy History of Fireworks in America
2 minute read
Author and potter Bonnie Kemske in her studio
A New Book Examines the Enduring Relevance of Kintsugi as Metaphor
3 minute read
Cover of “The Ugly History of Beautiful Things: Essays on Desire and Consumption” by Katy Kelleher. (Courtesy Simon and Schuster)
Desiring Beauty, Even If It Kills Us
8 minute read
A photo display in the Nashville Museum of African American Music.
A New Nashville Museum Traces 400 Years of Black Music
2 minute read
Hare with amber eyes netsuke figurine
Visualizing a Family History by Gathering Fractured Pieces of the Past
3 minute read
vanessa german. (Photo: AJ Mitchell Photography. Courtesy Kasmin, New York)
vanessa german on Art as a Way of Life and Love as a “Human Technology”
43 minute read
Neil Chapman. (Courtesy Neil Chapman)
What Makes a Perfume a Masterpiece, According to a Veteran Scent Blogger
9 minute read
A baker making bread
This Berlin Craft Bakery Brings Ancient Grains Into a Contemporary Context
3 minute read
A Numero Group illustration in black and white.
This Chicago Music Label Is on a Mission to Unearth Lost Sounds
2 minute read
Daniel Boulud and other chefs serve food to first responders after the attacks in September 2001
Daniel Boulud on Feeding First Responders in the Aftermath of 9/11
6 minute read
Colorful Chinese dish
An Instagram Account Captures the Breadth and Beauty of Chinese Cuisine
2 minute read
A collective house near the Catholic mission on the Catrimani River in the Roraima state of Brazil, photographed by Claudia Andujar in 1976. (Courtesy the artist)
The Cosmovision of the Yanomami People and the Violent Forces That Threaten Them
12 minute read
Stylist Kate Young details Louis Vuitton’s most brand-defining bags on her YouTube show, “Hello Fashion.”
How Louis Vuitton Evolved From Parisian Trunk-Maker to International Luxury Juggernaut
4 minute read