Popular Narratives

Popular Narratives

Black-and-white photo showing a disc-shaped object with a shadowed underside, floating in a blank sky—an iconic image from the UFO craze.
In this preview from "The Saucerian," author Gabriel Mckee explains how the combination of fantastical stories and obscure bureaucracy launched the “space age of the imagination.”
Split-panel collage of illustrations with partial faces of four historical figures, featuring diverse expressions and art styles, separated by colored lines. Each face reveals a hint of misunderstood philosophy, inviting viewers to ponder the unseen depths behind their enigmatic gazes.
That Nietzsche quote might not mean what you think it does.
A painting presents a group of people at a table, leaving room for interpretation and inviting viewers to formulate hypotheses about their interactions and relationships.
A sober look at a wild conspiracy theory that argues the Middle Ages never happened.
A gladiator brandishing a sword amidst a crowd.
Gladiators fought in rounds, and there were referees to enforce rules. Only rarely were gladiators killed.
The rocky horror show poster.
"Time Warp" all the way back to 1800s spiritualism, magic performances, and spook shows.
an image of an alien flying over a pyramid.
Gods and angels have been replaced with hi-tech extraterrestrials.
John Templeton Foundation
a collage of photos of a man with a hat and a book.
Dive into the twisted truths and concealed realities told by literature's most unreliable narrators.
St. George and the Dragon as depicted in a 15th century painting
Monsters have always represented societal fears, but narrative art also casts doubt on whether we fully understand our monsters — and their slayers.
A map of "I love you" in various European languages
How to say “I love you” in Basque, the "most loving" cities around the world, and where most of America’s singles live — and so much more!
St Nick had a history of teleporting long before needing to reach all the world's children in one night.
sean carroll
"Even with my training, I still got insights from the book’s descriptions. That’s how good Carroll is at explaining physics."
All nations have founding myths, but none are quite like Russia's.
The Industrial Revolution changed music forever, thanks to a combination of technological advances and clever entrepreneurs.
moral panic
Moral panics about the content of children's cartoons and other forms of entertainment have a long history.
Contrary to popular belief, it’s not to mark Mexican independence.
marvel studios
Time for a status check before watching "Moon Knight."
Putin
In theory, history is the sum of everything that ever happened; in practice, it’s a story we tell ourselves to make sense of and justify our actions in the present. 
gritter
To clear Scotland’s roads in winter, the local traffic agency employs heavy machinery with punny names. Can you grit and bear it?
The Capture of Blackbeard
Many first-hand accounts from the golden age of piracy were grossly embellished, meaning it's extremely difficult to separate Blackbeard the legend from Edward Thatch the person.
Just don't expect the apocalypse to look like it does in the movies.
American family
Hit shows are like societal mirrors, capable of reflecting the cultural zeitgeist whose likeness they try to record. 
all i want for christmas
The singer-songwriter distilled the essence of the holidays into a hit song, and for her efforts she was crowned the Queen of Christmas.
Even our scientific heroes can’t be right about everything. Let’s learn the lessons that they never did. In the 1960s, a young theoretical physicist named Stephen Hawking rose to prominence as […]
If you haven’t finished your holiday shopping yet, consider these 10 gifts, good any time of year! One of the hardest things when it comes to holiday shopping is to find […]