Darkness truly ruled the night in the Europe of 1500.People feared almost everything about the hours after sunset, says U of I historian Craig Koslofsky.Artificial light was limited and the night was a time of real and imagined danger, of evil, demons...
John Gaffaney was a 56-year-old psychiatric nurse preparing for deployment to Iraq, where he planned to help soldiers cope with the trauma of war. Before he even left U.S. soil, however, he was gunned down in the November massacre at Fort Hood in Texas—one of 13 victims. In a cruel irony, the...
Confetti filled the city’s skies when Rio de Janiero was named the host of the 2016 Olympics, breaking the hearts of Chicagoans and making Brazil the first South American country to host the games. But like so many things in Latin America, the Olympics raise both hopes and fears. “We are...
By now we’re all aware of the flaw in your basic fairytale. That is, a fragile woman breaks down in the face of adversity, and her only hope is a rational, steely eyed man. Hillary Clinton may have lost the Democratic primary, but after centuries of acceptance it’s safe to say that stereotype is...
After 25 years of leading LAS graduation convocation processions, John Lynn is accustomed to playing bagpipes in the spotlight. He rather likes it; he can’t count how many graduates have taken their picture with him, and with at least a dozen songs committed to memory (and upwards of 60 when he...
Wary of fading memories, a history professor studied World War II-era diaries and letters to learn what Germany was thinking during one of humankind’s darkest eras. He found deep insecurity that he believes enabled the Holocaust even as most Germans...
The Art Institute of Chicago and a University of Illinois historian have teamed up to create an unusual exhibition focusing on the idea of "otherness."The exhibition, titled "Foreign Faces in Japanese Prints," is guest-curated by Ronald Toby, a historian...
A history professor in LAS will receive Morocco's oldest and most prestigious decoration.John A. Lynn, who specializes in French and military history, will receive the Moroccan Order, the Ouissam Al Alaoui, the highest order granted by the Moroccan...
The year was 1937 when strikers at the Republic Steel Mill on the southeast side of Chicago met at a neighborhood bar. After deciding to picket, the crowd began to move across a field next to the factory, many carrying signs and U.S. flags. Violence was not expected, which was why some workers had...
A white dress, gold bands, lace veil, and white frosted cake are all elements you might see at an American wedding, but this "standard" is not an American tradition. One hundred and sixty years ago, Queen Victoria married Prince Albert wearing a white satin gown, abandoning the velvet robes of her...