The Seven Wonders of the Ancient World
Greek numerology prized seven as the sum of the five classical planets plus the sun and moon—a cosmic completeness.
World History
How Tobacco and Sweet Potatoes Shaped China
Almost no corner of Chinese society proved immune to tobacco’s allure.
La Isabela: Colombus’s Fisrt Settlement
Here, on the red soil of the Dominican Republic’s north coast, I was in La Isabela, Christopher Columbus’s first permanent settlement in the Americas.
Black Gold: The Global Story of Rubber and Its Ecological Impact
Rubber—sometimes called “black gold”—has shaped our world in innumerable ways.
Crazy Soup: How Early Colonial Mexico Became the World’s First Global City
In the early decades after 1492, vast movements of people and cultures gave rise to an astonishing tapestry of human connections in the Americas.
Andes to Ireland: How the Potato Reshaped Global Agriculture
By 1800, the potato had become the staple of a large part of the European poor, especially in cold upland areas.
How Maroon Communities Reshaped the Americas
The “maroons” were determined to create new societies away from colonial rule.
Bahay Kubo: A Beloved Filipino Song Reveals Our Globalized Gardens
The next time you hear a child sing “Bahay Kubo,” recall that “sari-sari” garden
The Tobacco Coast: Shaping Early America
To satisfy a quickly expanding English market, colonial ships returned home packed with barrel after barrel of tobacco.