In Bogdan Musial's Stalin’s Great Raid, the author presents eye-opening research showing how Soviet industrial capacity was dependent on looting, not economic prosperity.
In her new book, Darkology, historian Rhae Lynn Barnes writes about how blackface and minstrel shows became one of the most popular forms of entertainment in 19th- and 20th-century America.
A study of over 275 violins suggests that Antonio Stradivari used wood from high-altitude forests in northern Italy to craft some of his most renowned instruments.
A Chinese king’s infatuation with a woman was seen as the reason that a golden age collapsed. Evidence suggests climate change and internal strife played bigger roles.