#Cultural History

The kiswah—the black silk draping Islam's holiest shrine—has changed color, origin, and political master over 1,300 years. Its history is a map of Islamic power itself.

A 1926 Dutch gynecologist's sex manual became a half-million-copy bestseller by insisting on women's orgasms. A century later, its hidden logic feels uncomfortably familiar.

From 5-layer meat pies to cards featuring dead birds, explore 11 weird Victorian New Year traditions that defined the era's unique cultural landscape.