For most of the 19th and much of the 20th centuries, railroads dominated American transportation. They transformed life and captured the imagination. Yet by 1907 railroads had also become the largest cause of violent death in the country, that year claiming the lives of nearly twelve thousand passengers, workers, and others. In Death Rode the ......
Rachel P. Maines's latest work examines the rise of hobbies and leisure activities in Western culture from antiquity to the present day. As technologies are 'hedonized,' consumers find increasing pleasure in the hobbies' associated tools, methods, and instructional literature.Work once essential to survival and comfort -- gardening, hunting, ......
The field of kinematicsthe science of motionhas long been neglected and misrepresented. Despite rich traditions rooted in ancient times, modern physical kinematics never became a professional discipline; no journals or academic societies were founded to support its development and study. Most physicists took the science of motion for granted. ......
The Modern Period examines how and why Americans adopted radically new methods of managing and thinking about menstruation during the twentieth century. In the early twentieth century women typically used homemade cloth ''diapers'' to absorb menstrual blood, avoided chills during their periods to protect their health, and counted themselves lucky ......
With public colleges and universities facing substantial budget cuts and increased calls for accountability, more institutions now rely on private revenue streams for support. As market-driven policies and behaviors become more commonplace, some cautious critics sound the alarm, while others watching the bottom line cheer. But which perspective ......
Pastoral Counselors in a Psychotherapeutic Culture, 1925-1975
This history of Protestant pastoral counseling in America examines the role of pastoral counselors in the construction and articulation of a liberal moral sensibility. Analyzing the relationship between religion and science in the twentieth century, Susan E. Myers-Shirk locates this sensibility in the counselors' intellectual engagement with the ......
This richly illustrated book chronicles lighter-than-air flight from Archimedes' discovery of the principle of buoyancy to the latest in sport balloons and plans for future airships. Far more than a timeline of events, Lighter Than Air focuses on the peopleflamboyant and daring, heroes and scoundrelswho made history in the sky. Here are the ......
As scholars debate the most appropriate way to teach evolutionary theory, Constance Clark provides an intriguing reflection on similar debates in the not-too-distant past. Set against the backdrop of the Jazz Age, Godor Gorilla explores the efforts of biologists to explain evolution to a confused and conflicted public during the 1920s. Focusing ......
Efficiencyassociated with individual discipline, superior management, and increased profits or productivityoften counts as one of the highest virtues in Western culture. But what does it mean, exactly, to be efficient? How did this concept evolve from a means for evaluating simple machines to the mantra of progress and a prerequisite for ......
