Lessons From History, Relevant Today: Articles, Essays and Photos

Image for Five Questions We’ll Explore in a Webinar With the Right Question Institute
Five Questions We’ll Explore in a Webinar With the Right Question Institute
Image for Are You Planning a Lesson About the Terrorist Attacks of 9/11? Educators Share Their Experiences Using Retro Report Resources.
Are You Planning a Lesson About the Terrorist Attacks of 9/11? Educators Share Their Experiences Using Retro Report Resources.
Image for Five Retro Report Videos I Wish I Had Seen in Class
Five Retro Report Videos I Wish I Had Seen in Class

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Image for Classroom Scavenger Hunt, a Perfect Icebreaker for Your First Day of School
Classroom Scavenger Hunt, a Perfect Icebreaker for Your First Day of School
Image for ‘You Will Find 'Enemies of the People' to Be Enlightening’
‘You Will Find 'Enemies of the People' to Be Enlightening’
Image for A Native American Educator Shares How You Can Teach About Indigenous Issues
A Native American Educator Shares How You Can Teach About Indigenous Issues
Image for Retro Report and Found Poetry Help ELA Teachers Foster Analytical Skills
Retro Report and Found Poetry Help ELA Teachers Foster Analytical Skills
Image for Collaboration and Exploration: Retro Report’s Council of Educators Meet in New York
Collaboration and Exploration: Retro Report’s Council of Educators Meet in New York
Image for How a Retro Report Documentary Kept My Students Engaged in a Conversation About the Holocaust and Upstanders
How a Retro Report Documentary Kept My Students Engaged in a Conversation About the Holocaust and Upstanders
Image for Supreme Court Limits Affirmative Action. ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’
Supreme Court Limits Affirmative Action. ‘Where Do We Go From Here?’
Image for The PGA-LIV Merger Was a Power Shift. It's a Sports Story With a Modern Twist.
The PGA-LIV Merger Was a Power Shift. It's a Sports Story With a Modern Twist.
Image for Tackling Students' Calls for More Diversity in Curriculum With Retro Report
Tackling Students' Calls for More Diversity in Curriculum With Retro Report


Image for How Retro Report Resources Inspired an Engineering Challenge in a Juvenile Detention Center
How Retro Report Resources Inspired an Engineering Challenge in a Juvenile Detention Center
Image for How a Retro Report Teacher Ambassador Incorporated Vincent Chin Classroom Resources into AAPI Heritage Month
How a Retro Report Teacher Ambassador Incorporated Vincent Chin Classroom Resources into AAPI Heritage Month
Image for Finding New Insights and Pathways to Mental Health
Finding New Insights and Pathways to Mental Health
Image for Retro Report Holds a Screening for “How Saba Kept Singing,” Airing April 18 on PBS
Retro Report Holds a Screening for “How Saba Kept Singing,” Airing April 18 on PBS
Image for Labor Union Activism Is on the Rise, Recalling the Great Depression
Labor Union Activism Is on the Rise, Recalling the Great Depression
Image for A Holocaust Survivor's Daughter Recalls Their Peril in Ukraine
A Holocaust Survivor's Daughter Recalls Their Peril in Ukraine
Image for At Retro Report, a Day of Learning and Professional Development for NYC Educators
At Retro Report, a Day of Learning and Professional Development for NYC Educators

Learn about our recent education event with New American History and the New York City Department of Education’s Social Studies team

Image for Retro Report Launches a Newsletter Referral Program
Retro Report Launches a Newsletter Referral Program

Subscribers to the education newsletter can earn rewards when their friends sign up.

Image for Theatrics in the House, Captured on Camera
Theatrics in the House, Captured on Camera
Image for Teaching About the Civil Rights Era
Teaching About the Civil Rights Era

A recap of an event hosted by Retro Report and PBS Frontline

Image for During WW II, the U.S. Government Was Sometimes the Sitter
During WW II, the U.S. Government Was Sometimes the Sitter

Under the Lanham Act of 1940, federal grants to child care centers totaled $52 million.

Image for Teaching About the Civil Rights Era with PBS Frontline and Retro Report
Teaching About the Civil Rights Era with PBS Frontline and Retro Report
Image for How the New Deal Created Whites-Only Suburbs
How the New Deal Created Whites-Only Suburbs

Black neighborhoods continue to show the impact of decades-old race restrictions created by the F.D.R. administration

Image for After a Six-Decade Standoff With Cuba, There's Still No End in Sight
After a Six-Decade Standoff With Cuba, There's Still No End in Sight
Image for "A Retro Report Producer Joined My Class Virtually to Chat With Students. It Was a Success."
"A Retro Report Producer Joined My Class Virtually to Chat With Students. It Was a Success."
Image for Local Communities at the Center: The Making of “Hitting Home”
Local Communities at the Center: The Making of “Hitting Home”

How Retro Report’s Two-Year Project Gave an Inside Look at Evictions During the Pandemic

Image for The N.F.L. Still Has a Concussion Problem. Are There Lessons From Boxing?
The N.F.L. Still Has a Concussion Problem. Are There Lessons From Boxing?
Image for Midterm Elections: How 1966 Midterms Signaled an Era of Divisive Politics
Midterm Elections: How 1966 Midterms Signaled an Era of Divisive Politics
Image for Retro Report Council of Educators Meet in New York
Retro Report Council of Educators Meet in New York
Image for How Moratoriums & Rental Assistance Impacted Evictions in the U.S. During COVID-19
How Moratoriums & Rental Assistance Impacted Evictions in the U.S. During COVID-19
Image for ‘Wherever I Am Is Her Home:’ A Mother and Daughter Navigate Eviction
‘Wherever I Am Is Her Home:’ A Mother and Daughter Navigate Eviction
Image for 50 Years Later, the 37 Words That Opened Opportunities for Women
50 Years Later, the 37 Words That Opened Opportunities for Women
Image for The Weight of Stigma: Heavier Patients Confront the Burden of Bias
The Weight of Stigma: Heavier Patients Confront the Burden of Bias
Image for A U.S. Welcome for Ukrainian Families Recalls Refugee Relocations of the Past
A U.S. Welcome for Ukrainian Families Recalls Refugee Relocations of the Past
Image for Ukraine Is Calling for a Boycott of Russia. The U.S. Has Tried It Before.
Ukraine Is Calling for a Boycott of Russia. The U.S. Has Tried It Before.
Image for Russia Cracks Down on News Reports, Sharply Reversing ‘Openness’
Russia Cracks Down on News Reports, Sharply Reversing ‘Openness’
Image for In the Fight Against Russia, Ukrainian Citizens Turn to an Old Recipe
In the Fight Against Russia, Ukrainian Citizens Turn to an Old Recipe
Image for NATO’s Foundation Was a Cooperative Airlift (With Chocolate)
NATO’s Foundation Was a Cooperative Airlift (With Chocolate)
Image for Putin's Attempt to Rewrite Cold War History
Putin's Attempt to Rewrite Cold War History
Image for U.S.-Russia Relations: Three Tumultuous Decades
U.S.-Russia Relations: Three Tumultuous Decades
Image for Crossing Borders: How Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine Echoes a Strategy of Aggression
Crossing Borders: How Putin’s Invasion of Ukraine Echoes a Strategy of Aggression
Image for In Black History Month, the Focus Is on Overcoming Unequal Health Risks
In Black History Month, the Focus Is on Overcoming Unequal Health Risks
Image for Oil Drilling Was Blocked Under NEPA, Environmental Legislation From the 1970s
Oil Drilling Was Blocked Under NEPA, Environmental Legislation From the 1970s
Image for How Those Big-Box Containers Shaped Up Shipping
How Those Big-Box Containers Shaped Up Shipping
Image for A Database Giving Clues to Vaccine Side Effects Is Open to Misinterpretation
A Database Giving Clues to Vaccine Side Effects Is Open to Misinterpretation

The F.D.A. warns that VAERS reports “cannot be used to determine if a vaccine caused or contributed to” bad outcomes.

Image for Overcoming Factions: How the Founders Sought to Unify a Nation
Overcoming Factions: How the Founders Sought to Unify a Nation

‘Liberty is to faction what air is to fire’

Image for We followed people at risk of eviction during the 2021 housing crisis. Here is what we found.
We followed people at risk of eviction during the 2021 housing crisis. Here is what we found.

We captured the experiences of vulnerable people across the country.

Image for Pentagon Guidelines on Extremism Remain Vague
Pentagon Guidelines on Extremism Remain Vague
Image for Workers on Picket Lines Are Navigating a New Labor Landscape
Workers on Picket Lines Are Navigating a New Labor Landscape
Image for An Overturned Conviction Magnifies Flaws in a Discredited Forensic Technique
An Overturned Conviction Magnifies Flaws in a Discredited Forensic Technique
Image for First-Hand Account: Lessons From the El Mozote Massacre
First-Hand Account: Lessons From the El Mozote Massacre

Raymond Bonner, a New York Times correspondent, was one of the first journalists to uncover evidence of a deadly rampage.

Image for The High Price of Doing Journalism in El Salvador
The High Price of Doing Journalism in El Salvador

A reporter teams up with the American journalist who first broke the story of the El Mozote massacre, tracking El Salvador’s faltering efforts to hold the perpetrators accountable, in a new documentary from Retro Report, ProPublica and FRONTLINE.

Image for New TV Series Explores the Debate Over a Multiple Personality Diagnosis
New TV Series Explores the Debate Over a Multiple Personality Diagnosis

“Sybil,” about a woman who claimed to have 16 distinct personalities, sold over 6 million copies.

Image for Big Oil Is Under Mounting Pressure as Climate Action Gains Momentum
Big Oil Is Under Mounting Pressure as Climate Action Gains Momentum

The world must quit fossil fuels imminently to avoid a catastrophic global temperature increase, a report urges.

Image for American Workers Are Rising Up Again. Will This New Energy Lead to Lasting Change?
American Workers Are Rising Up Again. Will This New Energy Lead to Lasting Change?

Renewed interest in unionizing is energizing the American labor movement

Image for A Highway System That Linked – and Divided  – Americans May Be Rerouted
A Highway System That Linked – and Divided – Americans May Be Rerouted

Momentum for removing highways is increasing, with racial justice movements amplifying the issue.

Image for A Refugee Crisis at the Southern Border Echoes Detentions at Guantanamo Decades Ago
A Refugee Crisis at the Southern Border Echoes Detentions at Guantanamo Decades Ago
Image for Could the Dust Bowl Return? Climate Scientists Have Some Answers.
Could the Dust Bowl Return? Climate Scientists Have Some Answers.
Image for  Can Employers Require Vaccines? In Courts, the Answer Has Been Yes.
Can Employers Require Vaccines? In Courts, the Answer Has Been Yes.

For over a century, decisions have favored states’ power.

Image for Black Swimmers Overcome Racism and Fear, Reclaiming a Tradition
Black Swimmers Overcome Racism and Fear, Reclaiming a Tradition

New pool programs are working to overcome an alarming disparity: Black children drown at a rate far higher than that of white children

Image for The C.D.C. Has Been Blocking Evictions. Where Is That Power From?
The C.D.C. Has Been Blocking Evictions. Where Is That Power From?

The Supreme Court rejected the agency’s latest eviction ban extension, putting hundreds of thousands of tenants at risk.

Image for As Afghanistan Collapses, a Lament for ‘Repeating the Same Mistakes’
As Afghanistan Collapses, a Lament for ‘Repeating the Same Mistakes’

Officials who drove the decades-long war in Afghanistan look back on the strategic errors and misjudgments that led to a 20-year quagmire.

Image for For Afghan Women, Elusive Gains in Rights Are at Risk
For Afghan Women, Elusive Gains in Rights Are at Risk

Conservative traditions clash with a push for modernization

Image for How Ping-Pong Thawed a U.S.-China Standoff
How Ping-Pong Thawed a U.S.-China Standoff

A ragtag table tennis team that had to pay its own way to world events (and usually lost) helped to open the door for President Nixon’s 1972 visit.

Image for New Anti-Trans Legislation Has Ties to a Dark Past
New Anti-Trans Legislation Has Ties to a Dark Past

Nazis burned down Berlin’s LGBT center, run by the “Einstein of Sex”

Image for Special Education: The 50-Year Fight for the Right to Learn
Special Education: The 50-Year Fight for the Right to Learn

Today’s special education system was shaped five decades ago, when parents of children with disabilities fought for their right to learn.

Image for The Most Notorious General You’ve Probably Never Heard Of
The Most Notorious General You’ve Probably Never Heard Of

The man who called himself a war criminal.

Image for How an Abstinence Pledge in the ’90s Shamed a Generation of Evangelicals
How an Abstinence Pledge in the ’90s Shamed a Generation of Evangelicals

The Christian “purity” movement promoted a strict view of abstinence before marriage. But two decades later, some followers are grappling with unforeseen aftershocks.

Image for What Aaron Sorkin Left Out of His Newest Film
What Aaron Sorkin Left Out of His Newest Film

“The Trial of the Chicago 7” omitted a spectacularly chaotic episode of the 1968 Democratic National Convention.

Image for Black Americans Were Slower to Get the Polio Vaccine, Too.
Black Americans Were Slower to Get the Polio Vaccine, Too.

Covid-19 is exposing inequalities in healthcare that have roots in 1930s “Jim Crow medicine.”

Image for From Our Archives, Roots of Extremism
From Our Archives, Roots of Extremism
Image for Unwanted at Past Inaugurals: Tensions, Politics and Unruly Guests
Unwanted at Past Inaugurals: Tensions, Politics and Unruly Guests
Image for No Second Term: Presidents Who Weren't Re-Elected
No Second Term: Presidents Who Weren't Re-Elected
Image for Lone Watchman to a Force of Thousands: A Brief History of the Capitol Police
Lone Watchman to a Force of Thousands: A Brief History of the Capitol Police
Image for Section 230 Was Created to Shield Sites Like Pornhub. It Might Be Killed for the Same Reason.
Section 230 Was Created to Shield Sites Like Pornhub. It Might Be Killed for the Same Reason.

Democrats and Republicans agree that the law doesn’t serve Americans but disagree on why. Will a repeal help any of their cases?

Image for Where the City’s Marshals Get Their Power
Where the City’s Marshals Get Their Power

These city appointees, who enforce evictions and earn their incomes from fees, are once again emerging as symbols of housing insecurity.

Image for Don’t leave fact-checking to the fact-checkers
Don’t leave fact-checking to the fact-checkers

To stop misinformation at its source, everyone (students especially) should learn how to verify information.

Image for How the Electoral College Upends the Popular Vote, and What’s Needed to Abolish It
How the Electoral College Upends the Popular Vote, and What’s Needed to Abolish It

Our arcane – some say undemocratic – system dates back to the nation’s founding.

Image for More US Teens Are Getting a Lesson in Evolution
More US Teens Are Getting a Lesson in Evolution

For decades evolution has been a contentious topic in American schools. Something seems to be changing.

Image for As Evictions Loom, Cities Revisit a Housing Solution From the 70s
As Evictions Loom, Cities Revisit a Housing Solution From the 70s

Proposals giving tenants the right to purchase their building are being revived as Covid-19 puts renters at risk.

Image for What Happens When a Sheriff Challenges an Eviction Order?
What Happens When a Sheriff Challenges an Eviction Order?

Millions of Americans risk losing their homes when back rent comes due in 2021. These two sheriffs, working decades apart, sought compassionate treatment for renters facing eviction.

Image for The Presidential Debates Will Be Weirdly Educational This Year
The Presidential Debates Will Be Weirdly Educational This Year

Onstage sparring between politicians has been a part of U.S. elections for decades. Covid-19 could change that.

Image for Distance Learning Has Been Part of American Culture for 100 Years. Why Can’t We Get it Right?
Distance Learning Has Been Part of American Culture for 100 Years. Why Can’t We Get it Right?

Educators and parents have let technology solve school in a pandemic. There’s a better way.

Image for 75 Years After Atomic Bombs Shook Japan, Witness Accounts Survive
75 Years After Atomic Bombs Shook Japan, Witness Accounts Survive

Researchers have found few health differences between survivors of the 1945 atomic bombings of Hiroshima and Nagasaki – known as hibakusha – and other Japanese. But many suffer from lingering psychological effects.

Image for States Are Expanding Access to Absentee Voting Over Concerns About Coronavirus.
States Are Expanding Access to Absentee Voting Over Concerns About Coronavirus.

The United States has a long history of voting by mail.

Image for Pandemics Go to the Movies
Pandemics Go to the Movies

Hollywood’s fascination with diseases, infections and disease-infected zombies has a long history.

Image for The Supreme Court Rules on President Trump's Tax Records
The Supreme Court Rules on President Trump's Tax Records

Only three past presidents have been served with subpoenas.

Image for How the Fight Against AIDS Can Inform the Fight Against Covid-19
How the Fight Against AIDS Can Inform the Fight Against Covid-19

Dr. Anthony S. Fauci grappled with another health crisis decades ago. What he told Retro Report about the effort against AIDS could apply to the battle against the coronavirus.

Image for The 1968 Kerner Commission Report Still Echoes Across America
The 1968 Kerner Commission Report Still Echoes Across America

Anger over policing and inequality boiled over more than 50 years ago, and a landmark report warned that it could happen again.

Image for Philadelphia's Divisive Mayor Rizzo, In His Own Words
Philadelphia's Divisive Mayor Rizzo, In His Own Words

Like President Trump, former Mayor Frank Rizzo styled himself as a straight talker.

Image for When Presidents Send In Federal Troops
When Presidents Send In Federal Troops

The 1807 Insurrection Act has sometimes been used to protect, not suppress, civil rights protests.

Image for Covid-19, Like Other Real-World Events, Has Changed Sports
Covid-19, Like Other Real-World Events, Has Changed Sports

Baseball, football and college sports have been transformed by what’s in the headlines.

Image for In the Race for a Covid-19 Vaccine, History Has Some Red Flags
In the Race for a Covid-19 Vaccine, History Has Some Red Flags

Immunizations have saved lives, and side effects are rare. But there have been missteps.

Image for A Coronavirus Vaccine in Months? Not So Fast, Scientists Say.
A Coronavirus Vaccine in Months? Not So Fast, Scientists Say.

Over 100 Covid-19 vaccines are in the works. History suggests it could take years.

Image for Long-Distance Learning Isn’t New
Long-Distance Learning Isn’t New

When a polio outbreak closed Chicago schools in 1937, teachers turned to technology.

Image for As Covid-19 Spreads, Why Does Congress Risk Meeting in Person?
As Covid-19 Spreads, Why Does Congress Risk Meeting in Person?

Face-to face meetings are a long tradition, and changes have always been a hard sell.

Image for Covid-19 Contact Tracing Raises Privacy Concerns
Covid-19 Contact Tracing Raises Privacy Concerns

Detecting points of contact has become a critical weapon in the fight against the coronavirus.

Image for Superspreaders Are a Covid-19 Mystery
Superspreaders Are a Covid-19 Mystery

Like Typhoid Mary, some people are experts at passing along infection. No one knows why.

Image for Coronavirus Has a Playlist. Songs About Disease Go Way Back.
Coronavirus Has a Playlist. Songs About Disease Go Way Back.
Image for After Covid-19, How Should We Handle the Handshake?
After Covid-19, How Should We Handle the Handshake?

Handshakes, cheek kisses and high-fives are out. What should replace them?

Image for Scapegoating Immigrants During Disease Outbreaks Has a Long History
Scapegoating Immigrants During Disease Outbreaks Has a Long History

As reports of attacks on Asian Americans rise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has issued language guidelines.

Image for How the Democrats' Biden-Sanders Split Echoes the 1964 GOP Convention
How the Democrats' Biden-Sanders Split Echoes the 1964 GOP Convention

An ideological split among Democrats emerged in the 2020 primary. In 1964, Republicans had to select Nelson Rockefeller, the establishment choice, or Barry Goldwater, a staunch conservative.

Image for Space Holds Allure for Businesses. But How Will Disputes Be Settled?
Space Holds Allure for Businesses. But How Will Disputes Be Settled?
Image for He Died Giving a Voice to Chile’s Poor. A Quest for Justice Took Decades.
He Died Giving a Voice to Chile’s Poor. A Quest for Justice Took Decades.

The activist folk singer Victor Jara was murdered in the days after a 1973 coup that brought Gen. Augusto Pinochet to power. A quest for his killers led to a Florida courtroom.

Image for Religion and Right-Wing Politics: How Evangelicals Reshaped Elections
Religion and Right-Wing Politics: How Evangelicals Reshaped Elections

In the early 1970s, many evangelical Christians weren’t active in politics. Within a few years they had reshaped American politics for a generation.

Image for Responses to For “Private Prisons Detaining Immigrants is Big Business”
Responses to For “Private Prisons Detaining Immigrants is Big Business”
Image for How an Unsolved Mystery Changed the Way We Take Pills
How an Unsolved Mystery Changed the Way We Take Pills

The origins of tamper-resistant packaging — exasperating yet reassuring — lie in a deadly episode in 1982, when cyanide-laced Tylenol killed seven people.

Image for Gerrymandering Has Led to Odd Political Alliances
Gerrymandering Has Led to Odd Political Alliances

Redistricting battles over Congressional seats have roots in a Supreme Court decision 30 years ago.

Image for ‘This Is Not a Drill’: The Threat of Nuclear Annihilation
‘This Is Not a Drill’: The Threat of Nuclear Annihilation

As more nations seek the bomb, and as the United States and Russia expand their nuclear arsenals, veterans of the Cold War say the public is too complacent about the risk of nuclear catastrophe.

Image for George Wallace Tapped Into Racial Fear. Decades Later, Its Force Remains Potent.
George Wallace Tapped Into Racial Fear. Decades Later, Its Force Remains Potent.

President Trump has used us-versus-them rhetoric to appeal to voters who are fed up with the status quo. We look at another politician who tapped into America’s divisions decades ago: George Wallace.

Image for Questioning Evolution: The Push to Change Science Class
Questioning Evolution: The Push to Change Science Class

A growing skepticism of science has seeped into the classroom, and it’s revived attacks on one of the most established principles of biology – evolution.

Image for Trump’s Argument Against Immigrants: We’ve Heard It Before
Trump’s Argument Against Immigrants: We’ve Heard It Before

Border fences, deportations, and putting “America First.” It all happened in the 1990s, and it started in California.

Image for What the Kitty Genovese Killing Can Teach Today’s Digital Bystanders
What the Kitty Genovese Killing Can Teach Today’s Digital Bystanders

Live-streaming apps like Facebook Live and Periscope give us a voyeuristic peek into the lives of others. But what is our obligation when we encounter digital violence?

Image for Chasing Cures for Deadly Scourges, and Getting in Our Own Way
Chasing Cures for Deadly Scourges, and Getting in Our Own Way

What do the C.I.A. and Nigerian imams have to do with the fight to end polio? Retro Report examines how the worlds of politics and public health can collide.

Image for Who’s Fueling Conspiracy Whisperers’ Falsehoods?
Who’s Fueling Conspiracy Whisperers’ Falsehoods?

Retro Report explores decades of conspiracy theories – from the John F. Kennedy assassination to pizzagate – and what they can tell us about how we view the world today.

Image for The Quest for a Psychiatric Cure
The Quest for a Psychiatric Cure

Practiced from the 1930s to the 1950s, a radical surgery — the lobotomy — forever changed our understanding and treatment of the mentally ill.

Image for Amid Leaks, Recalling an Epic Battle Over Press Freedom in Nixon Era
Amid Leaks, Recalling an Epic Battle Over Press Freedom in Nixon Era

Taking a page from Nixon, President Trump is waging his own battle against leaks, which threatens to damage Americans’ right to know.

Image for Want to Know Where Supreme Court Nominees Stand? Don’t Bother Asking
Want to Know Where Supreme Court Nominees Stand? Don’t Bother Asking

As the country prepares for the confirmation hearings of Judge Neil Gorsuch, Retro Report explores how the bitter hearings over Judge Robert Bork changed the way nominees answer questions.

Image for Rachel Carson, DDT and the Fight Against Malaria
Rachel Carson, DDT and the Fight Against Malaria

The author Rachel Carson’s strike against the pesticide DDT turned her into both an environmental hero and a foil for those who believe regulation has gone too far. That fight is more relevant than ever.

Image for Lives and Profits in the Balance: The High Stakes of Medical Patents
Lives and Profits in the Balance: The High Stakes of Medical Patents

Decades after Dr. Jonas Salk opposed patenting the polio vaccine, the pharmaceutical industry has changed. What does that mean for the development of innovative drugs and for people whose lives depend on them?

Image for The Unintended Consequences of Taking a Hard Line on School Discipline
The Unintended Consequences of Taking a Hard Line on School Discipline

Over the last 30 years, schools across the country have enacted tough disciplinary policies. Did they go too far?

Image for Difficult Questions: How Much the Clinton-Trump Debates Matter
Difficult Questions: How Much the Clinton-Trump Debates Matter

The moments we remember from political debates are embedded in our political folklore, from the knockout lines to the losing gaffes. But does media coverage often miss the real lessons they offer?

Image for Housing Bias and the Roots of Segregation
Housing Bias and the Roots of Segregation

In 1976, Chicago provided vouchers to African-American families to move into predominantly white suburbs. Retro Report examines what happened, and how it influences policy today.

Image for Phyllis Schlafly’s Lasting Legacy in Defeating the E.R.A.
Phyllis Schlafly’s Lasting Legacy in Defeating the E.R.A.

When Phyllis Schlafly fought the Equal Rights Amendment, which called for equality of rights “on account of sex,” it kicked off a battle that continues to influence political debate today.

Image for Veterans of Atomic Test Blasts: No Warning, and Late Amends
Veterans of Atomic Test Blasts: No Warning, and Late Amends

The story of the veterans who witnessed secret atomic testing and how their decades-long struggle for recognition affects soldiers today.

Image for LSD-Like Drugs Are Out of the Haze and Back in the Labs
LSD-Like Drugs Are Out of the Haze and Back in the Labs

In the 1960s, mind-altering drugs like LSD helped fuel the counterculture. Today, psychedelics are turning on a new generation – of scientists.

Image for 20 Years Later, Welfare Overhaul Resonates for Families and Candidates
20 Years Later, Welfare Overhaul Resonates for Families and Candidates

Bill Clinton’s 1996 welfare reform was supposed to move needy families off government handouts and onto a path out of poverty. Twenty years later, how has it turned out?

Image for When Youth Violence Spurred ‘Superpredator’ Fear
When Youth Violence Spurred ‘Superpredator’ Fear

After a surge of teen violence in the early 1990s, some social scientists predicted the future was going to be a whole lot worse. Reality proved otherwise.

Image for Global Warming Gives Science Behind Nuclear Winter a New Purpose
Global Warming Gives Science Behind Nuclear Winter a New Purpose

Carl Sagan and other Cold War scientists once feared that a nuclear war could plunge the world into a deadly ice age. Three decades later, does this theory still resonate?

Image for 16 Years After Bush v. Gore, Still Wrestling With Ballot-Box Rules
16 Years After Bush v. Gore, Still Wrestling With Ballot-Box Rules

The dramatic controversy surrounding the 2000 presidential election led to sweeping voting reforms, but opened the door to a new set of problems that continue to impact elections today.

Image for Heroin, Survivor of War on Drugs, Returns With New Face
Heroin, Survivor of War on Drugs, Returns With New Face

In the 1970s, frustration over heroin related, urban crime led to the War on Drugs. Today, heroin is back. But the users, and the response, are very different.

Image for Memories of Waco Siege Continue to Fuel Far-Right Groups
Memories of Waco Siege Continue to Fuel Far-Right Groups

In 1993, federal agents raided the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Tex., and generated a legacy of fear that continues to shape antigovernment groups today.CreditCredit…

Image for The Unrealized Horrors of Population Explosion
The Unrealized Horrors of Population Explosion

In the 1960s, fears of overpopulation sparked campaigns for population control. But whatever became of the population bomb?

Image for Action and Dysfunction in the U.S. Food-Safety Effort
Action and Dysfunction in the U.S. Food-Safety Effort

A 1993 E. coli outbreak linked to Jack in the Box hamburgers sickened 700 people and drew new attention to the dangers of food-borne illness. More than 20 years later, how far have we come?

Image for Martin Luther King’s Call for Voting Rights Inspired Isolated Hamlet
Martin Luther King’s Call for Voting Rights Inspired Isolated Hamlet

Weeks before Selma’s Bloody Sunday in 1965, the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. urged residents of Gee’s Bend, Ala., to vote, and fed a continuing fight over a small ferry that would last for decades.

Image for A Discredited Vaccine Study’s Continuing Impact on Public Health
A Discredited Vaccine Study’s Continuing Impact on Public Health

An outbreak of measles that started at Disneyland has turned a spotlight on those who choose not to vaccinate their children. How did we get to a point where personal beliefs can triumph over science?

Image for Debate Persists Over Diagnosing Mental Health Disorders, Long After ‘Sybil’
Debate Persists Over Diagnosing Mental Health Disorders, Long After ‘Sybil’

In the 1970s, the TV movie “Sybil” introduced much of the nation to multiple personality disorder and led to a controversy that continues to shape mental health issues.

Image for Laying Out a Case for Deporting Human Rights Abusers
Laying Out a Case for Deporting Human Rights Abusers

In 1980, the murder of four American churchwomen focused attention on the United States’ involvement in El Salvador. Nearly 35 years later, the case continues to take surprising turns.

Image for The Cost of Campaigns
The Cost of Campaigns

The Watergate campaign finance scandals led to a landmark law designed to limit the influence of money in politics. Forty years later, some say the scandal isn’t what’s illegal, it’s what’s legal.

Image for The Rise of the SWAT Team in American Policing
The Rise of the SWAT Team in American Policing

SWAT teams were created in the 1960s to combat hostage-takings, sniper shootings, and violent unrest. But today they’re often used in more controversial police work.

Image for Challenger, Columbia and the Nature of Calamity
Challenger, Columbia and the Nature of Calamity

Thirty years ago, on Jan. 28, 1986, seven astronauts “slipped the surly bonds of earth to touch the face of God.” America’s space program was never the same.

Image for Agent Orange’s Long Legacy, for Vietnam and Veterans
Agent Orange’s Long Legacy, for Vietnam and Veterans

The use of Agent Orange during the Vietnam War continues to cast a dark shadow over both American veterans and the Vietnamese.

Image for Three Mile Island, and Nuclear Hopes and Fears
Three Mile Island, and Nuclear Hopes and Fears

More than three decades after the accident at Three Mile Island cast a shadow on the atomic dream, is America again ready to give nuclear energy a chance?