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Explore the history behind the headlines

EDITORIAL STAFF

Kit R. Roane

Kit R. Roane is a producer at Retro Report. He has worked as a journalist and documentary photographer for more than 20 years, covering local, national and foreign assignments for a variety of publications, including The New York Times and U.S. News & World Report. Kit has reported on events, from the wars in Bosnia, Afghanistan and Iraq to the Los Angeles riots, the Oklahoma City bombing, the OJ Simpson case and the abuse of prisoners at Abu Ghraib. He has also written several screenplays, including one for Warner Bros. Pictures.

Image from Do Whistleblower Protections Work? Ask This One.

Do Whistleblower Protections Work? Ask This One.

A case from almost a decade ago reveals the peril faced by whistleblowers seeking to expose wrongdoing.

Image from AIDS: From Ryan White to Today's Silent Epidemic

AIDS: From Ryan White to Today's Silent Epidemic

While H.I.V. rates have fallen in many places, the AIDS crisis remains in some of the U.S.

Image from Send In the Special Ops Forces

Send In the Special Ops Forces

The rise of special operations units today can be traced to two historic military missions -- one a legendary success, the other a spectacular failure.

Image from Population Bomb: The Overpopulation Theory That Fell Flat

Population Bomb: The Overpopulation Theory That Fell Flat

In the 1960s, fears of overpopulation sparked talk of population control. So what happened?

Image from The Surprising Legacy of the Boy in the Bubble

The Surprising Legacy of the Boy in the Bubble

Newborns today are tested for genetic and immune disorders that might not be apparent at birth. The tests evolved from the treatment of a patient with a rare diagnosis who became known as “the Boy in the Bubble.”

Image from Could We Geoengineer Ourselves Out of Climate Change?

Could We Geoengineer Ourselves Out of Climate Change?

Is geo-engineering the climate an answer to global warming? Cold War science has some lessons.

Image from Echoes of Nixon in Trump's War on Press

Echoes of Nixon in Trump's War on Press

President Trump’s efforts to clamp down on White House leaks have echoes of a pattern set during the Nixon era.

Image from Thalidomide: Return of an Infamous Pill

Thalidomide: Return of an Infamous Pill

How a pill that led to drug safety guidelines became a case study for rising drug prices.

Image from Online All the Time? Researchers Predicted It.

Online All the Time? Researchers Predicted It.

Our social media addiction is explained by theories pioneered by B.F. Skinner decades ago.

Image from A Trusted Pill Turned Deadly. How Tylenol Made a Comeback

A Trusted Pill Turned Deadly. How Tylenol Made a Comeback

How do some companies regain public trust after something goes seriously wrong, while others fail? A look at how Tylenol responded after someone spiked its pills with poison in the 1980s sheds some light.

Image from Why We Can't Have a Civil Conversation About Guns

Why We Can't Have a Civil Conversation About Guns

In the 1980s, the attempted assassination of Ronald Reagan and the shooting of his press secretary, Jim Brady, led to the Brady Bill. Decades later, are there lessons from that fight for the Parkland students?

Image from Us vs. Them: from George Wallace to Donald Trump

Us vs. Them: from George Wallace to Donald Trump

Trump has used populist politics 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 from Raising Doubts about Evolution… in Science Class

Raising Doubts about Evolution… in 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 from DDT, Malaria, and the Book That Changed Environmental Debate

DDT, Malaria, and the Book That Changed Environmental Debate

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 from Princess Diana Brought Attention to Land Mines, but Their Danger Lingers

Princess Diana Brought Attention to Land Mines, but Their Danger Lingers

In the late 1990s, Princess Diana brought public attention to land mine victims. But, more than two decades after her death, how much progress has been made in the worldwide fight against leftover munitions?

Image from The Populist Politician and California's Property Tax Revolt

The Populist Politician and California's Property Tax Revolt

In 1978, voters passed Proposition 13, lowering taxes for millions of California homeowners. Decades later, what has it meant for California?

Image from Runaway Plane

Runaway Plane

For decades the United States has been on a quest to perfect stealth technology, but development of the F-35 fighter jet shows just how complicated dreams can become.

Image from When Dreams Fly

When Dreams Fly

More than 40 years ago, Pierre Sprey set out to build the ultimate fighter jet.

Image from Being in the Bubble

Being in the Bubble

The curious origin of a political metaphor.

Image from From Crack Babies to Oxytots: Lessons Not Learned

From Crack Babies to Oxytots: Lessons Not Learned

In the 1980s, many government officials, scientists, and journalists warned that the country would be plagued by a generation of “crack babies.” They were wrong. More than 25 years later, the media is sounding a similar alarm.

Image from He's the only CIA Contractor to be Convicted in a Torture-related Case

He's the only CIA Contractor to be Convicted in a Torture-related Case

The story of the first and only interrogator connected to the CIA to be convicted in a torture-related case.

Image from The Murder of US Churchwomen in El Salvador That Exposed a Government Coverup

The Murder of US Churchwomen in El Salvador That Exposed a Government Coverup

The murder of four American churchwomen focused attention on the United States' involvement in El Salvador. Decades later, the case continues to take surprising turns.

Image from Flawed Evidence: The Limits of Science in the Crime Lab

Flawed Evidence: The Limits of Science in the Crime Lab

Before DNA testing, prosecutors relied on less sophisticated forensic techniques, including microscopic hair analysis, to put criminals behind bars. But how reliable was hair analysis?

Image from Agent Orange: Last Chapter of the Vietnam War

Agent Orange: Last Chapter of the Vietnam War

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

Image from Nuclear Power's Public Opinion Rollercoaster from Three Mile Island to Fukushima

Nuclear Power's Public Opinion Rollercoaster from Three Mile Island to Fukushima

Four 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?

Image from The Battle For Busing

The Battle For Busing

A story of America's school integration and what happened when the buses stopped rolling.

Image from The Tawana Brawley Story

The Tawana Brawley Story

In 1988, the nation learned the truth about the alleged crimes against Tawana Brawley, but the shocking story was far from over.

Image from The Crack Baby Scare: From Faulty Science to Media Panic

The Crack Baby Scare: From Faulty Science to Media Panic

In the 1980s, images of tiny, jittery "crack babies" caused social outcry -- crack-addicted pregnant mothers were prosecuted and the media warned that a generation of “crack babies” would plague our country. Turns out… they were wrong.

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