The Conversation

Remembering America's lost buildings

Written by Kevin D. Murphy, Andrew W. Mellon Chair in the Humanities and Professor and Chair of History of Art, Vanderbilt University

A photograph of Penn Station's interior from the 1930s.Bernice Abbott

In June 2017, New York Governor Andrew Cuomo announced a US$1.6 billion project to transform New York City’s much-maligned Penn Station in hopes of restoring it to its former glory.

The original structure – an iconic example of the Beaux-Arts architectural style –...

'Cajun Navy' rescuers in Hurricane Harvey show vital role of volunteer boats

Written by Tricia Wachtendorf, Professor of Sociology, Director of Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware

As flooding took hold in the Houston area, volunteers who suffered through Hurricane Katrina made their way to Texas.AP Photo/David J. Phillip

As we look at the devastating losses suffered in Texas from Hurricane Harvey and in Louisiana following severe flooding in 2016, one of the inspiring aspects to emerge are the reports of the “Cajun...

Massachusetts executed two Italian immigrants 90 years ago: Why the global fallout still matters

Written by Moshik Temkin, Associate Professor of Public Policy, Harvard University

Bartolomeo Vanzetti (left), handcuffed to Nicola Sacco, 1923.Boston Public Library

Ninety years ago, on Aug. 23, 1927, two Italian immigrants were executed.

The deaths of Nicola Sacco and Bartolomeo Vanzetti in the Charlestown Prison in Massachusetts marked the end of a raucous seven-year legal and political battle that captivated people across the...

Old West theme parks paint a false picture of pioneer California

Written by Amanda Tewes, Ph.D. Candidate in History, University of Massachusetts Amherst

Old West, as seen through 1967 Orange County eyes.Orange County Archives, CC BY

In 1940, just a year before Pearl Harbor plunged the United States into a world war, Walter and Cordelia Knott began construction on a notable addition to their thriving berry patch and chicken restaurant in the Orange County, California, city of Buena Park. This new...

Public libraries can (literally) serve as a shelter from the storm

Written by Grace Morris, Imaging/Digitization Specialist, Michigan State University

Libraries are a good place for kids to hole up during emergencies.Daria Chichkareva/Shutterstock.com

U.S. public libraries often transform into shelters during emergencies.

After Superstorm Sandy, for example, the Princeton Public Library in New Jersey and Connecticut’s New Canaan Library gave the public somewhere to charge devices, contact...

After Harvey, many Texans will think differently about hurricane risks

Written by Wanyun Shao, Assistant Professor of Geography, Auburn University

Interstate 69 in Humble, Texas is covered by floodwaters from Tropical Storm Harvey on Tuesday, Aug. 29, 2017. AP Photo/David J. Phillip

Hurricane Harvey was the most powerful hurricane to strike the U.S. mainland since Hurricane Wilma in 2005. It also was the strongest storm to hit Texas since 1961’s Hurricane Carla.

Although Harvey...

What is the online equivalent of a burning cross?

Written by Jessie Daniels, Professor, City University of New York

Online hate isn't always as easy to spot as it might appear.Lukasz Stefanski/Shutterstock.com

White supremacy is woven into the tapestry of American culture, online and off – in both physical monuments and online domain names. A band of tiki-torch-carrying white nationalists gathered first online, and then at the site of a Jim Crow-era...

Robots won't steal our jobs if we put workers at center of AI revolution

Written by Thomas Kochan, Professor of Management, MIT Sloan School of Management

Future robots will work side by side with humans, just as they do today.AP Photo/John Minchillo

The technologies driving artificial intelligence are expanding exponentially, leading many technology experts and futurists to predict machines will soon be doing many of the jobs that humans do today. Some even predict humans could lose control over...

Why Princess Diana conspiracies refuse to die

Written by Derek Arnold, Instructor in Communication, Villanova University

The princess of Wales is pictured in Bonn, Germany in 1987. AP Photo/Herman Knippertz

August 31 is the 20th anniversary of the stunning, tragic death of Princess Diana in Paris, France, when Diana’s chauffeured Mercedes hit a pillar inside an underpass just after midnight, killing her, her boyfriend, Dodi Al Fayed, and her driver, Henri Paul....

Flooding from Hurricane Harvey causes a host of public health concerns

Written by Neil S. Grigg, Professor of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado State University

As many people have had to wade through floodwaters, they need to be aware of the risk of infection and disease from contaminated waters. AP Photo/David J. Phillip

The historic rainfall dumped by Hurricane Harvey has already led to deaths by drownings and the destruction of many homes.

Houston’s drinking water system is being stressed by overfl...