History

The new African Burying Ground Memorial Park was dedicated on Saturday in Portsmouth, N.H.

National

In New England, Recognizing A Little-Known History Of Slavery

2:50pm May 27, 2015

by Emily Corwin

A burial ground including the remains of 18th century African slaves was uncovered in 2003 in Portsmouth, N.H. Over Memorial Day weekend, the city dedicated the grave site as a special memorial park.

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National

When 'Petting Parties' Scandalized The Nation

1:24pm May 27, 2015

by Linton Weeks

In post-World War I America, young people shocked their elders with jazz music, jittery dancing and public displays of affection.

The Anatomy Lesson of Dr. Nicolaes Tulp by Rembrandt, 1632. Here, Tulp explains musculature matters. Elsewhere, the good doctor was promoting the health virtues of tea.

Tea Tuesdays: How Tea + Sugar Reshaped The British Empire

6:25pm May 26, 2015

by Maria Godoy

When tea met sugar, they formed a power couple that altered the course of history. It was a marriage shaped by fashion, health fads and global economics. And it doomed millions of Africans to slavery.

Tea Tuesdays: The Evolution Of Tea Sets From Ancient Legend To Modern Biometrics

6:22pm May 26, 2015

by Tove Danovich

Legend has it that a Chinese emperor first discovered tea more than 4,700 years ago. As the culture surrounding tea has changed through the centuries, so, too, have the tools we use to drink it.

Matcha tea powder comes in two grades: ingredient and drinking. The drinking grade comes from the leaves at the top of the tea plant.

Tea Tuesdays: Matcha-maker, Matcha-maker, Make Me Some Tea

6:18pm May 26, 2015

by Laurel Dalrymple

Matcha green tea is taking off in America, but the Japanese have been drinking it for eight centuries. What happens when commercialism meets tradition?

A late 19th-century samovar made in Tula, Russia, a metalworking town south of Moscow. The very first samovar factory opened in Tula in 1778. As demand for samovars grew, the town became almost synonymous with the production of the giant hot-water urns.

Arts

Tea Tuesdays: Cold Weather, Gogol And The Rise Of The Russian Samovar

6:17pm May 26, 2015

by Tove Danovich

The giant, metal, hot-water urns are at the center of Russian tea culture — and national identity. How that came to be may have as much to do with Russian literature as common usage.

Dallas-area resident James Faulk turned his yard into an Ebola treatment center for Halloween. But he has a serious side: His Twitter account raises funds for Doctors Without Borders, a group active in the fight against the virus.

So For Halloween You're Dressing Up As ... A Sexy Ebola Nurse?

5:04pm May 26, 2015

by Kate Parkinson-Morgan

Why are infectious disease costumes even a thing? It's actually a relatively new development in Halloween history, but there are precedents. See: Plague Doctor mask, Venice.

Gloria Steinem and South Korean peace activists march along a military fence at a checkpoint after crossing the border separating North and South Korea.

World News

Controversy Follows As Activists Cross North-South Korean Border

10:53am May 26, 2015

by Elise Hu

The symbolic gesture was aimed at reunifying two nations still technically at war. But an event staged in the name of peace ended up exposing some distrust that's lasted for decades.

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The remains of the battleship USS Maine, which was blown up in Havana Harbour, triggering the Spanish-American War.

National

'Remember The Maine' — In Indiana!

6:45pm May 25, 2015

by Steve Walsh

How did a monument to the USS Maine, which sank in Havana Harbor in 1898, come to rest in Indiana? The answer tells a lot about the power and influence of veterans, years after war.

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A memorial honors Staff Sgt. John Henry McCarthy on the corner of Commonwealth Avenue and Colborne Road in Boston.

National

On Memorial Day, Learning The Story Behind The Markers

8:08am May 25, 2015

by Steve Brown

In a Boston neighborhood, WBUR's Steve Brown seeks out the story of a Marine honored by one of the many markers throughout the city that commemorates sacrifice in war.

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