History

February 6, 2026

How Fascist Dictators Used Art and Design To Evoke a Sense of Power and Authority

During the 20th century, several countries around the world grappled with fascism and its eventual ramifications. But fascism was far from simply an ideological or political system—it was also grounded within cultural artifacts. A recent video essay by IMPERIAL explores exactly that, revealing how art and architecture were both manipulated by dictators, such as Hitler and Mussolini, to exert control over their respective countries.

Read Article

January 1, 2026

How People in the Victorian Era Enjoyed Animation Before Its Modern History

Before Walt Disney, the internet, and entertainment as we know it today, Victorian-era children had the phenakistoscope. The name has origins in the Greek word phenakisticos and means “deceiver of the eye.” This ingenious pioneer of animation featured a spinning disk that, when moved, created the illusion of fluid movement, thanks to the evenly spaced slits around the edges.

Read Article

November 27, 2025

Mark Twain Shared 60 American Dishes He Missed the Most While Traveling Abroad

Mark Twain is often hailed as one of America’s greatest writers, partly due to his deep love for his homeland. His life was spent in various regions of the United States; he grew up in Missouri, piloted steamboats along the Mississippi, mined in Nevada, wrote in California, and even ventured as far as the Sandwich Islands (now Hawaii). Much of Twain’s writing draws from these real-life experiences.

Read Article

My Modern Met

Celebrating creativity and promoting a positive culture by spotlighting the best sides of humanity—from the lighthearted and fun to the thought-provoking and enlightening.