history
The Embarrassing 1,000-Year History of the Male Power Ballad
While power ballads have plenty in common with the Romanticism of the 1800s, their roots go all the way back to the 11th century
A Drink Called ‘Cronk’ Gave Us the 19th Century’s Funniest Ads
It did not, however, invent depression advertising
The ‘Kick Me’ Sign Is a Joke That Will Never Die
Even if it’s led to a federal lawsuit, assault charges and the death of at least one man
The Complex Legacy of Black Comedians in Blackface
How African-American comics came to subvert and reclaim minstrelsy as their own — and ensure Black comedy could no longer be defined by white people
