On August 20, 1956, former state auditor Orville Hodge astonished colleagues in the Republican Party and political observers across the state by pleading guilty to embezzlement. A perennial on listicles […]
Trivia Friday: Writin’ Illini
Answers below. 1. The forty-nine bells on the McFarland Carillon know 500 pre-programmed songs thanks to a computer, or can be played from a keyboard. On September 20, 2008, some […]
Throwbacklist Thursday: Over There
Whenever the Olympic Games convene, we remember that the United States shares the planet with other countries. We also remember that many of the world’s people play team handball. At the University […]
Caster Semenya and Sex Testing
As track and field portion of the Olympic Games gets up to steam, all eyes turn to Caster Semenya, the South African middle distance runner who took the silver in the 800 […]
Sex Testing Is Too Jive
Sex testing. It goes on in sports all the time. But it only makes headlines during the Olympics, when a giant for-profit sports behemoth famous […]
Afternoon of a Centaur
Evolving (?) from fresh-faced wunderkind and secret marketing savant to reviled steroid-using superjock damned for his cleats of clay, Alex Rodriguez was the marquee baseball player of his era, reflecting Major League Baseball’s […]
Throwbacklist Thursday: Seven Ring Circus
Whether you consider the Olympic Games a triumph of human endeavor and achievement, or an appalling cesspool of corruption and drug experimentation, it is that rare mega-event that always grabs the world’s attention. […]
Fannie Barrier Williams celebrated
Progressive Era activist and reformer Fannie Barrier Williams was one of the most prominent educated African American women of her generation. A new effort to honor the woman who was a prominent spokesperson […]
“Serious crimes” keep Corrupt Illinois figure in prison
Inmate No. 40892-424, better known as former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, had hoped to he would be able to return home early. Those hopes were dashed by a the federal […]
Release Party: Mister Pulitzer and the Spider
New in stores, Mister Pulitzer and the Spider marks the release of a truly monumental reconsideration of what journalism’s journey from the 1800s to today. A spidery network of mobile online […]
Q&A with Afro-Paradise author Christen A. Smith
Christen A. Smith is Assistant Professor of African and African Diaspora Studies and Anthropology at The University of Texas at Austin. Below she answers questions about her book Afro-Paradise: Blackness, Violence, and […]
Throwbacklist Thursday: Welcome to the Machine
With robots and other thinking devices prepared to replace us in about eight days, we thought it time to curry favor by highlighting UIP titles that engage the dilemmas and […]