December 1990

We asked dozens of historians to play detective and tell us what case in all of American history they would most like to see cracked

Fewer than half of O. Henry’s short stories actually take place in New York, but we still see the city through his eyes

In the early sixties it was going to revolutionize American education. By the early seventies it had confounded a generation of schoolchildren. Today it is virtually forgotten. But as we head toward another round of educational reforms, we should recall why it went wrong.

Giving the men who died aboard America’s first battleship a decent funeral took fourteen years, three-quarters of a million dollars, and some hair-raising engineering. But in the end, they did it right.

Governor Mario Cuomo of New York has used history as a guide — and a solace — for a good part of his life