What would the ancient Greeks think of an Olympics with no fans?
A USC professor of classics thinks they’d find it absurd: The ancient Olympics were never solely about the athletes, but about an experience shared by all who attended.
Stories from L.A.’s pioneering gay motorcycle clubs are told through USC’s ONE Archives
USC has the largest archive of LGBTQ materials in the world, and researchers use it every year to learn more about gay history and culture.
Juneteenth celebrates the end of slavery and the continuing struggle for liberty and justice
As Juneteenth becomes a federal holiday, USC experts examine the steps America has taken toward reckoning with the legacy of slavery and institutionalized racism.
Juneteenth is Joyce Richey’s own family history
For this USC scientist, the stories are personal: Her great-grandmother was freed nearly two years after the Emancipation Proclamation.
USC to host online event to commemorate Juneteenth
The event on Saturday will reflect on and celebrate Black heritage through student tributes, artistic performances and various speakers.
USC Dornsife Mellon Mays Scholar explores queer culture and Black identity
Emmy Esquerre links “queer phobia” in today’s Black communities to political and religious systems put in place by European colonizers and missionaries in Africa and South America.
Japanese American soldiers in World War II fought the Axis abroad and racial prejudice at home
Thousands of Japanese Americans volunteered to serve in the U.S. military even as their friends and family were forced into internment camps.
Mayor’s civic working group addresses Los Angeles memorials and monuments
USC faculty members and 40 other experts from diverse fields produce a report on the triumphant and tragic moments in L.A.’s history.
Why Christianity put away its dancing shoes — only to find them again centuries later
The tradition of Christian dance did not happen overnight. For the first five centuries of Christianity, the church opposed dancing. But as time went on dance continued to be integrated into Christianity.
The Holocaust separated two childhood friends; USC Shoah Foundation reunited them
Betty Grebenschikoff and Ana María Wahrenberg hadn’t seen each other since their families fled Berlin. More than 80 years later, astute work by a foundation indexer brought them back together.
The pandemic echoes a history of disruption for Black families
USC experts discuss how COVID-19’s disproportionate impact on the Black community connects to a long history of upending Black families in America, from slavery to incarceration.
5 Trojan women who have made history
In honor of Women’s History Month, we celebrate five USC alums who have made their mark on history, from the stage to the swimming pool to the Supreme Court.
🎧 How the 1918 flu pandemic can inform our COVID-19 future
As vaccinations increase, many Americans are starting to wonder when the pandemic will “end.” David Sloane of USC Price provides historical insight by comparing and contrasting our COVID response with the 1918 outbreak.
USC historian uncovers the Underground Railroad that ran to Mexico
Mexico played an important role in helping escaped slaves find freedom — and in shaping the U.S. Civil War, argues USC Dornsife’s Alice Baumgartner.
Have you been naughty? Then beware: Krampus is coming
With a new movie, a comic book series and Krampus-based festivities growing in popularity, the scary Alpine holiday legend has gained a firm foothold in America.
History professor traces Black women’s migration from the Caribbean
Joan Flores-Villalobos brings to life the women who journeyed to Panama for money, love and adventure during the construction of the famous canal.
Virtual reality project will recreate a 15th century religious experience
USC Dornsife’s Sabina Zonno and Lynn Dodd have received a National Endowment for the Humanities grant to develop an immersive world around a Renaissance-era manuscript.
Natalia Molina named 2020 MacArthur Fellow
The professor of American studies and ethnicity at USC Dornsife receives the prestigious fellowship in recognition of her work on race and citizenship in the U.S.
USC alum looks at history of Thai Americans — beyond just food
Mark Padoongpatt’s examination of Thai immigrants landed him air time on a Hulu show hosted by Padma Lakshmi.
The complicated legacy of the Pilgrims is finally coming to light 400 years after they landed in Plymouth
The glory heaped on the Pilgrims puzzles USC historian Peter Mancall: Native Americans had met Europeans in scores of places before 1620, the Plymouth colony attracted relatively few migrants and it lasted only 70 years.
Student sets Cleopatra’s life to music
A music and business undergraduate juxtaposed modern jazz with ancient history to create two musical pieces based on the life of the legendary Egyptian ruler.
Students share their history research through free online journal
The Scroll raises undergraduate investigations from the catacombs of academia into public view.
USC experts reflect on 100 years of women’s suffrage
With the centennial anniversary of the 19th Amendment’s ratification approaching, USC professors share their thoughts on the state of voting rights in 2020.
Illuminating what home means for a global community of Filipinos
USC Dornsife historian and poet Adrian De Leon traces the histories of the Filipino diaspora across continents all the while exploring the meaning of home.