National

The Animal Kingdom

This is the 16th in a series of archival excerpts in honor of the magazine’s 150th anniversary.

Rags to Rags, Riches to Riches

Maybe it’s time to stop calling America the “land of opportunity.”

Calendar

Hurricane futures; the Swiss at sea; Bill Gates finally graduates

Primary Sources

Our dynastic Congress; the chess gender gap; surgeons who love Nintendo

Motel Paradiso

In Florida, a quest for the classic family motel [Web only: Slideshow: "Motel Nostalgia."]

The New Recruit

Brian Mockenhaupt talks about the men and women who enter basic training today, and how the Army has adapted to meet their needs.

Primary Sources

Presidential tea leaves; open-market elves; the fine art of sword-swallowing

In Search of the American Dream

Articles by Eleanor Roosevelt and others take up the question of what constitutes the American ideal

A Single Bullet

Thomas Mallon talks about JFK conspiracy theories and a new book that places the blame squarely on Lee Harvey Oswald.

The Story of a Snitch

Across our inner cities, the code of omerta has spread from organized crime to ordinary citizens. “Stop snitching” has become a motto to live—or die—by, as John Dowery Jr. discovered. [Web-only: Watch related video clips]

The Military

This is the 14th in a series of archival excerpts in honor of the magazine’s 150th anniversary. For the full text of these articles, visit www.theatlantic.com/ideastour.

Primary Sources

The boldest profession; hot or not?; Iran's oil woes; a nation of multitaskers

The Phantom Menace

What war on the middle class?

Gangland U.S.A.

Articles dating back to the 1800s trace the evolution of America's gang problem.

College Girls

Articles from the 1890s through the 1960s explore the academic, social, and sexual debates surrounding women at college

On Baltimore's Mean Streets

Jeremy Kahn rides along with Baltimore's Homicide Operations Squad in search of murder witnesses

Viewers to a Kill

Jeremy Kahn, author of "The Story of a Snitch," talks about the growing problem of witness intimidation and the challenges of reporting a story about it.

Religion & Faith

This is the thirteenth in a series of archival excerpts in honor of the magazine’s 150th anniversary.

It’s His Party

Bush is fading. Bush Republicanism is here to stay.

Calendar

Reading, Writing, Resurrection

Katrina destroyed a failing school system and made New Orleans a laboratory for education. Can reformers transcend the damage of the flood—and of history?

Mapping Innovation

To find the next great ideas, follow the tractors, tourists, and drinkers.

Primary Sources

They Made America

Who are the most influential figures in American history? The Atlantic recently asked ten eminent historians. The result was The Atlantic’s Top 100—and some insight into the nature of influence and the contingency of history. Was Walt Disney really more influential than Elizabeth Cady Stanton? Benjamin Spock than Richard Nixon? Elvis Presley than Lewis and Clark? John D. Rockefeller than Bill Gates? Babe Ruth than Frank Lloyd Wright? Let the debates begin.

American Icons

This is the eleventh in a series of archival excerpts in honor of the magazine's 150th anniversary. This installment is introduced by Mark Bowden, an Atlantic national correspondent.

Video

Miami: The Next Big Start-Up City?

How the city became a center for innovation

Video

Video

A Brief History of Romantic Comedies

From The Atlantic's Chris Orr

Video

Life in 'the New Arctic'

A moving portrait of a fading landscape

Video

Video

The Rise of New York City

A fascinating look at Manhattan in the 1940s

Video

What Is Methane Hydrate?

"Flaming ice" is a vast natural energy source

Video

NASA's Time-Lapse of the Sun

Now with epic dubstep music

Video

Shaken Not Tuned: Cocktail Experiments

Can a tuning fork improve a cocktail?

Video

Video

Is He Cheating? A 1950s Guide

'That little blonde secretary from the office?’

Video

New Yorkers: Vintage Vacuum-Tube Amps

Risking electric shock to restore old amplifiers

Video

The DIY Piano-Bicycle

Everybody needs a hobby

Writers

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