While a positivist view of history—the 19th-century notion that history was akin to a science, and that the accumulation of historical facts would eventually lead to an objective understanding of events—fell out of favor long ago, this idea seems to remain the operative assumption behind traditional history curricula that emphasize content, chronology, and comprehensiveness.

I tried telling him there was no such thing as a magic dick, that no matter how near it came to me I didn't just absorb the traits of the man behind the dick.

Six persons were chosen as post-riders, to give due notice to the country towns of any attempt to land the tea by force

Above all, ovism seems to us utterly impossible: how could every human being that ever existed or ever will exist be contained, fully formed, within Eve's ovaries?