The women you’ll find on top of the world.
History
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Dystopian Underworld of South Africa’s Illegal Gold Mines
“When the country’s mining industry collapsed, a criminal economy grew in its place, with thousands of men climbing into some of the deepest shafts in the world, searching for leftover gold.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
Beyond Borders
“Everything a man keeps on himself, in cases of capture, can save his life.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
How a Ticket from Michael Jordan’s Chicago Bulls Debut Became Priceless
“Every ticket can tell you a story. I’m someone who’s about relationships and experiences. And that’s what tickets are to me.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
‘It Changed the World’: 50 Years On, the Story of Pong’s Bay Area Origins
“How Atari created the world’s most famous video game.”
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Forgotten History of the World’s First Trans Clinic
The Institute for Sexual Research in Berlin would be a century old if it hadn’t fallen victim to Nazi ideology.
Posted inTop 5
The Top 5 Longreads of the Week
This week’s edition highlights stories by Bench Ansfield, Justin A. Davis, Wright Thompson, Lucy Jones, and April Nowell.
Posted inEditor's Pick
The Violin Doctor
“He’s trusted to repair some of the world’s most fabled — and expensive — instruments. How does John Becker manage to unlock the sound of a Stradivarius?”
Posted inEditor's Pick
In 1848, An Enslaved Couple Fled to Boston in One of History’s Most Daring Escapes
“Risking their lives for liberty and for love, Ellen and William Craft devised a bold plan: They’d don disguises — she as a white man — and embark on the perilous journey north.”