'Head of a Sleeping Woman', 19th century painting in the collection of the State A. Pushkin Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow. (Credit: Fine Art Images/Heritage Images/Getty Images)

<a href="http://nataliapetrzela.com/">Natalia Mehlman Petrzela</a> is an associate professor of history at The New School, where she studies the politics and culture of the modern United States. The author of Classroom Wars: Language, Sex, and the Making of Modern Political Culture, she also hosts the “Past Present” podcast.

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela is an associate professor of history at The New School, where she studies the politics and culture of the modern United States. The author of Classroom Wars: Language, Sex, and the Making of Modern Political Culture, she also hosts the “Past Present” podcast.

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela Archives | HISTORY

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HISTORY

Thanksgiving, which occurs on the fourth Thursday in November, is based on the colonial Pilgrims' 1621 harvest meal. The holiday continues to be a day for Americans to gather for a day of feasting, football and family.

Thanksgiving

From raising families to leading armies, women such as Catherine the Great, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Queen Amanirenas, Queen Elizabeth I, Susan B. Anthony, Rosa Parks, Marie Curie, Rosalind Franklin and countless others have played a vital role in history.

Women’s History

The Middle Ages, the medieval period of European history between the fall of the Roman Empire and the beginning of the Renaissance, are sometimes referred to as the "Dark Ages."

Middle Ages

Natural disasters and changes in the environment, such as global warming, the San Francisco Earthquake, Hurricane Katrina, the Galveston Hurricane, the Krakatoa eruption and others, have profoundly shaped human history. Explore both the sudden and long-term impacts of natural and human-made disasters.

Natalia Mehlman Petrzela

Stories

The Complicated Pasts of 6 Trailblazing Women

Why Do Humans Sleep in 8‑Hour Cycles?

The Curious History of Leftovers

Why Fear of Big Cities Led to the Creation of Summer Camps