Interiors: Garden Court, Palace Hotel, San Francisco.

This is one of the central features of the grand Edwardian-era hotel, completed in 1909.

Cover Reveal: “Faraway Star,” my upcoming science fiction novel.

Interiors: Entry hall of Haas-Lilienthal House, San Francisco.

Hitler’s American deejay: The strange story of Mildred “Axis Sally” Gillars.

Four minutes of enlightening darkness: The great solar eclipse of May 1715.

More concept art for “Faraway Star” is out!

Historic Photo: Panorama of San Francisco, 1878.

Interiors: Garden Court, Palace Hotel, San Francisco.

This is one of the central features of the grand Edwardian-era hotel, completed in 1909.

Hitler’s American deejay: The strange story of Mildred “Axis Sally” Gillars.

Four minutes of enlightening darkness: The great solar eclipse of May 1715.

Historic Photo: Panorama of San Francisco, 1878.

Moses’s great boondoggle: The 1964-65 New York World’s Fair [Part II].

A bird out of hand: My reminiscences on the rise and fall of Twitter.

The death of Hu Yaobang: The first chapter of a story that changed the world.

Cover Reveal: “Faraway Star,” my upcoming science fiction novel.

Here's the cover for my new book, out June 11!

Interiors: Entry hall of Haas-Lilienthal House, San Francisco.

More concept art for “Faraway Star” is out!

Moses’s great boondoggle: The 1964-65 New York World’s Fair [Part I].

Toward a theory on the death of the Democratic Party.

The first concept art for “Faraway Star” is out!

My history with a tragedy: How TWA Flight 800 taught me about critical thinking.

Behind the Scenes: Millard Fillmore, The Conspiracy Theorist President.

My latest video profiles the strange life and odd beliefs of the 13th U.S. President.

Behind the Scenes: TWA, The Rise & Fall.

It’s Not Love, Actually: Watch me do an about-face on the world’s worst Christmas movie.

Behind the Scenes: China’s Long Revolution, 1900-1950.

Behind the Scenes: Brazil in the World Wars.

Searching for a story: A look at my chaotic writing process.

Behind the Scenes: The American Revolution, In Its Own Words.