This Week in History

May 20-26

The best New Yorker articles published during this week across 100 years of the magazine.

101 articles from this week

Featured Pick

“No. 1512—I”

Lillian Ross · Onward and Upward with the Arts · May 24, 1952

Lillian Ross on the making of the classic film about the Civil War.

Also Notable

“The Great State—I”

A. J. Liebling · A Reporter at Large · May 28, 1960

A. J. Liebling writes about Governor Earl Long of Louisiana.

“Charles Mingus at Peace”

Whitney Balliett · A Reporter at Large · May 29, 1971

Whitney Balliett’s 1971 profile of the jazz musician Charles Mingus. “My book was written for black people, to tell them how to get through life,” Mingus said.

“The Patient”

Susan Sheehan · A Reporter at Large · May 25, 1981

Writing in 1981, Susan Sheehan reports on the Creedmoor Psychiatric Center, a state-run mental institution serving the people of Queens.

“Remembering Satan—Part II”

Lawrence Wright · A Reporter at Large · May 24, 1993

Part II of Lawrence Wright’s 1993 report on how the case of Paul Ingram, who was charged with raping his daughters, became the focus of a raging debate over satanic-ritual abuse, sex-crimes investigation, and criminal accusations made on the basis of “recovered” memory.

“Bad Cops”

Peter J. Boyer · A Reporter at Large · May 21, 2001

Rafael Perez’s testimony on police misconduct ignited the biggest scandal in the history of the L.A.P.D. Is it the real story?