From the 1930s to the 1950s a radical surgery – the Lobotomy – would forever change our understanding and treatment of the mentally ill.
Olivia Katrandjian
Olivia Katrandjian is a reporter at Retro Report. Previously, Olivia worked as a print journalist and travel writer, having visited 30 countries and written about many of them. Olivia has written for The Los Angeles Times, PBS Frontline’s Tehran Bureau, The BBC, ABCNews.com, The Huffington Post, The Bergen Record and The Christian Science Monitor, among other publications. Olivia is currently working on her first book.
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Princess Diana Brought Attention to Land Mines, but Their Danger Lingers
In the late 1990s, Princess Diana brought public attention to land mine victims. But, more than two decades after her death, how much progress has been made in the worldwide fight against leftover munitions?
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Women, Work and the Modern American Family
The Mommy Wars were billed as the nastiest fight in American parenting, and actually fueled by a decades-old blunder. This story was produced in collaboration with Quartz.
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Remembering Kitty
More than 50 years after Kitty Genovese’s murder became a symbol of urban apathy, her partner, Mary Ann Zielonko remembers Kitty’s life and impact.
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Lessons from Columbine About School Shootings and Media Misinformation
The killing of twelve students and a teacher at Columbine High School in 1999 continues to shape how we view and understand school shootings today.
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The Nanny Murder Case: Shaken Baby Syndrome on Trial
In 1997, a young British nanny charged with murder brought shaken baby syndrome into the national spotlight, and raised a scientific debate that continues to shape child abuse cases today.
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How a Standoff with the Black Panthers Fueled the Rise of SWAT
S.W.A.T. teams, specially trained police teams, have been used increasingly in routine matters like serving drug warrants, sometimes with disastrous results.
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Why Waco Is Still a Battleground in the Second Amendment Debate
In 1993, federal agents raided the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas, and generated a legacy that continues to shape antigovernment groups today.
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Fire Safety and Chemicals in Our Clothing
There are over 80,000 chemicals in use today. The story of Tris, a fire retardant that was once used to treat children’s pajamas, but was banned as a carcinogen in the 1970s, illustrates the challenge of regulating chemicals.
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A Right to Die?
Should doctors be allowed to help suffering patients die? In 1990, with his homemade suicide machine, Dr. Jack Kevorkian raised that question. It’s an issue Americans still struggle with today.
