AU Summer Magazine

The Fabric of Fiction

Les Whitehead, CAS/MA ’25, unravels the Betsy Ross myth and the real history of Philadelphia’s favorite flagmaker

Light the fuse on the history and science behind America’s favorite summer tradition

Thomas Jefferson wasn’t the first to write about “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness”

Smithsonian Secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III, CAS/BA ’74, MA ’76, champions history of, by, and for the people

4400 Mass Ave Current Issue

For AU students, a degree isn’t just a milestone—it’s a powerful tool to lift up communities and compound positive change

Perspectives Current Issue

Trace America’s “classical music” through the definitive albums that shaped its transition from big-band swing to high art

Perspectives Current Issue

Bruce Bohri, CAS/BA ’11, on the city that proves its gruff exterior hides a massive heart

Perspectives Current Issue

Matthew Skic, CAS/BA ’14, showcases 10 artifacts that bring the struggles and realities of the nation’s founding to life

Nostalgia Current Issue

The SS American Victory survived decades of global conflict to become a living, sailing testament to the nation’s industrial might