Dedicated scholar Joyce Appleby's contributions to studying the fabric of America's history will be missed.

Read an excerpt from historian Joyce Appleby's latest book: Shores of Knowledge: New World Discoveries and the Scientific Imagination.

The historian explains how a fascination with America led curiosity-driven Europeans to move beyond church dogma in the pursuit of knowledge that reshaped their understanding of the world.

What's the potential fallout from McCutcheon v. FEC, the campaign finance case currently before the Supreme Court?