COVER
The Pill at 50: Sex, Freedom and Paradox (Cover)
In May 1960, the FDA approved a new oral contraceptive. Somehow we are still fighting about it half a century later — whom it helped, whom it hurt, what it meant and why it mattered
The Pill at 50: Freedom and Paradox
Video: On the 50th Anniversary of the Pill, TIME Executive Editor Nancy Gibbs talks about why we're still fighting about it half a century later
A Brief History of Birth Control
From early contraception to the birth of the Pill
ESSAY
An Ex-Goldman Man Goes After Derivatives (Commentary / Washington Memo)
How a former Goldman partner became Obama's toughest derivatives regulator
Afghanistan: The Test in Kandahar (Commentary / In the Arena)
The battle for Kandahar province, the Taliban's center of gravity, will decide the war
Should Larry King's Marriage License Be Revoked?
Why are people who are so bad at mating for life allowed to keep pairing up?
WORLD
Kabul Nightlife: Thriving in Between Bombs
A veteran TIME correspondent's guide to the nightlife scene in Kabul, the Afghan capital that is besieged by jihadists
The Cloud That Closed A Continent (World)
A volcano erupted in Iceland, and air travel in Europe ground to a halt — one more reminder of how vulnerable our world remains
Iceland's Volcano Causes Travel Chaos
Photos: Airline passengers face massive disruption across Europe after an ash cloud from a volcanic eruption in Iceland grounds planes
The Eerie Beauty of Iceland's Volcano
Photos: Otherworldly images from the eruption at Eyjafjallajokull
Cleggmania: The Rise of Nick Clegg (World)
The leader of Britain's underdog third party taps into voter anger at Gordon Brown's Labour and the Tories. But can he win?
TO OUR READERS
Revolution in a Pill
A look back at the battle for safe and effective contraception and the miracle tablet that became the opening salvo in a new war
LETTERS
Inbox (Inbox)
ARTS & ENTERTAINMENT
Henri Cartier-Bresson: Big Picture (Exhibitions)
A massive new show displays the multifaceted gifts of Henri Cartier-Bresson
Photographs by Henri Cartier-Bresson
A show at New York's Museum of Modern Art explores the many facets of photography's most protean talent
CNN: Can a Mainstream News Outlet Survive? (Tuned In)
In a polarized era, it's tough to be nonpartisan. What's a mainstream news organization to do?
American Idiot: Punks Take Broadway (Theater)
Green Day's American Idiot marks a new milestone in rock's conquest of the Great White Way
BUSINESS
The Case Against Goldman Sachs (The Well / Business)
The SEC charges that once golden Wall Street firm Goldman Sachs misled its investors. How the rise of traders over bankers led the firm to riskier business
SOCIETY
Take Two Texts and Call Me in the Morning (Life / Women's Health)
How a new phone-based initiative seeks to improve prenatal care
The Promise And Pitfalls of Bioplastic (Life / Going Green)
It's a greener alternative, but think twice before you throw it away
The Long-Term Effects of Spanking (Life / Parenting)
A multiyear study shows spanking kids makes them more aggressive later on
Entrepreneur Manufactures a Haitian Recovery (Life / Retail)
A dogged entrepreneur aims to get more U.S. retailers to import, and more consumers to buy, Haitian textiles
PEOPLE
10 Questions for Sarah Silverman (10 Questions)
The comedian talks about her new book, The Bedwetter. Sarah Silverman will now take your questions
BRIEFING
The Moment
4|19|10: Virginia
The World
10 ESSENTIAL STORIES
Spotlight: France and the Veil
Verbatim
A Brief History of U.S. Currency
The Skimmer
Book review: Anatomy of an Epidemic by Robert Whitaker