The First American Hotels
In the eighteenth century, if people in British North America had to travel, they stayed at public houses that were often just repurposed private homes.
Fast and Pluribus: Impacts of a Globalizing McDonald’s
The expansion of McDonald’s in the twentieth century brought the fast food chain to more than 100 countries. But how well did it integrate into its new home(s)?
Where Do Nutrition Labels Come From?
We all ponder them when standing in the cereal aisle of the grocery store, but why do we even have nutrition labels on our foods?
Patriotism and Consumerism in the Civil War
For a burgeoning consumer society, store-bought flags and bonnets offered proof that commercialism could go hand in hand with heartfelt emotion.
Zombies of the Slaughterhouse
The oppressions of Homo sapiens and other species in the US livestock industry aren’t distinct from one another—they’re mutually constitutive.
Can You Copyright a Dress?
Fashion houses in 1920s Paris used copyright laws to protect their designs. In New York, not so much.
Lyman Stewart: Fundamentalist and Oligarch
American oilman Lyman Stewart embodied the uniquely American paradoxes of what would become capitalist Christian fundamentalism and the prosperity gospel.
How Consumers Cope With Celebrity Deaths
The sale of celebrity memorabilia increases in the weeks following their death.
Making Steel All Shiny and New
When it seemed that steel had lost its gleam with American consumers, the industry turned to marketing to make it shine again.
Ski Resorts and Climate Change
The effects of climate change are already being felt by some ski resorts, but filling in the slopes with artificial snow may not be a good solution.