When Did We Start Shopping at Stores?
Online shopping drastically reduces the significance of physical stores. Where did the physical retail model come from to begin with?
When Harvard Business School Tried To Fix Capitalism
Harvard Business School once attempted to apply psychological and political ideas to the project of saving capitalism from ruin.
Do We Tip Because of Good Service or Low Wages?
The question of whether or not to tip can be vexing, particularly when a type of service, like ride-sharing, is relatively new.
Do Psychopaths Really Make Good CEOs?
It's a well known trope: the powerful, high-earning businessman with the pathologically low levels of empathy. But do psychopaths make good CEOs?
Are the Rich More Selfish Than the Rest of Us?
When it comes to selfish behavior, a new study suggests rich and poor are divided more by circumstance than character.
How People Paid Their Taxes in Biblical Times
Think doing your taxes is annoying? Imagine trying it without a computer, a calculator… or even the Arabic numeral system.
The Birth of Planned Obsolescence
Before WWII, American businesses began embracing “creative waste”—the idea that throwing things away and buying new ones could fuel a strong economy.
How Magazines Created a New Culture of Manhood
Middle-class American manhood changed in the mid-twentieth century. And the new ideal of masculine consumption was captured by men’s magazines.
How America Tried (and Failed) to Solve Its “Servant Problem”
In the early part of the twentieth century, most middle-class American homes had at least one servant. Then the "servant problem" arose.
Automation in the 1940s Cotton Fields
Automation is a bit of a Rorschach test for anyone interested in workers’ rights. In the 1940s, the mechanization of cotton farming changed the US economy.