When Big Business Backed Social Security
Contemporary conservatives call for the U.S. government to ditch Social Security in favor of private savings. But it wasn't always this way.
How YouTube Is Shaping the Future of Work
Americans expect our jobs to provide us with not just money but fulfillment. For many, YouTube represents exactly that promise.
The Invention of the Giveaway
The appeal of the free gift has always been, for the consumer, about the eternal dream of getting something for nothing.
Was the One-Child Policy Ever a Good Idea?
China's “one-child” policy has been relaxed, and now married couples may have two children. But according to scholars, the damage is already done.
Why Companies Swallow Poison Pills
Faced with a potential hostile takeover, companies may deploy a dramatic shareholder rights plan, colloquially known as a "poison pill."
Yes, Americans Owned Land Before Columbus
What you were taught in elementary school about Native Americans not owning land is a myth. The truth is much more complicated.
The Racism of 19th-Century Advertisements
Illustrated advertising cards invoked ethnic stereotypes, using black women as foils in order to appeal to white consumers.
Business Advice from Aristotle
The philosopher’s teachings were not an absolute condemnation of the pursuit of profit.
Makeup in the Technicolor Age
When Technicolor changed the face of the film industry, it also altered the cosmetics industry, sparking the great Hollywood Powder Puff War of the 1930s.
Our Best Stories of 2018
Victorian librarians, Mister Rogers, queer time, and Jane Austen's subversive linguistics, oh my!