Livia Gershon is a freelance writer in Nashua, New Hampshire. Her writing has appeared in publications including Salon, Aeon Magazine and the Good Men Project. Contact her on Twitter @liviagershon.
We use champagne to celebrate New Year's Eve and other major events. But how did the sparkling wine get such cultural cachet? (Hint: marketing helped.)
Today's parents may feel concerned about their kids' obsession with electronic games, but adults have always been suspicious of new kinds of playthings.
When electric lighting was first introduced to U.S. households, marketing departments tried to convince women that better lighting would be flattering.
The word “risk” took on new meaning in the 19th century, when it became a way of understanding the interactions between individuals and economic markets.
