In the Stereoscope, Another World
Developed in the nineteenth century, the stereoscope gave people a new way of seeing themselves and the world around them.
The Scientists, the Engineers, and the Water Wheel
In the eighteenth century, a mathematician, an astronomer, and an engineer each tried to apply their expertise to increasing the efficiency of water wheels.
The Annotated Oppenheimer
Celebrated and damned as the “father of the atomic bomb,” theoretical physicist J. Robert Oppenheimer lived a complicated scientific and political life.
Hold the Line
As telephony developed, so did a workforce of switchboard operators—all women—who were ultimately rendered obsolete by technological progress.
An Uncertain Energy Transition a Century Ago
When it came to the transport of goods within local areas, it took decades for the competition among horses, electric vehicles, and gas trucks to shake out.
Victorians Mourned with Vulcanized Rubber Jewelry
Nineteenth-century Anglo-American mourning rituals called for a period of sentimental sadness, but they also demanded an investment in clothing and jewelry.
Dressmaking Liberated American Women—Then Came the Men
The creation of bespoke clothing offered women a way to escape traditional middle-class expectations and gain unprecedented power, until men took over.
A Tale of Two Times: Edo Japan Encounters the European Clock
In country that followed a time-keeping system with variable hours, the fixed-hour clock of the Europeans had only symbolic value.
The Boomin’ Systems: The Evolution of Car Audio
Sound systems, as much as the automobiles themselves, symbolized upward mobility, social affiliation, and cultural identities.
Algae: The Food of the Future of the Past
In the years following World War II, American and European food scientists hoped to feed the world with common pond scum supplemented with plastics.