Pulp Nonfiction: The Unlikely Origin of American Mass Media
How wood pulp paper created the American mass media.
The Ku Klux Klan Used to Be Big Business
At the height of its business operations, in 1923, the Klu Klux Klan was worth roughly $12 million dollars.
Before Flint: How Americans Chose Lead Poisoning
The United States, unlike other Western nations, did not take a firm stance on lead-based products until much later--despite knowing the health risks.
Jackpot: For Colonial Slaves, Playing the Lottery Was a Chance at Freedom
Complaints that the lottery is a regressive tax on the poor have been around since the beginning of the lottery in America.
How DuPont Transformed Fashion With Stretchy Synthetics
DuPont invented the stretch synthetic fabric that revolutionized fashion in the mid-twentieth century.
Mourning the Death of the American Railway
Just as the Titanic had redefined passenger liners, so too would the Zephyr transform the American railway.
“Uber for Sales” and Door-to-Door Vacuum Salesmen
The independent contractor model employed by Uber was used in the vacuum cleaner companies.
The Origins of Secret Swiss Bank Accounts
The uncovering the mystery and dispelling the myths of Swiss Bank Accounts
AT&T: Birth of the First Social Network
The first transcontinental telephone call was put through on January 25, 1915.
The Birth (and Death?) of Modern Corporations
To imagine the end of modern corporations as we currently know them, it helps to go back to their birth.