Culture
Shared traditions, belief systems and values among a social group
Today is Actually the 1700th Anniversary of the Bikini, not the 66th
July 5th, 1946 is classically regarded as the birth date of what we now call the bikini. But that version of history misses the long view.
July 05, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
What if Newton’s Principia Mathematica, Published Today, Had Been in Comic Sans?
The seething rage over CERN's font choice drives the question: How would the world have reacted to Newton's world-changing tome had Comic Sans existed at the time?
July 05, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
How Maker Culture is Reshaping Retail Design
A San Francisco coffee shop pulls back the curtain to expose the process behind each cup served in their expansive warehouse space
July 05, 2012 |
By Sarah C. Rich
Fitness Afar: Great Places to Hang Out at the Bar
Going abroad needn’t mean going flabby—determined globe-trotters can find pull-up bars and other outdoor gymnastics equipment in some of the most unexpected places.
July 03, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Doctoring the Dog: The Stunt that Launched Nathan’s Famous Stand on Coney Island
The hot dog eating contest is Nathan's claim to fame now, but in 1916, vacationers to the New York City landmark needed something more appealing to convince them to eat a cut-rate frankfurter
July 03, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
Document Deep Dive: A Holocaust Survivor Finds Hope in America
Michael Pupa's story, from orphan of Nazi Europe to American citizen, is a testament to the freedoms America offers
July 03, 2012 |
By Megan Gambino
Insider Tips for the Tourists in Town
Think you know all of the cool sights on the Mall? We bet you'll find these insider tips from the Institution helpful this tourist season.
June 29, 2012 |
By K. Annabelle Smith
A Midsummer Night’s Surströmming
The salty Baltic herring ferment inside a sealed can thanks to salt-loving, anaerobic bacteria that produce distinctive organic acids found in sweat and rotting butter
June 29, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
Mom Keeps Kid Out of Cookie Jar, Forever
Should you raise a sugar-free baby? One mother makes a case for this radical move.
June 28, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Cork Trees: Soft-Skinned Monarchs of the Mediterranean
A cork tree stripped of its bark will be harvested again in nine years—if people are still using cork by then
June 28, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Mining an Oyster Midden
The Damariscotta River was an epicenter of oyster shucking between 2,200 and 1,000 years ago
June 28, 2012 |
By Peter Smith
The Swimsuit Series, Part 2: Beauty Pageants and the Inevitable Swimsuit Competition
In the latest chapter of the series, we look at how bathing suits came to be an integral part of the Miss America competition
June 28, 2012 |
By Emily Spivack
Not All Calories Are the Same, Says Harvard Study
A new Harvard study challenges the traditional understanding of calories, postulating that it’s all about quality and not quantity. For those looking to lose weight, the source of those calories is more influential than the sheer number. ABC News reports on the results: The kind of calories the body gets may affect how efficiently people [...]
June 27, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
1987 Predictions From Bill Gates: “Siri, Show Me Da Vinci Stuff”
The co-founder of Microsoft worried that, in the information age, people would prefer synthesized reality.
June 27, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
Coffee Pods, An Instant Classic
Single-serving coffee pods are the most recent form of instant coffee. Its history is much shorter than the espresso shot, though in its own way, just as inventive
June 27, 2012 |
By Jimmy Stamp
The Hunt for a Bottle of Asturias Cider and the Stories of More Drinks From Northern Spain
In this part of Europe, a glass of rioja is nice, but nothing beats apple cider, a way of life
June 27, 2012 |
By Alastair Bland
Things That Are Surprisingly New: Forks, Lunch, Huge Drinks
Who knew that there existed a time when some of our staples of modern eating habits — the use of forks, the existence of lunch, and, unfortunately, the ubiquitous super-sized drinks found at every fast food chain around the U.S — did not exist. Forks are taken for granted in modern western eating, yet relatively [...]
June 27, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Adorable, Critically Endangered Baby Sumatran Rhino Born
As the planet bids goodbye to Lonesome George, the last of a subspecies of Galapagos tortoises, the world welcomes a new conservation-hope poster child. After a 15-month pregnancy, Ratu, a captive endangered Sumatran rhino, gave birth to a healthy male calf late Sunday night in Sumatra, Indonesia. Fewer than 275 of the critically endangered animals [...]
June 26, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Events June 26-28: Duke Kahanamoku, Bring Back the Funk, and the Folklife Festival
This week, learn about past Olympians, get funky with George Clinton and other music legends, and kick off this summer's Folklife Festival.
June 26, 2012 |
By Aviva Shen
We Are Already Living in Hollywood’s Dystopian Future
Not sure about you, but I wouldn’t want to live in a world where genetically engineered replicant robots prowled the dank, steel-and-microchip urban jungles a la Blade Runner. Likewise for the Minority Report future in which creepy pale kids call people out for murders they had not yet committed. It’s been 30 years since Blade Runner [...]
June 22, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
