Business | smithsonianmag.comhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/rss/tag/business/RSS feed for BusinessenThu, 25 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000How One German Button Maker Searched the Rivers of the American Midwest for the Shells That Could Make Him a Fortunehttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-one-german-button-maker-searched-the-rivers-of-the-american-midwest-for-the-shells-that-could-make-him-a-fortune-180989012/John Boepple settled in Muscatine, Iowa, where he produced pearl buttons made from freshwater mussel shells. His innovations brought economic prosperity to the town—and disaster to the local mussel populationsThu, 25 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smithsonian-institution/how-one-german-button-maker-searched-the-rivers-of-the-american-midwest-for-the-shells-that-could-make-him-a-fortune-180989012/This Giant, Seven-Story Picnic Basket, Once Home to an Iconic American Brand, Could Be Yours for $8.5 Millionhttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-giant-7-story-picnic-basket-once-home-to-icon-american-brand-longaberger-basket-could-be-yours-for-85-million-180988999/The former Longaberger basket company headquarters in Ohio is for sale to a buyer who is willing to preserve its quirky designTue, 23 Jun 2026 19:20:37 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/smart-news/this-giant-7-story-picnic-basket-once-home-to-icon-american-brand-longaberger-basket-could-be-yours-for-85-million-180988999/The Gin and Tonic Is a Cocktail With a Storied History. Don't Overlook Scotland's Connection to the Classichttps://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/gin-and-tonic-is-a-cocktail-with-a-storied-history-dont-overlook-scotlands-connection-to-the-classic-180988875/The country’s scientists, doctors, merchants and distillers all played significant roles in transforming the simple combination that packs a complicated mythologyTue, 02 Jun 2026 14:23:56 +0000https://www.smithsonianmag.com/innovation/gin-and-tonic-is-a-cocktail-with-a-storied-history-dont-overlook-scotlands-connection-to-the-classic-180988875/