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History

Dining aboard the RMS Caronia, from a 1950s World Cruise brochure.

Dress Codes and Etiquette, Part 3: The Death of the Dinner Jacket on Open Water

Are the days of wearing just a tuxedo t-shirt just over the horizon?

It took many, many long sea voyages and much tedious charting to produce the first crude maps of the world. Today, travelers are increasingly abandoning even the best maps in favor of electronic navigation devices.

Have GPS Devices Taken the Fun out of Navigation?

With the rise of the digital age, the fascinating skills of map reading and celestial navigation are becoming lost arts

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The Pope’s Tweets Are Official Church Doctrine

The pope is officially Tweeting now, under the handle @pontifex, and his Tweets are officially “part of the church’s magisterium.” Which means that anything he Tweets is the teaching authority of the Catholic Church

Clovis points were one of the earliest innovations in pre-Columbian America.

A Scholarly Approach to Innovation

The Secretary of the Smithsonian draws the connection between the Clovis tools and Silicon Valley

Anne Kelly Knowles uses geography and technology to trace history.

The Civil War

Looking at the Battle of Gettysburg Through Robert E. Lee’s Eyes

Anne Kelly Knowles, the winner of Smithsonian American Ingenuity Awards, uses GIS technology to change our view of history

A Murray Meisner original dress, sold on Etsy

A Holiday Shopping Reminder: Do We Really Need That Extra Pair of Jeans?

Meaningful purchases trump frenetic shopping and closets bulging with new clothes

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Uglier Campaign Fundraising Emails Make More Money

All the rules you expect might apply to sending a perfect fundraising email? Throw them out the window

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The Meals That Starving Travelers Dream Of

Daydreaming of food is a tradition as old as the saga of man versus wild. What would you wish to eat if you were starving in a tent or a dinghy at sea?

A rendering of The Brewery development in Milwaukee, WI

A New Life for Old Breweries

In response to a changing economy and demographic shift toward urban areas, the deserted homes of Schlitz, PBR and other beers are being repurposed

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Getting the Prosthetic Is Easy, Compared to Getting It To Do What You Want

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What is Genyodectes?

A set of partial jaws hold an important place in the history of South American paleontology, but what sort of dinosaur do they represent?

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UN Climate Talks Start Monday: Here’s Your 83-Second Primer

For the 18th consecutive year, world leaders will try to figure out what to do about climate change

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Stegosaurus Plate Debate

Stegosaurus is immediately recognizable for its prominent plates, but why did these structures actually evolve?

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They Celebrate American Thanksgiving in the Netherlands

From 1609 to 1620, many of the Pilgrims who came to America lived in the Netherlands

Cans of Pabst Blue Ribbon beer

Where Did Pabst Win That Blue Ribbon?

The origin of Pabst’s iconic blue ribbon dates back to one of the most important gatherings in American history

1980s aerobics clothes

Giving Thanks to Clothes That Stretch

Seeking comfort, holiday diners will don elastic to indulge their expanding waistlines. They should thank Thomas Hancock and his “masticator”

Twinkies.

Death of a Twinkie: What’s a Trash Foodie to Do Without Hostess?

Hostess, the bakery responsible for Twinkies, is declaring bankruptcy and liquidating its assets

Sean Connery getting fitted for one of his classic suit jackets by Anthony Sinclair.

James Bond’s Dapper Dinner Jackets

With their origins at a London bespoke tailor, the suits of 007 are sharp—almost as sharp as a dagger shoe

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The World’s Largest Collection of Coffee Cup Lids

With over 500 different disposable plastic lids, the architect-collector has pieced together a history of American innovation and culture

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These Scientists Want The Election To Go On Even Longer

If these computer scientists have their dastardly way, the election season will be extended by a whole week - all for voting

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