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History

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Paint-on Hosiery During the War Years

A back “seam” drawn with an eyebrow pencil topped off the resourceful fashion effect

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Why Do Students Give Teachers Apples and More from the Fruit’s Juicy Past

The perfect back-to-school treat has a colorful past that once brought the wrath of an axe-wielding reformer

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Stocking Series, Part 1: Wartime Rationing and Nylon Riots

As hemlines rose, DuPont’s wonder fabric was a sensation among women. But during WWII, it was needed for parachutes

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The Swimsuit Series, Part 6: Ladies in Wading in Art

A look at how artists spent their summer vacations—at the beach

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The Long History of Americans Debating Empty Chairs

The history of debating empty chairs stretches back to at least 1924

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The History of the Lunch Box

From a working man’s utility product to a back-to-school fashion statement, lunch boxes have evolved with technology and pop culture

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What Did Playtex Have to Do With Neil Armstrong?

The astronaut’s lunar outfit was designed by the women’s bra manufacturer and inspired a series of space age fashions

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Birmingham’s Smoking Dinosaurs

In 1938, awful dinosaurs roamed Birmingham, England

The Smoothest Con Man That Ever Lived

“Count” Victor Lustig once sold the Eiffel Tower to an unsuspecting scrap-metal dealer. Then he started thinking really big

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How to Learn a Language Nobody Speaks

After hundreds of years, and multiple attempts to develop a universal language the same problem still remains: no one wants to learn it

Alphonse Mucha in front of his first poster for Sarah Bernhardt

How Alphonse Mucha Designed the Nation State of Czechoslovakia

When the country gained its independence after World War I, Alphonse Mucha was called upon to design an important part of any country’s identity - money

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Top 10 Chanelisms: Coco’s Wise Words to Mark Her Birthday

Today the French fashion designer’s observations seem wise, clever or amusingly dated

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There Is No Such Thing As “The” United States Constitution

“There is no unique, tangible, singular, definitive Constitution,” says information scientist Joe Janes

Can a city’s pride in its tap water lead to pride in its most beloved delicacies?

Confidence in Water Leads to Confidence in Bagels

The latest look into the impact of New York’s water supply on its bagels yields a new potential factor: pride

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New Wrinkle in Tarbosaurus Kerfuffle

The man who prepared an illicit tyrannosaur specimen claims that the dinosaur is rightly his

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The Swimsuit Series, Part 5: Olympic Athletes, Posing

Vintage styles cycle in and out of favor among medal-winning racers

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Julia Child’s Italian Tour: Angering Chefs and Riding on Motorcycles

Author Bob Spitz recounts his trip traveling through Italy with the culinary legend

I Put Ice in My Wine Because You Don’t Serve it at the Right Temperature

Is there one perfect temperature to serve red or white wine? Perhaps not, but here are some good guidelines

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The Double Dinosaur Brain Myth

Contrary to a popular myth, dinosaurs didn’t have butt brains

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What the Heck is a Chork?

The new trend of modifying cutlery has a new look with the Chork, which combines the scandalous fork with age-old chopsticks

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