politics
The Libertarian Economic Theory That Might Be Secretly Driving Pokémon Go
This is not about catching them all.
Articles by Ernie Smith
90
Stories
Stories shared by this traveler.
film
The First Hollywood Film to Imagine a Fictional President Was Some Weird Propaganda
Funded, incidentally, by William Randolph Hearst.
stores
The Surprisingly Resilient History of IGA, Which Gave Small Towns Groceries
You've probably been to one.
television
The Sneaky Way Broadcasters Are Using TV on the Radio
Chicago, for one, has a semi-secret FM station.
film
A Brief History of the White House, as Portrayed by Hollywood
Independence Day wasn't the first, of course.
libraries
The Strange History of Microfilm, Which Will Be With Us for Centuries
From carrier pigeons to comic books.
politics
The Weird Logic Behind Yard Signs in Politics
If they aren't very effective, why are they so ubiquitous?
tedium
How Unions and Regulators Made Clothing Tags an Annoying Fact of Life
A brief history.
food
How the Family Who Got Rich with Hot Pockets Is Giving Away Their Fortune
It's a lot of money.
trees
A Short History of Rakes, and Why You Should Think Twice About Using Them
They've evolved through the years.
computers
The History of GeoWorks, Microsoft Windows' Upstart '90s Competitor
AOL's also involved.
film
The Controversial History of Letterboxing for Movies on Your TV
It's been a long struggle.
film
When America's Most Notorious Lobbyist Produced a Dolph Lundgren Film
Jack Abramoff and the story of Red Scorpion.
television
How the Commodore Amiga Powered Your Cable System in the '90s
The life and death of the Prevue channel, which showed you what to watch.
food
How Breakfast Cereal Evolves Across Borders
Take Canada's "meal replacement in a bowl," for example.
music
A Brief History of Rock Stars Destroying Guitars
From Pete Townshend to Caleb Followill.
crime and punishment
The Rise of Police Tape, And Why We Ignore Warning Signs
From cigarette packaging to wet-floor cautions, warnings have become pervasive.
salt
Thomas Jefferson's Dream to Rid the Oceans of Salt
A massive new industry in modern times, desalination has a long history.
technology
The Forgotten History of the CD-ROM Magazine
For a time in the 1990s, some publishers thought they were the future.
roads
Where Do the Streets Have No Name? Everywhere, in America.
A road by any other name.
