Articles by Ernie Smith

food

Does Taco Bell Hot Sauce Expire and Everything Else About Sauce Packets You Never Thought To Ask

tedium

The Twisted Things People Have Done For A Klondike Bar

language

The Great Failure of Andrew Carnegie's Simplified Spelling Lobby

computers

How Microsoft Created a Revolution in Soviet Computing

roads

The Interstate Highways That Don’t Follow the Rules

music

How The Hidden Track Faded From Recorded Music

tedium

How U.S. Drinking Laws Created the Fake ID Market

electricity

Why Can't the World Just Pick One Design for Plugs?

military history

The Simple, Elegant History of the Swiss Army Knife

banks

From Metal Coins to Venmo: A History of America's Credit Cards

gardens

A Lawn Day’s Journey from Scythes and Donkeys to Power Mowers

victorian

Margarine Used To Be Pink, and More Colorful Tales From The Food Dye Industry

electrical oddities

The Weird History of Hand Dryers Will Blow You Away

cheat week

The History of Fake Meat Starts With the Seventh-Day Adventist Church

Before the Band-Aid, People Used Honey and Sugar to Wrap Wounds

The History of Vending Machines Goes Back to the 1st Century

Brazil Is an Alternate Video Game Universe Where Sega Beat Nintendo

escape week

The Art of Quitting