Sears Modern Homes
Ordering houses by mail
For two decades in the early 20th century, Sears Roebuck and Co. sold entire houses through their mail-order catalogs, in the form of do-it-yourself kits that featured such modern amenities as indoor plumbing and electricity.
Silicone Baking Products
The quiet revolution
Go into any kitchen store and you'll see an increasing number of products made out of (or coated with) silicone, an amazingly heat-resistant yet pliable substance.
Folk Etymology
Lazing your way to a bigger vocabulary
Lots of English words have their current spellings or pronunciations because of misunderstandings; people heard something one way that was actually spoken another way.
Les Baux
Medieval ghost town and mineral namesake
The French countryside is littered with picturesque old castles, but this one is partly carved out of a cliff face, as is the village it overlooks. And it gave its name to bauxite, from which aluminum is made.
The Woodwose
Bigfoot’s European cousin
Centuries before Bigfoot found its way into popular mythology, another very similar mythical creature showed up repeatedly in European literature and art.
Straw Bale Houses
The power of banding together
The little pig who built his house out of straw may not have been so unwise after all. Straw has fantastic insulating qualities and is one of the least expensive building materials you can find.
Crows that Make Tools
The brains behind the beaks
Some species of crows can not only use twigs to help them reach food, they can actually make their own tools using novel materials.
The French Meal-Payment Ritual
Why you should always carry matches to a restaurant
Waiters and waitresses in French restaurants usually leave diners alone to eat (or just sit) for as long as they wish. That's great, but when you actually want to pay your bill and leave, attracting your server's attention can be difficult.
Pennsylvania Dutch
The Germans of Lancaster County
Their language is based on German, not Dutch, but that's the kind of confusion that occurs when you try to get to Paradise by going through Intercourse.
Sleep Debt
Wake now, pay later
Do credit card balances and car payments keep you up at night? If so, you may be accumulating yet another form of debt, and the only way to pay it off is to stay in bed.