Topic

Business & Economics

A collection of 113 issues

America's Kitchen Confidante Was a Corporate Ghost

For over a century, Betty Crocker has been a household name, but she was never a real person. She was a marketing invention whose signature, voice, and ever-changing face were meticulously crafted to mirror the evolving ideal of the American woman.

History Business & Economics Culture & Design

The Grimy, Soapy, Unlikely Origin of Play-Doh

Before it was a childhood icon, Play-Doh was a putty invented in the 1930s for a grimy purpose: cleaning coal soot from wallpaper. This is the story of how a failing household product was saved from obsolescence by a nursery school teacher's brilliant idea.

Inventions & Discoveries Business & Economics History

The Astronauts Who Insured Their Lives With an Autograph

Unable to secure life insurance for their perilous journey to the moon, the Apollo 11 astronauts created their own financial safety net. They signed hundreds of envelopes, designed to become priceless collector's items for their families to sell in the event of tragedy.

History Space & Astronomy Business & Economics

The Hidden Journey of a Subway Ticket: From a $19,000 Wafer to Your Pocket

A disposable subway ticket begins as part of a semiconductor wafer costing nearly $19,000. This expensive wafer is diced into over 200,000 minuscule RFID chips. This extreme miniaturization and mass production makes advanced technology cheap enough to be thrown away.

Technology & Innovation Business & Economics Transportation & Infrastructure

The Unwanted Convenience: How Hired Actors and a Folding Chair Sold the World on the Shopping Cart

The now-ubiquitous shopping cart was initially a flop. Invented by grocer Sylvan Goldman in 1937 from a folding chair design, it was rejected by men as effeminate and by women as an insult to their strength. He hired actors to popularize its use.

Inventions & Discoveries Business & Economics History

The Unproven Promise in Your Cough Syrup Bottle

Millions trust expectorants like guaifenesin (Mucinex) to clear chest congestion. Yet, multiple systematic reviews have found no solid proof it works better than a placebo. This challenges the foundation of a multi-billion dollar industry built on a promise.

Medicine, Psychology & Health Science & Nature Business & Economics

Heavy Metal Justice: When Cartier Brought a Steamroller to Fifth Avenue

In the mid-1980s, facing a flood of knock-offs, Cartier took a dramatic stand. On New York's Fifth Avenue, executives used a steamroller to publicly crush thousands of counterfeit watches, a bold act of marketing and a powerful defense of brand authenticity.

Business & Economics History Law, Crime & Justice

The Tetris Gambit: How a Soviet Puzzle Game Sparked a Cold War Showdown

Created by a Soviet computer scientist in 1984, Tetris sparked one of gaming's most complex IP battles after crossing the Iron Curtain. Its journey from a Moscow computer to the Nintendo Game Boy is a tale of Cold War intrigue and the universal appeal of elegant design.

History Business & Economics Technology & Innovation

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