Whatchu Talkin’ ‘Bout, Willis Tower?
They’re called “landmarks” for a reason — giant buildings that define a city, dot its skyline, and become monuments to human architectural achievement. Only the biggest and best buildings get official names, but sometimes those names change...
When Kodak Didn’t Get the Picture
In January 2012, Kodak, the company that made casual photography a reality, and a relatively inexpensive one at that, filed for bankruptcy, ending a history of nearly 130 years. While George Eastman’s company brought picture-taking to the masses, i...
Where the Wild Things Almost Weren’t
Just because a writer can craft a novel full of compelling characters, remarkable plots, and universal themes doesn’t mean they can come up with a decent name for the thing…at first. Here are some classic and familiar books that were almost publi...
January 26 is Australia Day, and so we thought we’d take a look at some inventions that we — and maybe you — didn’t know originated Down Under. Disposable Syringes In the 1940s, drug company A.M. Bickford and Sons identified a problem i...
Ask Uncle John Anything: When Tongue Met Metal Pole
It’s one of the most famous scenes in one of the most popular holiday movies of all time. In A Christmas Story, the 1983 big-screen retelling of the embellished Midwestern Christmas recollections of humorist Jean Shepherd, a kid named Flick (Scott ...
