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The Weight
Episode 466
Fitness trends come and go. But the simple weight is an anchor in the shifting tides of culture. As workout equipment has become canonized within the…
4 years, 3 months ago
Shirley Cards
Episode 465
Even if we think of the camera as a neutral technology, it is not. In the vast spectrum of human colors, photographic tools and practices tend to pri…
4 years, 4 months ago
Finding Julia Morgan
Episode 464
Born in 1872, American architect and engineer Julia Morgan designed hundreds of buildings over her prolific career, famous for her work on incredible…
4 years, 4 months ago
Fifty-Four Forty or Fight
Episode 463
At a glance, the border between the United States and Canada would seem to be at the friendlier end of the international boundary spectrum. But even …
4 years, 4 months ago
I Can't Believe It's Pink Margarine
Episode 462
Margarine is yellow, like butter, but it hasn't always been. At times and in places, it has been a bland white, or even a dull pink. These strange va…
4 years, 4 months ago
Changing Stripes
Episode 461
Rioters carried many familiar flags during the January 6th insurrection at the United States Capitol -- Confederate, MAGA, as well as some custom-mad…
4 years, 4 months ago
The House that Came in the Mail Again
Episode 323
The Sears & Roebuck Mail Order Catalog was nearly omnipresent in early 20th century American life. By 1908, one fifth of Americans were subscribers. …
4 years, 5 months ago
Corpse, Corps, Horse and Worse
Episode 460
When it comes to English spelling and pronunciation, there is plenty of rhyme and very little reason. But what is the reason for that? Why among all …
4 years, 5 months ago
Yankee Pyramids
Episode 459
Presidential libraries are tributes to greatness, "[a] self-congratulatory, almost fictional account of someone's achievements, where all the blemish…
4 years, 5 months ago
Real Fake Bridges
Episode 458
The great Jacob Goldstein, author of Money: The True Story of a Made Up Thing, stops by to tell us two stories about the design of paper currency aro…
4 years, 5 months ago