'LO LIFES
When Polo Brought Hip-Hop Fashion To The Country Club
The rise of Polo as streetwear marks the inception of hiphop’s march to the fashion boutique.
timeline.com
PEOPLE WERE NOT PLEASED
That Time FDR Moved Thanksgiving
In 1939, the fourth Thursday was set to fall late, on November 30. FDR worried that was too close to Christmas, and wouldn’t give people enough time to, ahem, stimulate the economy. So he up and moved Thanksgiving to the 23rd.
GRAPHIC PHOTOS
The Parisian Whose Photos Changed Homicide Investigations Forever
Alphonse Bertillon helped bring the mugshot into wide use and changed the way crime scenes were photographed.
LET IT BURN
The Best Trash Fires In History, In Photos
Make the smell of smoldering garbage great again.
A PIONEER IN EVIL
The First Copycat Mass Shooter
In 1966, Robert Benjamin Smith inaugurated murder for the media age.
IT'S NOT DELIVERY, IT'S DEPRESSION
Your Sad Workday Lunch Has Its Origins In New York City
It’s New York’s fault, really. When lunch outside the office got too crazy, people began retreating to their desks. Top that off with decades of increasing productivity pressures and on-demand delivery options and you’ve got the recipe for today’s sad desk lunch, with only a greasy keyboard for company.
(SLIGHTLY NSFW)
Hollywood’s First Major Scandal Is A Mystery To This Day
In the fall of 1920, Olive Thomas and Jack Pickford arrived in Paris for their second honeymoon. Days later, Olive died after drinking toxic mercury bichloride. Was it suicide? Did Jack poison his wife?
SHELLS OF THEIR FORMER SELVES
The Amusingly Sad Second Lives Of Former Taco Bells
Taco Bell is one of the most recognizable fast food franchises in the country — even after their shuttered locations have been repurposed.
THE SAMIZDAT BOP
These Teens Danced In The Face Of Soviet Communism
Soviet enforcers tried to keep a lid on Western influence. Teenage rebels — stilyagi — got their kicks in secret clubs and listened to bootleg rock records made from X-ray film.
WE'VE COME... NOT FAR ENOUGH
A (Not Very Pretty) Visual History Of Virtual Reality Headsets
VR still hasn't quite broken into the mainstream, and part of the reason why may have to do with those... head things.
A DARK END
In One German Town, 1,000 People Killed Themselves In 72 hours
Rather than surrender to the Red Army, citizens of Demmin committed "selbstmord."
'PAUPERS, BEGGARS AND THIEVES'
America's 'Worst' Family
At the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair, one panel in the eugenics exhibit showed the genealogy of the best family in America: the Roosevelts. Juxtaposed to that was another panel, showing the genealogy of the worst family in America: the Ishmaels.
FASHION REBELS
Punk Culture In World War II France
In protest of Vichy ideology and enforced austerity, zazou followers challenged the image of an obedient, gender-normative, homogenized French citizenry.
LAGGARDS AND LUDDITES
The Opposite Of The Early Adopter Has A Name, And It Isn’t Kind
Smartphones feel ubiquitous. But they’re not. One in five Americans has yet to buy one. And that raises a question: Who are the holdouts?
THE WALLED GARDEN WAS SUPER EXCLUSIVE
It Was Much Easier To Police The Internet When Only A Few Million People Were Online
Back in the day, AOL used to literally kick people off the internet for trolling.
YES YOU, BARNEY
A Brief History Of Annoying Children's TV Characters
Television programming for children is not known for its subtlety. Keeping the attention of small viewers requires literal bells and whistles, which means TV shows for kids are usually loud, bright, and, frankly, pretty annoying.
WE CAN FEAR RUSSIA FROM OUR HOUSE
Bear, Bolshevik, Buffoon, Spy: The American Tradition Of Fearing Russia
The Cold War may be over, but Americans are still hold on to stereotypes.
BARACK THE UNMERCIFUL
Obama Is Freeing More Prisoners, But Still Way Less Than Previous Presidents
Throughout his tenure, President Obama’s hesitation to use his executive pardon power has left critics scratching their heads. Even Richard "Law and Order" Nixon let more people out of jail.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
The Boulevard Of Broken Billboards
Our billboards are the civic sludge, the highway litter, of America’s ambitions and aspirations — literally writ large.
GO FLY A KITE AND GET A MEDAL!
10 Old Olympic Sports Even You Could Have Won
From painting, to live pigeon shooting, to swimming obstacle courses over and under rowboats, and even a proposed event for grenade throwing.
