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The Penguincubator: The 1937 Vending Machine for Books

Sir Allen Lane is the creator of Penguin Books, which is credited with popularizing high-quality mass-market paperbacks. Paperbacks existed prior to Penguin, but they were often poorly made and/or had trashy subject matter. Lane changed all that, publishing classic literature in paperback form and legitimizing the paperback and offering an affordable price (sixpence per book at launch; or about the same as a pack of cigarettes). But he didn't stop there. He also invented the "Penguincubator," a vending... READ ON

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5 Big Cities That Changed Their Names

The Four Lads sang a song in 1953 about a city that changed its name. Take me back to Constantinople No, you can't go back to Constantinople Now it's Istanbul, not Constantinople Why did Constantinople get the works? That's nobody's business but the Turks' Constantinople isn't the only city to change its name. I grew up learning about Bombay, Canton, Leningrad, and Saigon (especially Saigon), but those names aren't used much anymore. Here are the stories of a few city names, new and old. 1. Bombay... READ ON

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7 Fugitives who Became Folk Heroes

Last week, in the wake of the arrest of Colton Harris-Moore and his surprising internet fandom, we took a look at what made some criminals into folk heroes in the manner of the legendary Robin Hood. Five factors stood out in case after case: 1. The outlaw is a victim of injustice from authorities, and is paying back the favor. 2. The outlaw helps common people. 3. The outlaw is sacrificing his life for a political stance. 4. The outlaw does things the average Joe would love to try, if he had the... READ ON

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Outlaws as Folk Heroes

Nineteen-year-old Colton Harris-Moore was arrested in the Bahamas Sunday after a two-year run from the police. The "Barefoot Bandit" is accused of a string of robberies, including the theft of up to five airplanes.Â Along the way, he picked up 83,000 fans on his Facebook fan page and spawned a fan club. Harris-Moore's mother defends his actions, and has reportedly sold the rights to his story to 20th Century... READ ON

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Newly Published: Mark Twain on Interviews

Our own magazine published an interview with Mark Twain a ways back, and we stand behind it.* The guy was dead at the time, and had been for nearly a hundred years. He couldn't really object, could he? Now PBS has put forth a previously unpublished essay by Twain Concerning the Interview (in which the Interview is not our interview, but indeed any interview), and let's just say old Mr. Clemens did not much appreciate the format. Here's part of what he had to say: The Interview was not a happy... READ ON

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Information Pioneers: Sir Clive Sinclair

Growing up, my family had a series of early personal computers -- a Sinclair ZX81, a TI 99/4A, and even an early IBM Portable (which was not as portable as its name suggested). Today, let's talk about that Sinclair machine. The ZX81 was dirt cheap and extremely hard to type on, thanks to its membrane keyboard. But did I mention the dirt cheap part? Because of its price (in the US the Timex-produced variant was under $100 in the early 1980s), it was accessible to a very broad audience. It was also, if... READ ON

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11 Ways We Used Radiation in Everyday Life

Radiation as a medical cure has valid uses and definite dangers to the human body. We use radiation for diagnosis (as in x-rays) and for therapy (as in cancer treatment), but the benefits must be carefully weighed against the costs. Once upon a time, radiation in different forms was new and wondrous and had a million uses -medications, cosmetics, industrial applications, and even entertainment. It was only later that the danger became evident. 1. Radioactive... READ ON

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Ready, Aim, Fire: Scenes From Early American Dueling

Callin' out around the world: are you ready for a brand new beat? Summer's here and the time is right for duelin' in the... READ ON

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How the Indy 500 Came About

Sunday, the annual Indianapolis 500 race will be held at Indianapolis Motor Speedway. The speedway is celebrating its "centennial era" from 2009-2011, so this race is not officially referred to as "the 94th", even though that is the number of the event. Some races were skipped during wartime. The three-race, two-year celebration commemorates the opening of the speedway in 1909 and the first 500-mile race in... READ ON

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Mark Twain's 5,000-page Autobiography

Mark Twain died on April 21, 1910, and specified in handwritten notes that his massive autobiography should not be published for at least 100 years. Well, folks, it's time. In the years leading up to his death, Twain (okay, Clemens) had been working on an extensive autobiography that sounds like a zinger -- he lets it all hang out, so much so that he didn't want the public to see the thing for a hundred frickin' years, well after his status as the great American novelist was established. That collection... READ ON