Object Lessons
Articles published in partnership with Object Lessons
Writers Have Always Loved Mobile Devices
Writing boxes, popular from the 17th century, provided the same pleasure as today’s laptops and custom word processors: To make the experience of writing pleasurable, whether or not any actual writing gets done. An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
Adam Butler / AP The Draconian Dictionary Is Back
Since the 1960s, the reference book has cataloged how people actually use language, not how they should. That might be changing. An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
George Frey / AP Microfilm Lasts Half a Millennium
Millions of publications—not to mention spy documents—can be read on microfilm machines. But people still see these devices as outmoded and unappealing. An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
Mario Armas / Reuters Hot-Air Balloons Are Useless
When they were invented, the vessels promised to revolutionize travel and industry. But they soon settled into life as an entertaining diversion. An Object Lesson.
-
-
![]()
Natalie Behring / Reuters Raising the American Flag Made in China
Is the banner’s patriotism undermined when it’s manufactured abroad? An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
Karen Kasmauski / Getty Why Do People Sign Yearbooks?
Commemorative class books evolved from practical notebooks into collections of hair clippings, rhyming couplets, and “have a great summer” wishes. An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
Kirn Vintage Stock / Corbis / Getty Teaching Sobriety With ‘The Bottle’
Before and after Prohibition, temperance organizations turned the whiskey or beer vessel into a personification of American moral failure.
-
![]()
Kai Pfaffenbach How the 50-mm Lens Became ‘Normal’
It’s often called the optic that best approximates human vision, but approximation is relative. An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
John Gress / Reuters 98 Years of Mail Fraud
How the postal letter became a tool for ingenious criminality. An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
David Aaron Troy / Getty Cupholders Are Everywhere
As people spent more and more time in cars, auto interiors transformed into living spaces, where food and drink became necessities. An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
Bettmann / Getty / Katie Martin / The ... How Cycling Clothing Opened Doors for Women
Advances in biking gear had an impact on advances in gender equality. An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
Regis Duvignau / Reuters Humankind’s Most Important Material
Glass has changed the world like no other substance, but people usually overlook it. An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
Los Alamos National Laboratory The Atomic-Bomb Core That Escaped World War II
Before two deadly nuclear mishaps, scientists used to risk “tickling the tail of a sleeping dragon.” An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
Louis-Léopold Boilly The Bidet's Revival
Invented centuries ago in France, the bidet has never taken off in the States. That might be changing.
-
![]()
Lawrence Manning / Getty Women Are Reinventing the Long-Despised Speculum
The gynecological apparatus, designed by men, has a sordid history. An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
Benoit Tessier / Reuters The Jet Engine Is a Futuristic Technology Stuck in the Past
Rockets and turbofans have promised to realize dreams of transportation progress—for decades. An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
Yuya Shino / Reuters The Case for Locking Up Your Smartphone
Lockers and sleeves for phones can feel like an infringement on personal rights, but they also might save people from their worst habits. An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
Neta Alexander / Ian Bogost / The Atlantic My Pacemaker Is Tracking Me From Inside My Body
Cloud-connected medical devices save lives, but also raise questions about privacy, security, and oversight. An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
AP The Accidental Poison That Founded the Modern FDA
Elixir Sulfanilamide was a breakthrough antibiotic—until it killed more than 100 people. An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
Scott Olson / Getty Does ‘Counting Your Blessings’ Work?
Doing so has appealed to people for centuries, but the power of a gratitude list can be misused. An Object Lesson.
-
![]()
Sunset Boulevard / Corbis / Getty The Power Suit’s Subversive Legacy
Women have long borrowed from men’s dress to claim the authority associated with it. It hasn’t always worked. An Object Lesson.
