Object Lessons
Articles published in partnership with Object Lessons
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Radu Sigheti / Reuters A Birth Certificate is a Person’s First Possession
Around the world, the document establishes legal, social, and economic legitimacy. But it also makes compromises. An Object Lesson.
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Daniel Sambraus / Getty How the Index Card Cataloged the World
Carl Linnaeus, the father of biological taxonomy, also had a hand in inventing this tool for categorizing anything. An Object Lesson.
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Richard Baker / Getty Dog Poo, an Environmental Tragedy
When industrial fertilizer replaced dung heaps, its spoils helped fund the spread of plastics. An Object Lesson.
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Kristine Paulus How a Glass Terrarium Changed the World
The Wardian case made intercontinental plant transport possible—and helped spread empires. An Object Lesson.
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Ross D. Franklin / AP How Racial Data Gets 'Cleaned' in the U.S. Census
The national survey offers more identity choices than ever—until those choices get scrubbed away. An Object Lesson.
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Araldo De Luca / Getty The Saintliness of Undecayed Corpses
In the medieval church, “incorrupt” remains signaled virtue, chastity, and holiness. An Object Lesson.
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Benoit Tessier / Reuters Your Bones Live On Without You
The human skeleton inspires wonder and terror because it lasts much longer than its owner. An Object Lesson.
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Stephanie Keith / Reuters The Underclass Origins of the Little Black Dress
The upper classes once imposed the fashion staple on their servants—then they stole it back from them. An Object Lesson.
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Louis Nastro / Reuters How to Escape a Death Spiral
The aviator’s hazard offers a lesson about responding to supposed crises. An Object Lesson.
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Susan Walsh / AP The Contentious Physics of Wiffle Ball
An engineer sheds light on the ball’s much-debated curve. An Object Lesson.
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Supri Supri / Reuters Oil Barrels Aren't Real Anymore
Once a cask that held crude, the oil barrel is now mostly an economic concept. An Object Lesson.
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Gary Hershorn / Getty The Thunderstorm Whisperers
For centuries, lightning rods have tamed the heavens, more or less unchanged. An Object Lesson.
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Seth Wenig / AP The Lost Origins of Playing-Card Symbols
Cards have been used for gambling, divination, and even commerce. But where did their “pips” come from? An Object Lesson.
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Sergey Pashko Why It’s Better to Carry Weight on Your Head
People have done it for centuries. Maybe everyone still should. An Object Lesson.
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Bettmann / Getty The Moral History of Air-Conditioning
Cooling the air was once seen as sinful. Maybe the idea wasn’t entirely wrong. An Object Lesson.
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Bettmann / Getty The Hair Dryer, Freedom’s Appliance
For a century, the device has promised more than dry hair. An Object Lesson.
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The Thanatos Archive / Jack Mord Pictures of Death
When photography was new, it was often used to preserve corpses via their images. An Object Lesson.
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Mircea C / Shutterstock Why Geologists Think Glacial Mountains Look Like Sheep
Thank the French. An Object Lesson.
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Tim Griffith / Leddy Maytum Stacy Architects How Wheelchair Accessibility Ramped Up
Ramps evolved from a Greek tool for dragging ships to the front lines of disability activism. An Object Lesson.
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Christian Hartmann / Reuters The Troubled History of Horse Meat in America
The White House wants to reinstate the sale of horses for slaughter, but eating horse meat has always been politically treacherous. An Object Lesson.
