Humanity has been trading money for goods and services for centuries, but the shopping experience we know today can be attributed directly to one man: Harry Gordon Selfridge. Selfridge began as a stock boy at the legendary Marshall Field, and over 25 years climbed the ranks to junior partner. His creative marketing efforts put Chicago…
Tag: history
The Long Drive: Recent Audiobook Reads
I’m nearly over the shell shock of new job and new town, but the only thing keeping me from snapping like a twig during my work commute is the blessing of audiobooks. I’ve had some time to explore my new local library system, and now have a healthy list of “aural reads” to keep me…
Review: Pioneer Girl
Laura Ingalls Wilder is best known for her Little House books, which tell the semi-autobiographical story of her pioneer family. These tales did not sprout fully formed from Wilder’s head — in fact, she originally penned them all together in a single autobiography she called Pioneer Girl. Wilder’s daughter Rose — a published author herself…
Review: Lincoln’s Melancholy
Most people know a few things about Abraham Lincoln: he was president during the Civil War; he “freed the slaves”; he made a killer speech at Gettysburg. But what most contemporary readers don’t know is that Lincoln was a profoundly melancholy man. Throughout his life he endured several major depressive episodes and suicide watches. Yet…
Review: The Poisoner’s Handbook
Poisons like arsenic, carbon monoxide, and chloroform have existed since the beginning of time, but it was only during America’s Jazz Age that scientists could begin to understand how these poisons affect the human body. Two men in particular — New York’s first chief medical examiner Charles Norris and toxicologist Alexander Gettler — were instrumental…