Science & Industry
Who Was the First President To Use a Car?
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Article
Today, it’s hard to imagine a president traveling without a motorcade. But when automobiles first appeared in the late 19th century, many Americans considered them loud, dangerous contraptions that frightened horses, terrified pedestrians, and seemed unlikely to replace the trusty carriage. So it makes sense that the White House didn’t embrace the automobile overnight. Instead, several presidents each claimed a different automotive “first,” reflecting America’s gradual transition from the horse-and-buggy days to the automobile era. Credit: © PhotoQuest—Archive Photos/Getty Images The First President To Ride in a Car The earliest presidential automotive milestone belongs to ...Read More
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Science & IndustryArticle47The Year That Changed American Shopping
In 1962, while Americans anxiously followed escalating Cold War tensions, witnessed the violent racial integration of the University of Mississippi, and mourned the tragic death of Marilyn Monroe, a quiet…
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Science & IndustryFact83After World War I, people used X-rays to try on shoes.
There’s a reason we typically receive X-rays only in a medical setting: Without the proper precautions, radiation is extremely dangerous. But for several decades following the discovery of X-rays in…
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Science & IndustryFact25Abraham Lincoln could plausibly have sent a fax to a samurai.
The 1860s weren’t eventful just in the United States. As the American Civil War raged in the first half of the decade and Abraham Lincoln became the first president to…
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Science & IndustryFact96The stethoscope was invented because a doctor felt awkward pressing his ear to a woman’s chest.
In 1816, a French physician named René Laennec found himself in a delicate situation. He needed to listen to the heart of a young female patient but didn’t have an…
