The Martians of Science: An Excerpt
Hargittai’s book tells the story of five brilliant men born at the turn of the twentieth century in Budapest: Theodore von Kármán, Leo Szilard, Eugene Wigner, John von Neumann, and Edward Teller.
This Day in History: The New York Stock Exchange is Formed.
On this day in history the NYSE was formed, we take a closer look.
Sex, Lies, and Petroleum: Lord John Browne
Stuart P. Green looks at the case of Lord John Browne, once hailed as the “Sun King of the oil industry.”
Food Trends:
From Fast to Slow Food, Factory to Organic Farms
Andrew Smith, our go-to American Food guru is back again this week with a look at American food trends. What trend do you think has been, and will be, the most influential: Fast Food, Slow Food, Factory Farms or Organic Farms?
Make Music and Carpe Diem,
Or, Etymological Fiddle-Faddle
By Anatoly Liberman The names of musical instruments are often loanwords, in English they are usually from Greek (via French intermediaries) or Italian. Sometimes their original forms are transparent. Thus the medieval wind instrument shawm goes back to Greek kalamos “reed”; nothing could be simpler.
God’s Continent: An Excerpt
An excerpt from the first chapter of Philip Jenkins’s God’s Continent.
Pottsville, Pennsylvania
Ben’s Place of the Week shares it love of a good beer.
A Few Questions For Philip Jenkins
Philip Jenkins author of God’s Continent answers some questions for OUP.
The Long Stretch Gene
An excerpt from When a Gene Makes You Smell Like a Fish… about Marfan syndrome.
When a gene makes you smell like a fish
I’ve been waiting for ‘When A Gene Makes You Smell Like a Fish’ to come out in paperback for a long time! It’s one of those books where you’re so immersed in the stories you only realize later, after you put it down, how much you’ve learned. Here’s an excerpt from Chapter Two; ‘Just One Bad Apple’.
Birds and Bees and Babies
Eve Mason Ekman comments on the problem of balancing careers with children.
The Mother’s Day Gift I Want: Author Joyce Antler Helps Us Celebrate
Joyce Antler helps us celebrate Mother’s Day.
Lives Across the Pond: Nancy Astor
Nancy Astor became the first woman to take her seat in the British House of Commons.
Oxford World’s Classics Book Club: The Secret Agent
An excerpt from The Secret Agent to get you excited about our upcoming Book Club discussion.
American Food Personalities
Andrew Smith helps us weigh in on American food personalities.
A Special Ben’s Place of The Week
Can Barbara Hillary teach us about life?