What old sitcoms reveal about America’s rising cost of housing
Carrie Bradshaw’s life on “Sex and The City” wasn’t quite as unrealistic as you might think. There’s no way she could have afforded routine...
Should we automate the CEO?
Last August, NetDragon Websoft — a Hong Kong-based online gaming firm with $2.1B in annual revenue — appointed a CEO to helm its flagship...
Why some travelers fly across the world without leaving the airport
A few years ago, Kimi Coy and her mother, Carolyn Benyshek, booked a mother-daughter trip to Singapore. Benyshek flew 2.5 hours from Colorado Springs...
How the inventor of the troll doll missed out on a fortune
In the early 1960s, America was invaded by trolls. Equipped with goofy grins, beady eyes, and wild tufts of hair, the pudgy little creatures...
The Manhattan high-rise that shrunk itself down
Animation: Zachary Crockett In the fall of 1992, residents of the Upper East Side of Manhattan could not escape the sense that they were...
Why athletes (and some remote workers) owe a ‘jock tax’ wherever they go
If you file your taxes through TurboTax or a similar online service, you’ve likely seen a certain question during your annual return: “Did you...
What the hell are stock buybacks?
Over the past decade, American corporations have raked in record-setting profits. On a quarterly basis, corporate gains have surged by 80%+ over the last...
Why snow costs America a fortune every year
In the winter of 1979, a powerful Chicago political dynasty began to collapse. Michael A. Bilandic, a cog in Richard J. Daley’s political machine,...
How two sisters monopolized the identical-twins business
On Nov. 14, 1994, Debbie and Lisa Ganz opened a new restaurant in Manhattan. The 20-something sisters, having raised money from friends, made the...
The millionaire who lost it all and became a castaway
The first thing I learned about the ex-millionaire castaway is that he loves to talk politics. For the first 30 minutes of our recent...
The sneaky economics of Ticketmaster
It was the type of disaster that made Americans reconsider the concept of live music sales. An iconic female artist, whose popular love songs...
The quiet disappearance of the safe deposit box
In the opening sequence of The Bourne Identity, a young Matt Damon wakes up with no idea who he is. All he has is...
Can you get sued for using a meme?
You’ve likely seen Success Kid. The image depicts a toddler smugly clenching his fist on a beach. In meme form, it’s typically overlaid with...
How America’s top real estate agent sells 16 homes every day
Try to picture the top-selling real estate agent in the world. Are you thinking of a New Yorker in a skyscraper who has befriended...
The fight to build more public bathrooms in America
One spring evening in 2005, Carol McCreary filed into a meeting of her neighborhood association in Portland, Oregon. The group was setting its agenda...
The strange business history of the Ouija board
On a recent weekend in Salem, Massachusetts, I wandered into the Salem Witch Board Museum. The site of America’s infamous witch trials in 1692, Salem...
How nuns got squeezed out of the communion wafer business
Sister Ruth Starman opens the door to a red brick building on the sprawling 500-acre campus of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration. She...
The economics of Costco rotisserie chicken
Chicken holds a special place in the carnivore’s heart. This year, the average American will scarf down 99 lbs. of chicken, handily outranking our...
The banker who caused the 1929 stock crash
Around noon on one of the worst days in the history of Wall Street, Charles E. Mitchell hurried up the steps of the House...
How one of America’s last piano manufacturers stays alive
Inside an old brick building in the leafy town of Haverhill, Massachusetts, you’ll find one of the last vestiges of a once-formidable industry. Entering...
The family that built a ballpark nachos monopoly
At a Texas Rangers baseball game, the voice of a concession stand employee cuts through the din of the upper deck concourse. “Another ballpark...
The small town that saved its only grocery store — by buying it
In the final days of May 2020, residents of Erie, Kansas, received a letter in the mail from their city government. The self-addressed envelope...
What happens when your brand is co-opted by extremists?
The Pit Viper headquarters in Salt Lake City, Utah, is a shrine to carefree, bro-tastic vibes. Inside the offices of the ’90s-themed sunglasses company,...
The architect who became the king of bank robberies
The period between 1850 and 1920 was full of colorful ne’er-do-wells. Career criminals like Jesse James, John Dillinger, and Butch Cassidy gained infamy for...
Why gas is actually cheap in America
This summer at the local gas station in Tabor, Iowa, Stacey Rycroft and her husband reached an undesirable milestone: $100 to fill the tank...
Why is rent skyrocketing?
Back in May, Jennifer Davis received a written notice from her landlord: In 30 days, her rent would go from $1.4k to $1.8k —...
The people making millions off Listerine royalties
For the 26 years that Catherine Schweitzer has worked at the Baird Foundation, a nonprofit based in Buffalo, New York, her organization has relied...
Why expensive housing prices aren’t good for most real estate agents
As real estate agent Takarah Culp missed on home after home last summer, she started to wonder if she was doing something wrong. Culp...
America’s favorite family outings are increasingly out of reach
Earlier this summer, Steven Martinez made a promise to his two young kids: He’d finally take them to Disneyland, the “happiest place on Earth.”...
The $500m smiley face business
The Smiley Company office in London, England, is a wonder to behold. Smiley paintings line the walls. Smiley push pillows adorn the couches. There...
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