Archive
Pieces
Point Nemo Is So Remote the ISS Is Sometimes Its Closest Neighbor
Somewhere in the deep waters of the South Pacific, there exists a spot so isolated that no human being has ever lived
Liechtenstein Is Doubly Landlocked, a Unique Case in the World
Perched between Switzerland and Austria, the Principality of Liechtenstein ranks among the smallest sovereign states in the world, with a total area
Kowloon Was the Most Densely Populated City in All of Human History
Few places on Earth have ever packed as many human lives into as small a space as the Kowloon Walled City, that
Costa Rica Abolished Its Army in 1948 and Never Needed One Again
Among the most radical and enduring political decisions of the twentieth century in Latin America, Costa Rica's stands apart. In 1948, this
This Dutch Village Has No Roads, You Get Around by Boat
Imagine a village where there is literally no paved road connecting the houses to one another. No engine noise, no traffic jams,
The Word "Robot" Comes from a Czech Play, Not Science Fiction
The word robot is now part of everyday vocabulary, used to describe everything from an automatic vacuum cleaner to a Hollywood science-fiction
The Cassette Tape Was Meant to Replace a Dictaphone, Not Conquer Music
When people think of the audio cassette, the collective imagination immediately conjures up Walkmans, mixtapes, and shelves of vinyl records pushed aside.
Wi-Fi Was Born from the Hunt for Black Holes, Not Telecoms
Every time you connect to your home network, you are unknowingly using a discovery that came out of the most cutting-edge astrophysics.
3D printing already existed back in the 1980s
Only in the past few years has 3D printing established itself in the public imagination as a resolutely modern innovation, driven by