Culture

Aloha Wanderwell, the World’s Most Widely-Traveled Woman

If Indiana Jones was real, he’d be a woman. More specifically, he’d be this woman: Aloha Wanderwell. Aloha was quite unlike anyone else of her time. An explorer, vaudevillian, filmmaker, wife, and mother, she...

Sarah Simonovich

June 12, 2018

Culture

What is horsepower?

Even if you’ve never so much as looked at a horse in your entire life, you’ve probably heard the term horsepower plenty of times. Whether it’s a car commercial or your friend talking about his fancy new...

Sarah Simonovich

June 5, 2018

Culture

Strike a Pose: Food Photography and Styling

In a world of social media and advertising, looks are everything—and I’m not just talking about people here. The way our food looks is super important. If it doesn’t appear fresh, we’re probably not...

Kayleigh DeMace

May 30, 2018

Category - Culture

Looking for some fun facts, interesting histories, or incredible stories? Humans and human stories are fascinating. Join us as we explore mankind’s earliest relationships with petroleum, industry, technology, and everything in-between.

Culture Energy Industry

From Reservoir to Rig: The Petroleum Exhibit for Future Professionals

Over 35,000 petroleum engineers work in the United States each year. They work at drilling sites under the hot desert sun, in the cool air of the Arctic, and up against waves in the high seas. They’re also in...

Kendra Kuhar

June 7, 2017

bauhaus, architecture, bauhaus school, dessau, gropius, design, mass production, bauhaus design

Culture

How the Staatliches Bauhaus Fused Art and Industrial Design

“If today’s arts love the machine, technology and organization, if they aspire to precision and reject anything vague and dreamy, this implies an instinctive repudiation of chaos and a longing to find the form...

Sarah Simonovich

June 5, 2017

Autos Culture

The Curse of James Dean’s Porsche 550 Spyder

I’ll never forget the first time I saw a James Dean film. I was in a Classic Movie Club in high school and one of the first films we watched was Rebel Without a Cause. I absolutely fell in love. I went out and bought a...

Kayleigh DeMace

May 31, 2017

Culture

Memorial Day Tribute

“We do not know one promise these men made, one pledge they gave, one word they spoke; but we do know they summed up and perfected, by one supreme act, the highest virtues of men and citizens. For love of country they...

Kendra Kuhar

May 29, 2017

industrial revolution, steam engine, steam power, 19th century, 18th century, industry, industrial outpost

Culture

The Industrial Revolution Was a Steamy Time in History

And we don’t mean Soap Opera steamy–although things were certainly hot. When it comes to steam technology today, most of us might think of carpet cleaning, fancy showers, and perhaps 19th-century industrial...

Sarah Simonovich

May 24, 2017

time, clock, millennium clock, 10000 year clock, clock of the long now

Culture

How Do You Lubricate a 10,000 Year Clock?

Time flies when you’re busy contemplating the next ten millennia… Time. It’s on your side. It’s changing. It’s not in a bottle. We try to remember it, but as far as we know, we can’t turn...

Sarah Simonovich

May 17, 2017

natural rubber, rubber tree, rubber plant

Culture

Oops There Goes Another Rubber Tree Plant: the History of Natural Rubber

He’s got high hopes…about rubber Rubber plays an important role in the function of your car (the tires). It played an important role in the development of stylish, waterproof rainwear. Without rubber, even...

Sarah Simonovich

May 10, 2017

Culture

What Do Steam Cars and Stephen King Have in Common?

Photography, steam cars, and a haunted hotel all have something in common–a pair of brothers born in 1849. The Stanley Brothers Freelan Oscar and his identical twin brother Francis Edgar were two of six children...

Sarah Simonovich

April 26, 2017

Culture

Everything You Need to Know About Microfibers and Their Impact on Ocean Life

Here’s a statistic for you: 95% of waterways’ plastic pollution comes from microfibers. This is compared to the 5% produced by microbeads—the little beads found in many exfoliating face washes. I’ve often questioned my...

Kayleigh DeMace

April 19, 2017

Culture Energy

What Exactly Are Sponge Parks?

When I first heard the term “sponge park” I envisioned children running around in a park pretty much made of sponges. In my mind, it was a water park, of sorts. Children bounced around on soft sponges and soaked them in...

Kayleigh DeMace

April 12, 2017