Issue 23

Benjamin Spock told mothers in the mid-twentieth century to buy six dozen cloth diapers and a covered pail. Within a decade, both were obsolete.

Most ancient architectural traditions have withered, but one is enjoying a golden age: Hindu temple architecture.

Wheeled vehicles existed for 5,000 years before someone thought of running a bus service.

By betting on extreme ultraviolet lithography long before it worked, ASML became the chokepoint for cutting-edge chips.

Britain gave an elite group of engineers sweeping power and massive resources to deliver a nuclear power revolution. But their nuclear dreams crumbled.

Many countries want to copy Australia’s immigration rules. But its most-copied border policy is not the one that worked.

Japan’s railways are the finest in the world. Other countries can copy its formula.

Instant coffee seems unremarkable. It’s just powder and hot water. But making it work took decades.