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Surveillance is often an integral aspect of every modern spy movie. From the 1954 Hitchcock film Rear Window to the Bourne Identity franchise. We’ve always been fascinated with spies. There’s even a museum dedicated to this secret profession! In the late 19th century, C.P. Stirn…

The Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin holds more than 10,000 vintage movie posters. From silent era film ephemera to current movie posters, you’re bound to spend hours exploring the collection. The famous Paramount Theatre in Austin, TX was operated by Interstate A bulk of…

The objective of corsets was to improve on the body type of every woman. Emphasis was on the waist. By the 1880s the corset had become an elegant and desirable object in a woman’s wardrobe with much attention paid to its design and execution. Corset makers and manufacturers took great pride in p…

Of the many shortages of goods and services in the early years of the U.S. Civil War, none was more interesting than the shortage of coins and the enterprising and creative solutions to remedy that shortage using postage stamps. In 1862, paper money was not backed by gold or silver and, there…

In the United States today, lotteries are run by 46 jurisdictions: 43 states plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and (US) Virgin Islands. Hot Lotto. Decades of Dollars. Wild Card 2. 2by2. MegaHits. Tri-State. Mega Millions. Powerball . Win for Life. Pick 10. Mid-day Numbers. MatchPlay. T…

During the American Civil War, soldiers were concerned that their bodies would not be identified in the aftermath of a battle because neither the Union nor Confederate government-issued identification tags, commonly called “dog tags” today. Consequently, many soldiers would write their name …

How the “Sporting Life” impacted the social and cultural development of America: The Black Fives Era of Basketball (1904-1950) explores the important role of African American basketball teams. “The Black Fives” is a short film by award-winning director Marco Williams, produced by the New Y…

I recently came across a sketch I had made back in 1989 for a U.S. postage stamp which I had designed, issued in 1995. What caught my eye was a notation I’d put on it saying that it was the first time I had used my spanking new first computer in the process, a Macintosh II. From the perspective …

Some stores still use them: a rubber-footed canister that speeds through a maze of tubing via compressed air, delivering receipts and change with a satisfying ‘thonk.’ At one point, most of the major cities of Europe and America even had such pneumatic tube service integrated with the postal s…