How Ballpoint Pens Killed Cursive

While many blame the downfall of handwriting on computers, tablets and smartphones, its decline actually began long ago—after a man named Marcel Bich released the first Bic Crystal ballpoint pen in 1946. Back then, fountain pens were the norm, and their inks were thin and bled at the first sign of applied pressure. But with the new ballpoint pens (and their thicker inks), connecting letters …

Ancient Egyptian Women Had Eight-Foot Long Prenups

A stunning 2,480-year-old, eight-foot long scroll on display at the Oriental Institute of the University of Chicago is a legal, marital document—a prenup, in fact. However, unlike the comparable prenups of today, “they were purely economic, promising not eternal faithfulness or mutual responsibility but cold, hard cash.” Unbeknownst to many, Ancient Egyptian women actually had the same legal rights as men, says Dr Emily Teeter, …

Footage From Club Kid Michael Alig’s 1989 Party at McDonalds in NYC

Gothamist discovered footage—filmed by Nelson Sullivan—from club kid Michael Alig’s illegal bash held at a Times Square McDonalds in 1989. The hour-long video takes viewers into the party—wandering up and down stairs—as kids sing Elton John, dance, chat and rebel their youthful hearts out. It’s a journey through a party (hosted by a man who would become notorious) which is at times dull, at times …