When early American colonists begun penetrating the thick interior of the North American frontier, they discovered that the vast, untouched forests extended much deeper than previously imagined. About 1 billion acres of heavily wooded land stretched from the Atlantic to well past the Mississippi River and promised settlers a wealth of useful raw timber.
Lumber Worker in White Pines, Circa 1958, Courtesy of Sierra Nevada Logging Museum
During the late 18th century, London was full of strange characters who attracted attention to themselves for one reason or another, but perhaps none so much as Jonas Hanway. A former merchant who spent several years working in Persia and Russia, Hanway was known for his eccentricities as well as his near mythic travel stories. He was wholeheartedly dedicated to various philanthropic activities, including governing an asylum for women and the poor, and writing tracts about problems within the British prison system.
The Beatles, 1965
Several years ago during my poor college days, I found a Mont Blanc fountain pen. It was lodged between the cushions of a sofa at a cafe, amongst the muffin crumbs and paper clips. I did what any good student would do: I marched right up to the counter, asked for a coffee,… and put the pen in my pocket.
John F. Kennedy, April 1961, Courtesy of Life Magazine
When Camillo Olivetti, the founder of a growing Italian typewriter company, sent his son, Adriano, to the U.S. in 1924 to study American industrialism, did he realize that he would be plotting an entirely new course for the future of his little endeavor?
Olivetti Valentine, 1969
Olive oil has long been considered one of the greatest natural assets of the ancient world (and sometimes worth its weight in gold). It has consistently offered humanity the gifts of health and wealth, and is as complex and delicious as wine. Since antiquity, olive branches have been a symbol of peace – perhaps because olive trees were an agricultural offering bestowed to the colonies after they were subjugated in battle. Wherever disseminated, olive trees were lauded for their myriad everyday uses, from the culinary to the corporal.
Fratelli Carli, Italian Olive Oil
Panama Hat
Legend has it that a common straw hat, that favorite accessory of both the leisure class and field hand, ushered in a revolution.
Or two, maybe even three. It was an businessman named Eloy Alfaro who used his vast wealth to modernize public transportation in his native Ecuador, arm rebel soldiers, secularize Catholic institutions, and bring an end to the conservative ruling party, all because his family made a fortune selling what is widely known as the Panama hat. This handcrafted accessory was the economic bedrock of Ecuador since 1835, though its future seems uncertain.
Montecristi Panama Hat "Rio Plata", image by panamas.biz
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