Articles by Elizabeth Lawrence

Roughly a decade after the end of the American Revolution, a young Yale graduate by the name of Eli Whitney found himself stranded in Georgia. Unemployed, broke, and desperate to find work, Whitney met Catherine Greene, a local plantation owner… Read More

Most of the inventors throughout history were men, but in the early twentieth century, one woman made her mark in the male-dominated arena: Mary Anderson. Mary Anderson and Windshield Wipers Amid the chill of winter in 1903, Anderson traveled from… Read More

Orville and Wilbur Wright – most commonly known as the “Wright Brothers” – were the men behind what is arguably one of the greatest inventions of modern history: the airplane. The Ohio brothers successfully flew the first powered and controlled… Read More

Ever since the global pandemic – and perhaps a bit before – people around the world have become somewhat obsessed with disinfecting every surface and keeping oh-so-scary germs at bay. But what if getting some dirt under our fingernails is… Read More

On March 10, 1876, Alexander Graham Bell placed the first telephone call to his assistant, Thomas Watson. His message was brief: “Mr. Watson, come here. I want to see you.” Though the words were somewhat distorted, Watson could still understand… Read More

Every year on the final Monday in May, Americans observe Memorial Day, a federal holiday that honors US troops who gave their lives while serving in the military. Originally called “Decoration Day,” the special occasion was first recognized in 1868… Read More

Henry Ford is often credited with inventing the automobile, but, in reality, Ford invented a process called the moving assembly line, which helped transition automobiles from a luxury good to a product that middle-class Americans could afford. He used the… Read More

Thomas Edison was one of the most prolific inventors in American history. Once the world-record holder of 1,093 patents, Edison invented creations ranging from the first practical incandescent light bulb to a motion picture camera. Before his death in 1931,… Read More

When Mother’s Day first became a holiday in early 20th-century America, mothers – dressed in tight corsets, long skirts, and bulky shoes – spent far less time focusing on their children than modern mothers do. It wasn’t necessarily because they… Read More

From Facebook and Instagram to Snapchat and TikTok, it seems like a new wildly popular social media platform pops up every couple of years, ready to snare teens and adults alike in its addictive trap. Amid rising concerns about the… Read More

From changes triggered by puberty and academic pressure to seemingly inescapable technology, teenagers simply aren’t getting enough quality sleep – and, according to new research, the problem is getting worse. Teen Sleep According to a study from the Journal of… Read More

The Civil War, the deadliest conflict in American history, was a battle between the North and the South over the issue of slavery. It was not only fought on bloody battlefields but also in the shadows, where spies risked their… Read More