Eli Whitney became famous for supposedly introducing interchangeable parts, despite the fact that his own muskets weren't interchangeable at all. But the idea survived, was perfected by others, and eventually helped transform American manufacturing. Kind of funny how a questionable demonstration is part of the mythology of American industrial power, and I think it’s an underlooked pillar of the American century.

Video exploring Hong Kong's history and architecture

Are Irish Americans actually "Irish"? Are immigrants to Ireland "Irish"? What does it actually mean to be Irish anyway?

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cross-posted from: https://lemmy.ml/post/41226769

by EmpireFiles, originally posted here (and on lemmy here) but age-gated by youtube.

cross-posted from: https://sh.itjust.works/post/42561795

A bunch of rich people and cops knew it would make kids more likely to do drugs and did it anyways

Fascinating look at the history of cheating in chess by Sarah Z

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/33044275

A fascinating deep-dive into the hellscape that is for-profit creative software

great presentation

cross-posted from: https://lemmy.world/post/31911837

Interesting analysis of the depictions of various fictional women and the writers behind them