Then What Now
How different was the world? More than you think.

Then What Now

How different was the world? More than you think.

Articles — Page 4

The Pension Promise: How Retirement Used to Work — and Why That World No Longer Exists
Finance

The Pension Promise: How Retirement Used to Work — and Why That World No Longer Exists

For workers who retired in the 1960s and 70s, a lifetime of employment came with something that sounds almost fictional today: a guaranteed monthly check for life, healthcare that didn't threaten to bankrupt you, and a Social Security system that largely did what it was supposed to. Understanding how that world worked — and how it was dismantled — changes how you see the retirement crisis playing out right now.

Mar 13, 2026
Box Scores and Static: How Americans Followed Sports Before the Internet Knew What a Highlight Was
Travel

Box Scores and Static: How Americans Followed Sports Before the Internet Knew What a Highlight Was

Before SportsCenter, before Twitter, before your phone buzzed with a score update before you could get to your TV, being a sports fan meant patience, ritual, and a lot of staring at a transistor radio. The story of how Americans consumed sports is also the story of how fandom itself was completely rewired.

Mar 13, 2026
When Flying Was a Black-Tie Event: The Vanished Glamour of the Jet Age
Travel

When Flying Was a Black-Tie Event: The Vanished Glamour of the Jet Age

In the 1950s and 60s, boarding a commercial flight meant dressing up, sitting down to a multi-course meal, and paying what amounted to a small fortune for the privilege. Today you can cross the country for less than a concert ticket — but something irreplaceable disappeared along the way.

Mar 13, 2026
Doctors Used to Hand Out Cigarettes. A Look at Medical Advice That Aged Terribly.
Health

Doctors Used to Hand Out Cigarettes. A Look at Medical Advice That Aged Terribly.

From cigarette endorsements to prescribing bed rest after heart attacks, mainstream medicine has gotten some things spectacularly wrong — and with complete confidence. Here's a tour through the advice that once seemed settled, and what it might tell us about what we think we know today.

Mar 13, 2026
One Paycheck, One House: How America Lost Its Most Reliable Path to the Middle Class
Finance

One Paycheck, One House: How America Lost Its Most Reliable Path to the Middle Class

In 1975, a single income could put a family in a home with money left over for summer vacation. Today, two incomes barely cover the down payment. Here's the story of how one of America's most fundamental promises quietly fell apart.

Mar 13, 2026
The Six-Day Journey That Once Made America Feel Conquerable
Travel

The Six-Day Journey That Once Made America Feel Conquerable

Before jet engines shrank the continent to a five-hour hop, crossing America by train was a full-blown event — part adventure, part luxury, part national ritual. The trip took nearly a week, and passengers wouldn't have had it any other way.

Mar 13, 2026
Your Dad Bought a House on One Paycheck. Why Can't You?
Finance

Your Dad Bought a House on One Paycheck. Why Can't You?

In 1970, a single income was enough to buy a home, raise a family, and still take a summer vacation. Today, two salaries, a side hustle, and years of scrimping might barely cover a down payment. Here's how dramatically the math changed — and why.

Mar 13, 2026
Cocaine in Your Cough Syrup: The Surprisingly Recent History of American Medicine
Health

Cocaine in Your Cough Syrup: The Surprisingly Recent History of American Medicine

For most of American history, you could walk into a pharmacy and buy heroin for a headache, cocaine for a toothache, or arsenic as a general tonic — no prescription required. The system that regulates your medicine cabinet today is far newer than most people realize, and the road to get here was stranger than you'd expect.

Mar 13, 2026
No GPS, No Guarantees: What a Cross-Country Drive Actually Meant in 1955
Travel

No GPS, No Guarantees: What a Cross-Country Drive Actually Meant in 1955

Driving across America in 1955 meant paper maps, unmarked roads, and absolutely no guarantee you'd find a gas station before dark. Today's road trip is a different animal entirely — guided by satellites, cushioned by apps, and almost impossible to get truly lost on. But something changed along the way.

Mar 13, 2026