#HTE

2018’s Best Design-Related Anecdotes to Tell at a Cocktail Party

Tonight at midnight you’ll be drunk and reveling, but at some earlier point in the evening you’ll be stuck talking to some dullard at the party. Or maybe multiple dullards. Well, wear your industrial-designer-ness on your sleeve, and amaze and delight them with any of the following “Did you know?” anecdotes.

Did You Know? Bubble Wrap was Invented in 1957 as 3D Wallpaper That Failed to Sell.

America’s First Flag was a Design Disaster.

To Promote DIY Metric Rulers in the 18th Century, Paris Placed Meter-Long Marble Blocks on Public Buildings.

What Was the Purpose of Saloon Doors?

Ford Managed to Lose the First Mustang Ever Made. Here’s What They Had to Do to Get it Back.

How Woodpeckers, Polar Bears and Camels All Naturally Achieve Eye Protection.

The Technique That Alligators Frozen Alive in Ice Use to Survive.

Skeleton Sleds Go 80 M.P.H. and Have No Brakes. Here’s How They Stop–and Why They Never Show It.

What Does It Take to Be a Police Sketch Artist, and How Much Does it Pay?