Letters Archive

How could a cook who never felt sick make hundreds of people ill? The story of Mary Mallon changed how we think about spreading germs and showed that our actions can affect others in ways we can't see.

What happens when you're not the first to make something? The story of how one cookie company turned copying into an art form reveals an unexpected lesson about making things better.

What if getting mad at a customer led to inventing one of the world's favorite snacks? A frustrated chef in Saratoga Springs turned a complaint into a crispy discovery that changed snack food forever.

What if a kid's mistake led to a popular frozen treat? Frank Epperson's accidental discovery shows how sometimes the best inventions come from unexpected places.

What if getting lost isn't about the maze you're in, but how you handle it? The story of Theseus and the Minotaur reveals a powerful lesson about having a plan instead of trying not to get lost.

How did a team with no money use math to change baseball forever? The Oakland A's discovered that seeing numbers differently could reveal hidden patterns that everyone else had missed.

What makes a place feel welcoming or unfriendly? A Zen master's wisdom reveals how our expectations shape what we find in new places - and how changing our outlook can transform any situation.

What if your birthday shares a day with one of humanity's brightest inventions? A story about how different kinds of light - from Edison's bulb to the iPad - changed our world.