History Highways

Highways And Horizons

Reinhold Martin | Places Journal | 17th June 2025

The US Interstate Highway System dates back to the early 20C, "the crest of the liberal era". Rethinking it could provide a way both of restoring what Alexis de Tocqueville called "democracy in America", and divesting from fossil fuels. Why not nationalise Tesla and fold it into the network? This would signal that "profit, including the vast inequalities it requires, is not necessary. It is a political choice" (7,300 words)

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The Wet History Of Media In The Bathroom

Rachel Plotnick | MIT Press Reader | 12th June 2025

On the rise of "bathroom culture" beyond hygiene. This came into being in the 1980s as several factors collided: the growth in size of the average American bathroom, the craze for personal fitness, and the vogue for gadgets. The "good" body was a clean one. Water resistant entertainment devices, like shower stereos and "executive" radios that fitted around the toilet paper holder, soon followed (2,100 words)