Annals Of Design: The Chinese Take-Out Container

“On Nov. 13, 1894, in Chicago, the inventor Frederick Weeks Wilcox patented a version of what he called a ‘paper pail,’ which was a single piece of paper, creased into segments and folded into a (more or less) leakproof container secured with a dainty wire handle on top. The supportive folds on the outside, fastened with that same wire, created a flat interior surface over which food could slide smoothly onto a plate.”

Risking Radiation And Assassination In The Pursuit Of Art

Artists and twin sisters Jane and Louise Wilson do what it takes for their art. “Last year, when they were refused permission to film within the Dubai hotel where the Hamas official Mahmoud Al-Mabhouh was assassinated in January 2010, it occurred to them they could solve the problem more directly. A member of their crew simply booked a night in the room.”

Long-forgotten Treasures, With No Place Called Home

“Spanning centuries and continents, the instruments worth at least $25 million by their chief caretaker’s estimate are packed and stacked in an out-of-the-way storage room with water-stained ceilings. It’s hardly the environment envisioned for them when Detroit businessman Frederick Stearns gave the University of Michigan the base of the collection a century ago with instructions that the instruments be exhibited — not invisible.”