The Internet Archive is hosting a copy of the American Specimen Book of Type Styles put out by the American Type Founders Company in 1912. It’s a 1300-page book listing hundreds of typefaces and their possible use cases.
Tag Archives: history
The origins of abc
We see it every day on signs, billboards, packaging, in books and magazines; in fact, you are looking at it now the Latin or Roman alphabet, the worlds most prolific, most widespread abc. Typography is a relatively recent invention, but to unearth the origins of alphabets, we will need to travel much farther back in time, to an era contemporaneous with the emergence of (agricultural) civilisation itself.
The story of Polaroid inventor Edwin Land
One of Steve Jobs biggest heroes is Edwin Land, the inventor of Polaroid. Former Apple CEO John Sculley describes a meeting they had years ago and how both Land and Jobs felt that products existed all along — they just needed to discover them.
37signals: The story of Polaroid inventor Edwin Land, one of Steve Jobs’ biggest heroes
Seventy Years Later, Churchill’s ‘Finest Hour’ Yields Insights
Seventy years ago, on June 18, 1940, Winston Churchill, barely six weeks in office as Britains prime minister and confronted with the threat of invasion from Nazi-occupied France, rose in the House of Commons and, in 36 minutes of soaring oratory, sought to rally his countrymen with what has gone down in history as his finest hour speech.
NYTimes: Seventy Years Later, Churchill’s ‘Finest Hour’ Yields Insights
10 things tourists should know about Milton Keynes
The much-maligned Milton Keynes is included as a host city in England’s World Cup bid for 2018, meaning foreign football fans could be visiting it in their thousands. So what do they need to know?
BBC News: 10 things tourists should know about Milton Keynes
Abandoned Space Technology
Nothing seemed as modern as the space race, gleaming white rockets and cutting edge technology. Except that was decades ago, and some of the most spectacularly important pieces of technology have been left to rot. Soviet shuttle prototypes have been spotted in the most unlikely places, from the wind swept deserts of Bahrain to a river side dock, full of scrap metal, in a Moscow suburb.
Brunel: ‘The Practical Prophet’
Having a great idea is one thing, and from bridges to steam ships, Brunel was not short of a few. Ross Peters argues that the great man’s real genius, however, lay in his ability to convince financiers, inspire his workers and maintain the high standards that ensured the success of his projects.
Making the Modern World
Making the Modern World brings you powerful stories about science and invention from the eighteenth century to today. It explains the development and the global spread of modern industrial society and its effects on all our lives. The site expands upon the permanent landmark gallery at the Science Museum, using the Web and dynamic multimedia techniques to go far beyond what a static exhibition can do.