Kat Eschner

Oct 22, 2024 | smithsonianmag.com | Kat Eschner

It was a pre-Christmas miracle: on this day in 1938, when an observant curator spotted something seemingly impossible in a waste pile of fish. Marjorie Courtenay-Latimer, a museum curator in East London, South Africa, was paying a visit to the docks as part of her regular duties. One of her jobs, writes Anthony Smith for The Guardian, was to “inspect any catches thought by local fishermen to be out of the ordinary.” In the pile of fish, she spotted a fin.

Jun 11, 2024 | rom.on.ca | Kat Eschner

The felines that have captivated and influenced humans for millennia Stalking prey, rolling in meadows or simply watching the world, tail a-swish: since pre-history, humans have been fascinated by cats of all sizes. These charismatic creatures have purred and roared their way into humanity’s hearts, hearths and arts, while never losing their signature style.

May 12, 2024 | smithsonianmag.com | Kat Eschner

“We stand now where two roads diverge. But unlike the roads in Robert Frost’s familiar poem, they are not equally fair. The road we have long been travelling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at the end lies disaster.” This was the proposition of  Rachel Carson, successful scientist and science writer, author of Silent Spring, a 1962 book whose publication is linked to a nationwide ban on DDT and the creation of the EPA.

Mar 7, 2024 | smithsonianmag.com | Kat Eschner |Sonja Anderson

Never mind the gas—it was automation that got them in the end. Throughout much of the 20th century, chirping canaries were staples of the coal mining industry. As coal miners descended into the earth—entering a harsh environment often home to poisonous gases like carbon monoxide—they would bring the yellow birds along as safety mechanisms. Because carbon monoxide is clear and odorless, miners needed a method for detecting a leak before it killed them.

Feb 6, 2024 | smithsonianmag.com | Kat Eschner

There’s a saying in baseball: watch out for the heavy batter. They never have to run.  That saying may as well have started with Babe Ruth. Born on this day in 1895, George Herman Ruth first made his name as a left-handed pitcher for the Boston Red Sox. But what made him really famous was his work for the New York Yankees as a batter.