He was addicted to success — and it destroyed his life — Mileva Marić — formerly Mileva Marić-Einstein — refused to mourn the termination of her marriage. Toward the end of her life, she would deny ever being married to the most well-renowned physicist in history. In 1902, Albert Einstein was working a dead-end job. Mondays through Fridays were filled with “soul-destroying”…

Creativity is more than innate talent — it’s a way of life — At first, I thought my wife was just trying to get me off the couch. But it’s true! Men who cook, clean, and change diapers are significantly more creative than their non-dishwashing peers. Psychologist Dr. Torsten Norlander assessed the correlations between volunteers’ gender and creativity, and made a startling conclusion…

This Japanese Lotte Artist is Turning Mugs into Masterpieces — Kazuki “George” Yamamoto was just a barista at a small cafe in Osaka. Most of his time was spent serving lattes, pouring milk in the shape of a heart, and giving the drink a few swirls. George didn’t exactly hate his job, but he constantly wished he could do something…

You don’t need more ideas — stop discarding the ones you already have — During the early Qing dynasty, Zhang Shaoxian united the various retellings of Mulan into a single novel. Zhang’s epic masterpiece was the first to emphasize Mulan’s brilliance and resourcefulness — during the final battle, she tricks the enemy into thinking she has the resources to start an avalanche, forcing them…

Humanity’s last hope for survival is a bit different from what you would expect — The climate crisis has gone on for too long. The polar ice caps are melting, untold millions of animal species are going extinct, and temperatures are spiraling out of control. But humans aren’t alone in this battle to reclaim our planet. Dr. Gregory Wentworth, professor of chemistry at the University…

Ernest Hemingway’s “most important thing I’ve learned” is NOT write every day — In 1934, Arnold Samuelson had just finished studying journalism at the University of Minnesota. But upon encountering a $5 diploma fee, he refused. Making a split-second decision, he dashed out of the registrar’s office, through an open field, and lept into a cargo train just as it was pulling away…

People want mirrors of themselves, not your vulnerability — In 2018, Instagram model Sarah Elshamy starred in a commercial featuring Huawei’s newest phone. Afterward, Elshamy uploaded special behind-the-scenes photos, revealing how “selfies” used for the advertisement were actually taken by a professional photographer using a DSLR camera. Almost instantly, Elshamy came under intense criticism. Many of her fans felt…

Oppression will always be a major part of our economy — Thomas Affleck was a businessman. Frequently visiting plantations and studying what practices maximized output, this man was proud of how he had turned slavery into a science. Over the years, managers across the country began applying Affleck’s findings to their own slaves — and many of his recommendations are still…

Do you ever feel as if your creativity is being used up? Here’s why — “Apple successfully breaks a lot of rules,” PC Magazine’s lead editor wrote back in 2007, “But it can’t break the laws of physics.” A now-retracted Bloomberg article insisted the smartphone would only appeal to “a few gadget freaks.” BusinessWeek scoffed at the thought of Apple posing any threat to BlackBerry…