TITBITS
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Space nomenclature race hots up
By Kiron Kasbekar | 26 Mar 2024
The Soviet Union was there first, achieving the milestone of sending Yuri Gagarin into space first, and called its space travelers cosmonauts, and, after the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Russians, the prime movers of the Soviet space program, have continued with that term.
How Quaker Oats grabbed customers’ attention
By Kiron Kasbekar | 07 Mar 2024
Quaker Oats, the American food products giant that was created in 1901 through the merger of many older oat millers, and was acquired by a bigger foods giant, Pepsi, in 2001, has been an innovative company. One example of its innovativeness shows in its packaging – the cereal box it launched in 1915.
How Ratan Tata turned the tables on Bill Ford
By Aniket Gupta | 27 Feb 2024
Ratan Tata, the great man from the House of Tata, is often lauded for his humility as well as charismatic persona, love for animals, larger-than-life philanthropic endeavors, and decades of hard work to expand the Tata Group. But did you know that there was a time when this Indian business leader had to face humiliation from an American businessman?
Did Coca-Cola ever contain cocaine?
By Aniket Gupta | 20 Feb 2024
Whether Musk was serious about buying the iconic cola giant is still up in the air, but the real twist comes when he mentions “Put cocaine back in it.” What on Earth did he mean by “back”? Was Coca-Cola once laced with cocaine? Have we, the unsuspecting consumers, been unwittingly sipping on a soda loaded with the white stuff? And how in the world has the brand escaped unscathed?
Sad story of the woman after whom the Mercedes car was named
By Kiron Kasbekar | 21 Dec 2023
Mercédès Adrienne Ramona Manuela Jellinek was the daughter of the Austrian automobile visionary, Emil Jellinek, and his first wife, Rachel Goggmann Cenrobert.
Why is the Apple bitten?
By Aniket Gupta | 01 Nov 2023
In the world of tech giants, Apple reigns supreme. We’ve all seen that famous apple with a bite taken out of it gracing laptops, phones, and tablets everywhere. But why the nibble?
The epic tale of Nike’s iconic logo
By Aniket Gupta | 01 Nov 2023
Once upon a time in 1964, in the land of athletic dreams, two visionary souls, Phil Knight and Bill Bowerman, came together to create a brand that would redefine sports and fashion forever.
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When words ignited horsepower: Enzo Ferrari's taunt and Ferruccio Lamborghini’s response
By Aniket Gupta | 31 Oct 2023
Imagine you are a multi-millionaire. You are living comfortably in a huge mansion; you wish to move around in, or are already a member of the rich and famous.
History of recycling glass
05 Oct 2023
Today glass is a very common item of kitchenware, which it has been for centuries. Today it has found many more uses.
Potato shaving cream
By Kiron Kasbekar | 03 Mar 2023
One day I was sitting with some friends, when one of them, who was working with a marketing agency, asked the rest of us
How did watches evolve?
By Kiron Kasbekar | 23 Nov 2022
I was reading an article on how humans and other animals evolved from their primeval ancestors. As you probably know, unless you think some god or gods just decided one fine day to create humans for some strange reason, it was by a process of natural selection!
The proof in the sand
31 Oct 2022
You may squirm, or you may throw a brickbat at me when you read this mixed metaphor. But here it is: the proof of the pudding is written in the sand.
The plural of moose
23 Oct 2022
Do you know what the plural of ‘moose’ is? You know what a moose is, right? You can see what it looks like below
What in heavens is a sandwich?
By Kiron Kasbekar | 21 Oct 2022
A sandwich is just two slices of bread with some vegetables, cheese, meat or other stuff in between.
Who was right, the Americans or the British?
By Kiron Kasbekar | 21 Oct 2022
I did know that British and American spellings of the word were different – the British write ‘tyre’, and the Americans ‘tire’. But I always thought that this was because the Americans wanted to be different from the British.
Featured
German silver: used in cutlery, music, electricals - but it’s not silver
By Kiron Kasbekar | 20 Mar 2025
This material, which was first developed in China, not Germany, and is an alloy of copper, nickel and zinc, has lost its sheen in home uses, but finds favor in electrical engineering.
Pioneers – the Wrights and Glenn Curtiss launched the aircraft industry
By Kiron Kasbekar | 17 Mar 2025
First Orville and Wilbur Wright flew their plane, the ‘Wright Flyer’, from near a small town called Kitty Hawk. Then Glenn Curtiss built planes with a very different system of controls, which has lasted until now.
What do aircraft have in common with bicycles and motorcycles?
By Kiron Kasbekar | 17 Mar 2025
From chains and sprockets to direct drives—If someone asked you what aircraft have in common with bicycles and motorcycles, how would you respond?
Radar’s ancestors: From sound mirrors to modern detection technology
By Kiron Kasbekar | 11 Mar 2025
Radar has become a well-settled technology today, especially in the field of navigation.
Nokia Bell Labs: innovations in communication, computing, technology
By Omar Almeida | 08 Mar 2025
Bell Laboratories, or Bell labs, which has now become Nokia Bell Labs, is one of the most renowned research and development organizations in the history of science and technology.
Company story – Quaker Oats
By Kiron Kasbekar | 08 Mar 2024
Quaker Oats is a company whose products I remember from my childhood days. Years before a foreign exchange crisis caused the Indian government to impose curbs on consumer product imports, we used to see a host of foreign brands in the Indian market. Including Quaker Oats, which I remember eating when I was a child, and which has been available for the past two decades or more.
How Quaker Oats grabbed customers’ attention
By Kiron Kasbekar | 07 Mar 2024
Quaker Oats, the American food products giant that was created in 1901 through the merger of many older oat millers, and was acquired by a bigger foods giant, Pepsi, in 2001, has been an innovative company. One example of its innovativeness shows in its packaging – the cereal box it launched in 1915.
Company story – Cunard Line
By Kiron Kasbekar | 12 Jan 2024
The Cunard Line started its life in Glasgow in 1839 as the British and North American Royal Mail Steam-Packet Company when Samuel Cunard was awarded the first British transatlantic steamship mail contract.
Samuel Slater – textile tycoon or traitor?
By Kiron Kasbekar | 26 Dec 2023
Samuel Slater is a name that holds significant importance in the annals of American industrial history. Often referred to as the ‘Father of the American Factory System’, Slater's contributions played a pivotal role in shaping the nation’s industrial landscape.
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