Business

Sell better, hire better, lead better. The operating manual for running something real.

The BRO Code. What to do, what not to do, and a few laughs on the way.

Detroit's best idea was a big engine in a cheap car

The muscle car began as a loophole, a price tag and a few engineers who knew exactly who was buying. That's still the formula worth chasing.

StorySportsMarcus Vale4 Oct 20266 min

Thanksgiving Football Began With College Kids and a Radio Man

Yale and Princeton started it in 1876. A Detroit radio owner made it permanent. Your town's high school still does it best.

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20266 min

Buy the Skinny Fruit Tree and Pick Off the First Apples

The bare-root stick beats the big potted tree with fruit on it. Here's how to choose, space and raise fruit trees through the first three years.

Coconut.com — Tell us when. We find where the sun is.

PartnerCoconut.com

Military & Vets6 min read

Read the Medal of Honor citation before you watch the movie

World War II's Medal of Honor citations are free to read and written in flat Army prose. That plainness is exactly why they hit so hard.

Poll

When did you last ask for a raise?

StoryHistoryWes Dunbar4 Oct 20267 min

Before Paul Bunyan Was an Ad, He Was a Few Thousand Real Men

The north woods camps ran on pine, pancakes and nerve. They built the Midwest, nearly burned it down, and left a lesson in how to clean up after yourself.

GuideGarden & YardSam Ortiz5 Oct 20266 min

A Kid's Garden Needs a Win by Week Four

Tomatoes and pumpkins lose kids by July. Radishes, bush beans and one giant sunflower keep them coming back out the door.

Names.com — The name is the first thing you sell

PartnerNames.com

GuideMilitary & VetsMarcus Vale4 Oct 20267 min

The World War I Heroes Worth Teaching Your Kids by Name

York, Johnson and the Hello Girls are the place to start. The World War I story your kids need most is probably sitting in your family's paperwork.

Quiz

Is your money actually in order?

Six questions. No email required, no sales pitch at the end.

StoryHistoryDean Shaw4 Oct 20267 min

The Wright Brothers Flew for Five Years Before the World Believed It

Kitty Hawk was the easy part. The hard part was the cow pasture, the newspapers that yawned, and the years they chose not to fly at all.

GuideGarden & YardNina Castellan5 Oct 20266 min

Water-Bath Canning Lives or Dies on the Acid

Jam, pickles and tomatoes are the safe starting point for home canning, but only if you get the acid right. Grandma's method won't cover it.

Ask BRO

Rehearse the raise conversation with me

Ask it

GuideHomeWes Dunbar3 Oct 20267 min

Caulk a tub and a window so nobody can tell you did it

A pro-looking caulk line has almost nothing to do with a steady hand. It comes down to what you do before the gun ever comes out.

CancerDefying.com — The research, protocols and reading in one place

PartnerCancerDefying.com

StoryHistoryMarcus Vale4 Oct 20266 min

The Railway Canada Couldn't Afford and Built Anyway

A young country promised a train to the Pacific, nearly went broke keeping its word, and finished five years early. Not everyone was thanked.

Poll

Where does your phone charge overnight?

GuideGarden & YardWes Dunbar5 Oct 20267 min

Save Tomato and Bean Seed First and Leave the Squash Alone

Seed saving is easy with the right five crops and a jar of stinking tomato goo. Pick the wrong ones and next summer gets weird.

GuideSurvival & Self-DefenseWes Dunbar3 Oct 20267 min

Fire Without Matches Is a Tinder Problem, Not a Spark Problem

A ferro rod, a bow drill and a 9-volt battery will all make fire. Only one should be your plan, and none of them work without the boring part.

GermProof.com — An invisible germ barrier on your skin for hours

PartnerGermProof.com

StoryHistoryMarcus Vale3 Oct 20267 min

The Pony Express Went Broke Delivering the Mail on Time

For eighteen months, kids on fast horses beat the clock across 1,900 miles of open country. The company lost a fortune doing it. The ride was worth it.

Quiz

Does your wardrobe actually fit you?

Five questions, honestly answered, and a plan for the next fortnight.