RETROREPORT.ORG

Retro Report is nonprofit. Donate Today

Popular Culture

Filter by topic:

Filter by TopicFilter by Type

Image from Future of Gaming

Future of Gaming

As gaming becomes the dominant form of entertainment this century, game developers increasingly track player behavior to tailor experiences that will keep people playing longer and spending more money.

Image from A Trusted Pill Turned Deadly. How Tylenol Made a Comeback

A Trusted Pill Turned Deadly. How Tylenol Made a Comeback

How do some companies regain public trust after something goes seriously wrong, while others fail? A look at how Tylenol responded after someone spiked its pills with poison in the 1980s sheds some light.

Image from Conspiracy Theories and Fake News from JFK to Pizzagate

Conspiracy Theories and Fake News from JFK to Pizzagate

Retro Report explores decades of conspiracy theories -- from the John F. Kennedy assassination to Pizzagate -- and what they can tell us about how we view the world today.

Image from Mr. Pilates

Mr. Pilates

Did you know, the origins of the Pilates workout stem from WWI? Learn more about the fitness regimen Joseph Pilates developed in a British internment camp in this collaboration with PBS, American Experience.

Image from Activating a Generation: From Live Aid to the Ice Bucket Challenge

Activating a Generation: From Live Aid to the Ice Bucket Challenge

Thirty years after "Live Aid" changed the face of charity fundraising, clicktivism has taken center stage. If you share, re-tweet and like, are you making the world a better place?

Image from The Outrage Machine

The Outrage Machine

In the digital age, where everyday people can suddenly become public enemy number one, how do we strike the balance between keeping free speech alive online and preventing a cyber mob from taking over?

Image from LSD and Cats

LSD and Cats

The early science of hallucinogens in the 1950s and '60s was "kind of a Wild West free-for-all." For more info on the science of spiders and drugs, visit www.drpeterwitt.com.

Image from LSD: From 60s Counterculture to Doctor's Office

LSD: From 60s Counterculture to Doctor's Office

In the 1960s, mind-altering drugs like LSD helped fuel the counter-culture. Today, psychedelics are turning on a new generation – of scientists.

Image from Growing up Gygax - The Son of D&D's Creator

Growing up Gygax - The Son of D&D's Creator

Dungeons and Dragons co-creator Gary Gygax's son explains what life was like in a household where D&D took center stage.

Image from Junot Díaz and the D&D Revolution

Junot Díaz and the D&D Revolution

Why Pulitzer Prize-winning novelist Junot Díaz says playing Dungeons and Dragons was a revolution.

Image from D&D: Lessons from a Media Panic

D&D: Lessons from a Media Panic

Dungeons and Dragons was once accused of leading children to Satanism, but today the game looks more like a solution to a problem plaguing modern parenting.

Image from Bliss Point: How Food Companies Make Us Crave Their Products

Bliss Point: How Food Companies Make Us Crave Their Products

How did food companies get us to crave their products? They discovered the "bliss point."

Image from Being in the Bubble

Being in the Bubble

The curious origin of a political metaphor.

Image from The Boy in the Bubble

The Boy in the Bubble

In the early 1970s, an unusual boy captivated the nation. Now, decades later, his story continues to unfold in remarkable ways.

Image from Censored Comics: How MAD's Al Jaffee Beat the Comics Code

Censored Comics: How MAD's Al Jaffee Beat the Comics Code

Cartoonist Al Jaffee has been causing mischief at MAD Magazine for decades and at 94-years-old, he's as irreverent as ever. A new series of Retro Report short docs produced for Facebook.

Image from Free Speech VS Censorship: Warnings From Explicit Lyrics to Trigger Warnings

Free Speech VS Censorship: Warnings From Explicit Lyrics to Trigger Warnings

Offended by lyrics they deemed too sexual and violent, Tipper Gore and Susan Baker campaigned to put warning labels on albums in 1985. Years later, warning labels have ended up in some unexpected places.

Image from When Politicians Blame Bad Behavior on Pop Culture

When Politicians Blame Bad Behavior on Pop Culture

Every so often, Congress holds a hearing on the perils of pop culture. The "peril" has evolved from comic books, to rock and hip hop music, to violence in video games, but the proceedings follow a script.

Image from Why Pinball Was Banned for Decades

Why Pinball Was Banned for Decades

Pinball was illegal? Really?

Image from How Napster Created the 'Culture of Free'

How Napster Created the 'Culture of Free'

In 1999, a file-sharing program created in a Boston dorm room sent shockwaves across the music industry and served notice that a major cultural shift was underway.

Image from Is Multiple Personality Disorder Real? One Woman's Story

Is Multiple Personality Disorder Real? One Woman's Story

In the 1970s, the TV movie “Sybil” introduced much of the nation to multiple personality disorder and launched a controversy that continues to resonate.

Image from How Prozac Turned Depression Medication into a Cultural Phenomenon

How Prozac Turned Depression Medication into a Cultural Phenomenon

When Prozac was introduced in 1988, the green-and-cream pill to treat depression launched a cultural revolution that continues to echo.

Image from How Hot Coffee Landed McDonald's in Hot Water

How Hot Coffee Landed McDonald's in Hot Water

In 1992, Stella Liebeck spilled scalding McDonald's coffee in her lap and later sued the company, attracting a flood of negative attention. It turns out, there’s more to the story.