Distillations

John Harvey Kellogg’s Battle Creek Sanitarium was at the intersection of new ideas of religion, health, and nutrition.

In the late 19th century, a golden age for political caricature, images of alchemists in the workshop were neither academic nor obscure. 

The way the city tackled its water pollution problems has made it an unexpected pioneer.  

Dive into the world of nixtamalization, a chemical process that allowed the Mesoamerican empires to thrive and tacos to taste good.

Health fads come and health fads go, though few were as downright odd as the 1920s’ and 1930s’ craze for yeast cakes.

How hard can it be to make a gemstone? Plenty hard. People have been trying for almost 2,000 years, but success finally beckoned in 19th-century France.

Eleanor Roosevelt thanks a chemical engineering firm in Philadelphia for manufacturing water for the king and queen of England on their visit to the United States.

Have you ever wondered how chicken nuggets are made?