1843 Magazine brings stories of an extraordinary world to life. The Economist publication covers topics like culture, lifestyle, design, fashion, health, travel, and technology.

1843

Learn the lingo of disinformation.

Some people are elastic with the truth. Recently, false information has flourished on the internet and even affected elections, but how can we identify it? Bo Franklin, Alia Shoaib, Sasha Raspopina, Georgia Banjo and Josh Spencer provide useful insights into the international techniques and language of disinformation.

Jonathan Booth

Know what a “propaganda-condom” is?

The unlikely winner of Syria’s war.

Asma Assad is a British born, former JP Morgan banker who, some claim, has ambitions of taking over Syria's control. But how did she find herself in this unusual position? A decade on from the beginning of the Civil War, Nicolas Pelham explores the timeline of her rise to power and considers what the future holds for the First Lady.

Simon Mattacks

Banker, princess, warlord: the many lives of Asma Assad

Healing the wounds of a tragedy.

On March the 11th 2011, Japan experienced the worst nuclear disaster since Chernobyl when a tidal wave destroyed the Fukushima Dai-ichi power station and killed 15,000 people. As a schoolgirl, Yokoyama Wakana’s survival story symbolised Japan’s hope of renewal. Ten years on from their first interview, Henry Tricks talks to the now 22-year-old. In this deeply personal insight into the repercussions of disaster, he learns how the effects of loss run far deeper than the response to the initial shock, which we should prepare for as the world experiences the pandemic's collective loss.

Andi Arndt

After the tsunami: what happened to the girl from Fukushima?

How protesters turn everyday objects into tokens of defiance.

Inspired by the recent salute adopted by protesters in Myanmar, Matthew Sweet takes us through the origin stories of some of the most powerful and influential protest symbols of the last 60 years.

Malk Williams

Weapons of mass obstruction: protest symbols, from rubber ducks to pussyhats

The friendly neighbourhood barber has a subtle power of influence where others don’t.

Despite a higher infection rate than the rest of the nation, many African-Americans don’t trust the medical establishment and are reluctant to get the vaccine. Charlie McCann explores how one man is fighting back by using the barbershop community to rebut myths and encourage his loyal customers that the vaccine is safe.

Karl Miller

Are barbers the secret weapon against vaccine hesitancy?

A scientific hypothesis on the subject.

Did Avi Loeb spot an extraterrestrial spaceship in the night sky — or was it just the reflection of his own obsessions? The Harvard professor of astrophysics presented his theory that the Universe is "teeming with life, perhaps even intelligent life" in Hawaii, and three months later an interstellar object like no other was spotted by a network of telescopes there. This began a quest for answers in Loeb's life that remains until this day. Talking with Oscar Schwartz, he discusses some of his findings and why despite lacking solid evidence, he is utterly convinced we're not alone in the universe.

Sean Crisden

The alien hunter of Harvard

Navigating the intricacies of parenthood in the era of lockdowns and home-schooling.

Mark O'Connell used to scorn the idea of 'quality time'. Now he yearns for it. Here, he reflects on how families are being forced to spend most of their day together with little time for special activities that leave impactful and long-lasting memories.

I’m spending more time than ever with my children — no one is enjoying it

Our living spaces are revealing our fears and desires.

Architecture and design have always responded to disease and it’s no different with COVID-19. Virginia Heffernan reflects in The Economist's 1843 magazine on how the pandemic has forced us to cocoon, take a hyper-vigilant stance on cleanliness, and create a 'New Cosy' that may result in a generation of 'Zoomers'.

Sharon Bott

A house redivided: how the pandemic changed our homes

The gossip sheets of yesteryear have been reborn.

Recently some journalists have cut out advertisers and algorithms and started to deliver their thoughts straight to the inbox of paying subscribers. But did you know that this million-dollar industry has roots that stem back four centuries? In The Economist’s 1843 magazine, Tom Standage takes us back to the coffee-houses of 1650s London to show us that the hottest journalism model of today, is also the oldest.

Ye olde Substack: publishing’s hot new business model has 17th-century origins

Put a mask on and you lose the subtlest form of communication.

Non-verbal interactions play a massive role in the way humans communicate with each other, and even in this regard, the pandemic also seems to be having an effect. In this piece for The Economist's 1843 magazine, Ann Wroe reflects on the subtleties we lose by something as simple as not being able to see a smile on someone's face.

Emma Powell

How the pandemic wiped the smile off our faces (literally)

Jonathan Nunn: How DoorDash and Deliveroo are changing the way we eat.

These type of delivery services or apps have thrived during the pandemic, as consumers turn to them due to the requirement to stay home. However, what about the courier drivers and restaurants, particularly the independently-owned ones — are they raking in the benefits as well? In The Economist's 1843 magazine, Nunn investigates the changing dynamics of the food and restaurant industry.

"These apps charge restaurants a higher commission because they are doing more work, acting as an e-commerce portal, a marketing platform and a courier. They are also changing the perception of restaurants. Establishments become increasingly indistinguishable as customers encounter them in the same way via the interface of an app. There is none of the communal energy of a dining room, the charm of a waiter, the opportunity for spontaneous generosity."

Gulp! The secret economics of food delivery

Sustainability: In the East Kolkata Wetlands, the city’s waste is purified and turned into fish food.

But now rapacious property developers are threatening its future. Amitangshu Acharya and Sudipto Sanyal investigate this worrying story for The Economist's 1843 magazine.

"The most extraordinary thing about the wetlands, however, is their capacity to transform the sewage of a teeming metropolis into shimmering black gold. The wetlands have been variously described as the 'kidneys of Kolkata', 'the lungs of the city' and an 'indispensable heritage'. Every day 750m litres of sewage and wastewater flow into them. With nearly a century of knowledge behind them, each year some 50,000 fisherfolk and vegetable farmers turn excrement into 10,000 tonnes of fish and 50,000 tonnes of vegetables."

Michael Bott

Where there’s muck there’s brass: making money from sewage in Kolkata

Loneliness is silent, invisible and as deadly as a smoking habit.

Being forced to isolate for long periods of time due to the coronavirus pandemic, has made many people confront the idea of loneliness, their own and that of others, in ways they haven't thought of before. But, do we know exactly what being lonely is, and how does it feel like? In this poignant piece for The Economist's 1843 magazine, Maggie Fergusson seeks out those beside themselves at being by themselves, and hopes to find answers.

"In Britain 7.7m people live alone. 'Thank God London property is so extortionate,' a single, 30-something woman said to me. 'I can’t afford to buy alone, so I’m forced to carry on sharing.' The number of baby-boomers — people aged 45 to 64 — living alone is increasing year on year. Seventeen million adults in Britain are unattached. More than 1m older people feel lonely all or most of the time, and most of them do not feel able to admit their loneliness to family and friends. Loneliness is one of the chief reasons people contact the Samaritans, though often callers find it hard to admit it."

This article was originally published in 1843 magazine in January 2018.

How does it really feel to be lonely?

Meet the man descending to the bottom of the deepest trenches on the planet.

The ocean covers nearly three-quarters of the Earth’s surface yet more than 80% of it remains unexplored. However, there is someone ready to change that. Oliver Franklin-Wallis profiles Victor Vescovo in The Economist's 1843 magazine.

The last of the great explorers

The director on his obsession with understanding "evil bastards."

Armando Iannucci dropped out from his PhD on Milton's Satan — "the original evil bastard of literature" — in his own words, to bring satire to our screens. Ethan Croft, from The Economist's 1843 Magazine, catches up with the British comedian.

Nick Camm

Reading “Paradise Lost” with Armando Iannucci

"Even without visitors, the Museum is never completely silent."

Inexplicable noises, spectral sightings, sudden drops in temperature — something strange is going on at the British Museum. As the clamour over colonial restitution grows, Killian Fox investigates the collection’s restless objects.

Are ghosts haunting the British Museum?

Why the calorie is the world’s most misleading measure.

"The calorie as a scientific measurement is not in dispute. But calculating the exact calorific content of food is far harder than the confidently precise numbers displayed on food packets suggest. Two items of food with identical calorific values may be digested in very different ways. Each body processes calories differently. Even for a single individual, the time of day that you eat matters." In The Economist's 1843 magazine, Peter Wilson says why it's time for us to leave the calorie behind.

Death of the calorie

"The dark could be addictive. He pined for another immersion. This disturbed him."

When you turn off perception by going into darkness, mental imagery becomes the most intense thing there is. When we live in an age of infinite scrolling and endless interruptions, what happens when you unplug your life? Tom Lamont find out in The Economist's 1843 magazine.

Can we escape from information overload?

Forget policy, it’s an Italian-American sandwich that tests candidates’ popular appeal.

"In what is now a time-honoured tradition for politicians on the campaign trail, most candidates include a stop for a Philly cheesesteak." Josie Delap explains this peculiarity in The Economist's 1843 magazine.

Michael Satow

Why the Philly cheesesteak can swing a presidential election

On the wonders of being a grandparent; a continuation of parenthood.

So many grandchildren and grandparents have been apart for months, and in The Economist's 1843 magazine, parenting columnist Mark O'Connell wonders whether he’s missing out too. "Any time I get a kick out of something they do, I’m shadowed by the realisation of what their grandparents are missing out on. It isn’t quite death we’re talking about here, but neither is it entirely unrelated."

The anguish of grandparenting in a pandemic

Boozing away the winter blues is a long-held right.

Despite epidemiologist's advice against mass indoor gatherings, especially between multi-generational people, many are still determined to do just that this Christmas. What is it about the celebration that is so important for people, that not even the coronavirus pandemic can be a deterrent against it? Tim Smith-Laing gives his view for The Economist's 1843 magazine, and spares a thought for governments of the world: "you mess with Christmas at your own peril."

Why Christmas can never be cancelled

Is a child ennui a sign of a parent's failure, or an existential revelation?

Mark O'Connell, The Economist's 1843 Magazine parenting columnist, experienced a shocking moment with his son while being on lockdown: his child's boredom had "proceeded beyond restlessness into an encounter with the meaningless of existence itself." Here, he contemplates the moral meaning of that revelation for him as a parent.

“Dad, I’m bored”: What I learned from my son’s incurable boredom

A short, but highly valuable history of defeat.

Cleopatra made her loss richer than Octavius Caesar's victory, Napoleon's loss at Waterloo terminated his political career and sent him to die in exile, while John McEnroe's anger in losing "was parlayed into a kind of cultural super-strength." In the context of Donald Trump refusing to concede victory in the US elections, Matthew Sweet analyses in The Economist's 1843 magazine how the way we respond to defeat, reveals who we are.

Lessons in losing, from Cleopatra to Thatcher

Succesful London restaurateurs explain what drives us to dine out.

Lockdown measures all around the world have had a drastic impact on the hospitality industry, forcing some restaurants out of business, and others to re-think their business models entirely. Henry Hitchings explores for The Economist's 1843 Magazine, the qualities that make restaurants an integral part of societies.

Why do people go to restaurants? It’s not about the food

What are we losing by bringing our working lives into our homes?

The discussion on whether working from home will ever fully replace having to go to the office had escalated quickly over the last decade. However, thanks to COVID-19, some business are discovering they can maintain a high level of efficacy with their employees working from home, making them wonder if keeping an office makes sense anymore. Writing in 1843 Magazine, Catherine Nixey explores.

Death of the office

Britain's 'digital Machiavelli' embodied a data revolution, but his abrasiveness cost him dearly.

Boris Johnson’s chief adviser had a vision of government by data. But when the pandemic gave him a chance to remake the British state, he flunked it. Hal Hodson and Kat Hall chronicle Dominic Cummings' downfall for The Economist's 1843 magazine.

How Dominic Cummings wasted the greatest opportunity of his life

Is living in the present overrated?

"Many moments of happiness are about anticipation, the joy of the imagined future — and distracting ourselves from the tedious, exhausting or difficult present. Yet even our small consumer choices or our musings about what to do this weekend now bring us back to the big, overpowering reality of the pandemic. We cannot escape it. Our daydreams have come crashing back to earth: 2020 is the year that the future was cancelled." Catherine Nixey reflects for The Economist's 1843 magazine.

Ashley Klanac

Mindfulness is useless in a pandemic

Theodore Roosevelt went "hunting for science," while Bill Clinton had some $16 million in debt to pay.

In The Economist's 1843 magazine, Matthew Sweet puts together a fantastic compilation of endeavours  US presidents' took on after they left the White House, exploring how some were blessed with wealth well before their time in charge, while others achieved things that made their presidency look like an interlude.

"Presidential pay is no longer as generous. At the moment it’s $400,000 a year. But since 1958 it has come with a pension for which all living presidents are eligible — this is linked to the pay of senior government officials, and is currently set at $219,200. The measure helped save the dignity of Harry S. Truman, whose main source of income before the Former Presidents Act took effect was the $112.56 a month he received in recognition for his military service."

The painter and the zebra-hunter: what presidents do after leaving office

In 1793, a yellow fever outbreak prompted a fraught discussion about race. Here is what happened next.

"I first read about these 18th-century nurses when I was quarantined in my own flat in Philadelphia, a short distance from the city’s hospitals. Two centuries on, the disease has changed but the story hasn’t. Now, as then, a disproportionate share of the city’s essential workers are black and poor — the nurses, technicians and delivery drivers who keep the city running while many of us stay in our homes. Now, as then, these men and women have been hit hardest by a contagious virus: the rate of recorded COVID-19 cases is almost twice as high among black Philadelphians as among white ones, according to local-government data." Edward Posnett reflects on The Economist's 1843 magazine.

The epidemic that exposed racial fissures in America — two centuries ago

Here's how to 'train' your algorithm.

The controversial platform, TikTok, is home to teens, trash and radical thinking — but, what are the real threats and joys of a 15-second video? Virginia Heffernan reflects in The Economist's 1843 magazine, on why the "most immediate risk it poses is for adults stupified by the app’s appeal to under-18s."

TikTok-ology: lessons from the 15-second philosophers

How the political philosopher’s pastime has influenced his most influential claims.

“I find it satisfying to make something that’s tangible, that you can use. That’s not something I can say about writing books,” says Fukuyama, in this interesting interview with Brent Crane, for The Economist's 1843 magazine.

Woodworking with Francis Fukuyama

Tutoring has become a weapon in the global arms race in education.

It seems there is no limit to what some parents will pay for private education for their children. In this fascinating article from The Economist's 1843 magazine, Emma Irving shares her own experiences tutoring kids from wealthy backgrounds, reflecting on the benefits and failures of what has become a £2 billion industry in Britain alone.

First-class flights, chauffeurs and bribery: the secret life of a private tutor

A road trip through history, immigration and delicious baked goods.

In Los Angeles, donuts have brought wealth (if not health) to new arrivals. Author David Samuels analyses the economic and cultural influence the sugary, cakey, crunchy treats have had over immigrants in America hoping to set up their own business.

How donuts fuelled the American Dream

How the four faces of HappyOrNot changed customer feedback.

"You’ve probably seen them in the airport, or perhaps at your local bank or hospital, while buying a jumper at a shop, or even at a football game: four plastic faces with expressions ranging from smiley to cross, like a children’s toy, that beg you to push them." Amelia Tait reflects on this fascinating phenomenon in The Economist’s 1843 Magazine.

If you’re happy and you know it...press the button

The blind adventurer has climbed the highest mountain on every continent, and he isn't done yet.

On top of his climbing feats, Erik Weihenmayer has also kayaked the length of the Colorado river through the Grand Canyon and completed some of the world's most gruelling races. All already difficult feats for someone with a 20/20 vision, exponentially more so for one without, like him. Brent Crane interviews the inspiring figure for The Economist's 1843 magazine.

Climbing with Erik Weihenmayer

Getting to know the single Chilean island that started it all.

Off the coast of northern Patagonia, there is an island shaped like a peanut. Named Chiloé, this has an ecological diversity that ranges from volcanoes to vast green hills you'd think would only be seen in Ireland. Also, it's home to over 286 different varieties of potato. Mark Johanson traces their evolution to what we know today as the standard supermarket spud, for The Economist's 1843 magazine.

Mash hits: the land that spawned the supermarket spud

Exploring the world through the lens of a surprisingly controversial can.

Baked beans originated in America, but have now undoubtedly become a staple of British culinary tradition. In this interesting piece from The Economist's 1843 magazine, Josie Delap traces the roots of this dish, as well as how the perception around it changes depending on what part of the world you are in.

Why the baked bean divides America and Britain

In 1815 a volcanic eruption wreaked havoc around the world — but it also led to the birth of the bicycle.

Could the coronavirus pandemic lead to another groundbreaking invention like the car or the aeroplane? Using the example of how Indonesia's Mount Tambora explosion surprisingly prompted Karl von Drais to devise the bicycle, Tom Standage explores in The Economist's 1843 magazine.

David Riley

Why global crises are the mother of invention

The pandemic has put paid to the thrill of recounting illicit activities — and we’re all the poorer for it.

"Reading online accounts of people’s indiscretions is a poor substitute for the electrical charge of hearing them at first hand, which perhaps explains why, when one of Britain’s leading epidemiologists breached lockdown to meet his lover, the nation reacted like a starved dog presented with steak." Ian Leslie comments in The Economist's 1843 magazine.

Nothing to speak of: the horror of a world without gossip

When coronavirus hit Britain, thousands of rough sleepers were moved to hotels — what happened next?

Samira Shackle delves into the lives of Ariel (not her real name) and David, two rough sleepers in London who had to be accommodated in a Holiday Inn when lockdown measures came into place. In this emotional article for The Economist's 1843 Magazine, she details the hardships of life in the streets, and the impact coronavirus has had on the mental health of those without a home.

Jennifer Sayeeng

Homeless at the Holiday Inn

For lessons in surviving solitude, it's hard to beat Russia's rich subgenre of prison memoirs.

Leo Tolstoy's masterpiece, War and Peace, became for many a staple reading during the global lockdown. But, as Sophie Pinkham argues in The Economist's 1843 Magazine, Tolstoy's work is "short on advice about how to survive confinement with your wits intact." Instead, she turns her focus to Pyotr Kropotkin, the anarcho-communist philosopher and scientist that spent two years in solitary confinement at a fortress in St Petersburg in the 19th century.

The Russian prisoner’s guide to lockdown

What happens when psychoanalysis moves onto Zoom?

Dr Stephen Blumenthal's sessions would usually start with inviting patients to seat on his consulting room couch, and in true Freudian fashion, he would ask them to say whatever it is the first thing that comes to their mind. In more ways than one, the pandemic has made this simple routine impossible. Sharon Hendry, from The Economist's 1843 Magazine, interviews Dr Bluementhal and finds out more about the gain and losses of teletherapy.

1843 Magazine

The virtual couch

The man behind Jack Reacher looks forward to a retirement of smoking and solitude.

The best-selling British author has been spending lockdown in his ranch in Wyoming with his wife and daughter, and one thing is clear: isolation suits him. Talking with Sam Leith from The Economist's 1843 Magazine, he talks about his life, his passion for football and why he's not writing any more Jack Reacher books.

In lockdown with Lee Child

Using Dostoyevsky's Crime and Punishment as a guidebook to St. Petersburg.

"The most famous murderer to have walked the streets of St Petersburg never existed. Yet we know exactly where he lived. There is nothing aristocratic about Stolyarny Lane: this is not the grand, wealthy city of great museums and golden domes, of the Hermitage and St Isaac's Cathedral. Instead the architecture is drab and undistinguished. On the corner of Stolyarny Lane stands a five-storey building with balconies on its lower levels but none at the top; the upper floors are clearly cramped. The apartment block looks as anonymous as any other on the street. Yet here, at its foot, stands a statue." Tom Holland explores in 1843 Magazine.

In the footsteps of a murderer

Does society's openness have costs as well as benefits?

"PTSD has become better understood, but psychologists have realised that discussing trauma is not inherently or automatically beneficial." Jesse Singal writing in 1843 Magazine, explores the best way to deal with distress.

The rise of PTSD

He appeared on Time magazine at 14, where is the icon of protest now?

"In his recent book, 'Unfree Speech', Wong describes himself as a 'global influencer'. Yet he can’t travel abroad without the court’s permission. He has a curfew and must visit a police station twice a week. His university studies have stalled and his criminal record limits his job prospects."Here, he discusses his fearless commitment to politics and protest. Writing in 1843 Magazine, Caroline Carter and Simon Cox, report.

Gaming with Joshua Wong

The world of social media through the eyes of a digital native and aspiring influencer.

"LinkedIn for work and status anxiety, Tumblr for private self-expression." In this piece, Sophie Elhirst writing in 1843 Magazine takes a frank look at social media as told through the fictionalised inner thoughts of Alexa.

Meet Alexa: inside the mind of a digital native

“Even without closed borders, I’d like to think my mozzarella could win in a fair fight.”

Sanctions in Russia threatened to limit a fast-expanding culinary scene in 2014 until local entrepreneurs decided to get to work. Moscow-based journalist Joshua Yaffa, writing in 1843 Magazine, goes in search of some home-produced Russian mozzarella. Could it taste better than the Italian one?

Gary Furlong

Moscow melt: Russia’s mozzarella-makers

Why are so many brilliant children miserable misfits?

We see exceptional intelligence as a blessing, and yet highly intelligent children often live a life full of troubles and judgement. In this highly compelling 1843 Magazine article, Tablet's literary editor Maggie Fergusson investigates what's life like for gifted children and their parents, and why these are "often dismissed as the product of pushy, middle-class parents."

The curse of genius

The management consultant’s guide to love and sex.

"Jacob is just one of a growing number of people seeking inspiration from business schools rather than poetry in the quest to find the right partner. This hard-headed attitude is evident in the practical turn that romance’s ardent lexicon has taken in recent years. We look for partners, not soulmates. We avoid deal-breakers." Alice Hines, writing in 1843 Magazine, investigates.

Marni Penning

Between the spreadsheets

Listen together: our taste in music says a lot about us - but maybe more so about what we remember. 

Sophie Ratcliffe, writing in 1843 Magazine, shares a tale of grief, growing up and the syncopated pop that has continued to accompany her since the tragic and unexpected death of her father during her teenage years.

Never gonna give you up

Listen together: what can this tell us about the trajectory of technological adoption?

Deputy editor of The Economist, Tom Standage, writes in 1843 Magazine about the incredible journey of the fork, from a frowned upon "demonstration" of vanity to an indispensable element of our dining tables, drawing on some of the lessons tech developers could take it from it.

Waiter, there’s a fork in my soup

What happens when you try making tequila, Mexico’s national drink, in India?

Alex Travelli meets Desmond Nazareth, a 62-year-old from Mumbai who has spent the past 20 years working on perfecting an Indian equivalent to tequila and other mezcals — writing in 1843 Magazine, he downs a glass or two and finds out if it tastes like the real thing.

Indian tequila: one man’s quest to perfect a national spirit

The modern epidemic of impostor syndrome and its closely tied relationship with our ego.

Most of us are familiar with impostor syndrome - and feeling like a fraud can tell us a lot about how we see ourselves. Clancy Martin, writing in 1843 Magazine, examines.

Chris Brinkley

Impostor syndrome: do you sometimes feel like a fraud?

Fascinating story: The Economist’s Middle East correspondent recalls one frightful summer.

In July 2019 Nicolas Pelham, The Economist’s Middle East correspondent, received a rare journalist’s visa to Iran. On the day he was due to fly home, he was detained. Writing in 1843 Magazine, he details his days trapped in Iran, under suspicion of being an Israeli spy.