Flyovers & Takeovers
Home to Boeing’s first major factories, this Great Plains city turned its endless horizon into a test runway and made aviation its entire personality.
Wichita (Kansas)
Archaeological evidence from the Tehuacán Valley points to this country as the birthplace of maize, where humans first domesticated wild grass into the crop that would feed civilizations.
Mexico
Spit-roasted pork, pineapple, and a technique borrowed from Beirut—this Mexico City classic proves fusion isn’t new.
Tacos al pastor
Named for a city, this chili pepper delivers moderate heat and maximum brand recognition on nachos everywhere.
Jalapeño
On an unseasonably warm January day in 1919, this viscous industrial sweetener became a lethal flood in Boston’s North End, leveling buildings and rewriting fluid-dynamics textbooks.
the Great Molasses Flood
Once called the “poor man’s Paris,” this Portuguese city spent centuries rebuilding after an earthquake, a tsunami, and its reputation for melancholy.
Lisbon (Portugal)
Ground and soaked in limewater, maize transforms into this dough, the foundation of everything from tortillas to tamales.
Masa
An Argentine grill, an entire cow, and a long afternoon—this national pastime could double as diplomacy.
Asado
This numbing spice tricks your mouth into thinking it’s on fire, proving culinary innovation doesn’t always require mercy.
Sichuan peppercorn
In 2021, a container ship nearly as long as the Empire State Building lodged itself sideways in this canal, blocking 12% of global trade and the entire internet’s sense of humor for a week.
Suez Canal
In 1949, this political party declared victory after decades of civil war, sending its rivals across the strait and turning the word “mainland” into a geopolitical trigger.
Chinese Communist Party
Brought from the Americas in the 16th century, maize became a cheap staple across southern Europe, giving rise to this Italian porridge that’s basically cornmeal with an ego.
Polenta
President Obama is the only person in history to have cut the line at this famous BBQ joint in Austin TX.
Franklins BBQ
This North African paste of chilies and cumin adds warmth, depth, and mild regret to stews across the Middle East.
Harissa
Built atop the lakebed of the Aztec capital, this metropolis now sinks several inches a year—proof that even empires should read the fine print on soil conditions.
Mexico City
This capital, one of the world’s oldest, has been ruled by Arameans, Romans, Mongols, and Ottomans—each leaving another layer of stone and recipe.
Damascus (Syria)
In the American Midwest, a sizable share of the corn harvest is brewed, distilled, and refined—not for dinner tables, but for this liquid that keeps the heartland in motion.
Ethanol
From Ottoman palaces to late-night food trucks, this spiced ground-meat skewer remains the backbone of Middle-eastern street cuisine.
Kofta
During a 2023 summer, this U.S. desert-metro recorded 31 straight days with highs of 110 °F or more, shocking even longtime locals — a brutal endurance test for any BBQ back-porch.
Phoenix, Arizona
In 1814, a giant vat burst at a brewery in a European city, releasing a 15-foot wave of stout through the streets — history’s only beer flood with property damage.***
London Beer Flood
A 1940s populist with a gift for theater and labor politics, this Argentine leader blurred the line between government rally and musical number.
Juan Perón (Argentina)
This 1990s trade agreement promised prosperity but instead flooded Mexican markets with cheap American corn—helping spark both migration and memes.
NAFTA
Centered around postwar districts like Osaka’s Tsuruhashi, Zainichi Korean restaurateurs popularized this Japanese table-grilled beef style—its name literally means “grilled meat.”
Yakiniku
On July 10, 1913, a weather station in this desert basin recorded 134 °F (56.7 °C) — still the hottest verified air temperature in history.
Death Valley
In 2011, engineers discovered that this city’s most famous skyscraper had been slightly mis-measured during construction—its spire was off-center by 6 inches, and nobody noticed for 80 years.
Empire State Building