'It Didn't Pump Itself'

  1. Ariel Aberg-Riger

The Tennessee Coal, Iron and Railroad Company was wildly successful, but the key to its profits lay in a deadly contract negotiated with the State of Alabama in 1888.

This post is part of a CityLab series on power—the political kind, the stuff inside batteries and gas tanks, and the transformative might of mass movements.

About the Author

Most Popular

  1. Equity

    What the New Urban Anchors Owe Their Cities

    Corporations like Google and Amazon reap the spoils of winner-take-all urbanism. Here’s how they can also bear greater responsibility.

    1. Richard Florida
  2. A Juggalo standing in front of Buffalo City Hall.
    Equity

    The Juggalo March Is Not a Joke

    Facepainted fans of the Insane Clown Posse are gathering on the National Mall this weekend. And they have something important to say.

    1. Mark Byrnes
  3. Transportation

    Why Are Little Kids in Japan So Independent?

    In Japan, small children take the subway and run errands alone, no parent in sight. The reason why has more to do with social trust than self-reliance.

    1. Selena Hoy
  4. Equity

    This Startup Helps You Buy a House (If You Hand Over Your Airbnb Income)

    For buyers in hot real-estate markets, a new kind of mortgage offered by a company called Loftium might offer a way to purchase a home.

    1. Kriston Capps
  5. Rescue crews and observers on top of the rubble from a collapsed building that fell in the Condesa neighborhood of Mexico City.
    Environment

    A Brigade of Architects and Engineers Rushed to Assess Earthquake Damage in Mexico City

    La Casa del Arquitecto became the headquarters for highly skilled urbanists looking to help and determine why some buildings suffered more spectacularly than others.

    1. Martha Pskowski
Maps
Revealing More About the World Around Us
Click Here
Newsletters
Art and Adventures for Urban Explorers
Click Here
Let's Be Friends
Don't Miss Our Latest Stories
Click Here
Skip to content
Next Story in Life »