Noel Weyrich

Researchers say they have discovered the oldest folk tale ever told, and it goes back 6,000 years — all the way back to the Bronze Age — probably before the invention of writing.

The tale known as “The Smith and the Devil” has been told and re-told, in thousands of now-extinct languages, since the first cities arose in the Middle East. A metal smith makes a pact with the devil, trading his mortal soul for unmatched smithing powers. Then the smith uses his newfound skills to bind the Devil to a tree, thereby keeping both his skills and soul intact. 

Other familiar tales, such as “Jack and the...

In the winter of 2009, Domino’s Pizza CEO Patrick Doyle took up some expensive commercial airtime during the NFL playoffs to make this startling on-camera admission: Domino's research showed that the company's own customers didn’t think its pizza was very good. “There comes a time," Doyle said into the camera, "when you know you've got to make a change.”

Domino's began its year-long "Pizza Turnaround" campaign with this humble admission, that customer complaints about cardboard crusts and ketchup-flavored sauce were absolutely valid. It was risky to introduce a a new pizza recipe th...

About four years ago, I had coffee with the founders of an amazing civic project that had transformed acres of post-industrial wasteland into a popular waterfront park. The project’s leaders wanted my advice on how they could tell their story in a book.

I was excited by the prospect of working with them, but then I asked about their specific reasons for wanting a book. As they saw it, a book might inspire other people around the country to fix up their own urban waterfronts. Their account of victories, setbacks and mistakes would help others learn from their example. And they had gathered plenty of va...