How does an industry built on roadside pop-ups make billions of dollars in two weeks of the year? Zachary Crockett gets pyrotechnical.

• SOURCES:
  • Alex Zoldan, vice president of Phantom Fireworks.

• RESOURCES:
  • Phantom Fireworks 2025 Wholesale Price List.
  • "The Explosive Growth Of The Fireworks Market," by Greg Rosalsky, Darian Woods, and Julian Ritchey (NPR, 2023).
  • "Directory of State Laws for Consumer Fireworks," (American Pyrotechnics Association).

Why are these sudsy roadside stops one of the fastest growing industries in America? Zachary Crockett takes a look under the hood.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Private Equity Wants to Wash Your Car," by Miriam Gottfried (The Wall Street Journal, 2022).
  • "California Labor Commissioner Recovers $282,000 for Car Wash Wage Citations," State of California Department of Industrial Relations News Release (2022).
  • "Sgt. Clean’s Future Shines Bright Thanks to Subscription Model, Strong Reputation," by Vince Guerrieri (Crain's Cleveland Business, 2018).
  • "One California Drought Winner? The Local Car Wash," by Lauren Sommer (Marketplace, 2015).
  • Sonny's CarWash College.

Americans take more than 20 billion elevator rides every year — and keeping them safe is an expensive proposition. Zachary Crockett makes small talk.

• SOURCES:
  • Frank Christensen, president of the International Union of Elevators Constructors.
  • Shannon Moore, service mechanic for the International Union of Elevator Constructors Local 8.
  • Brian O'Connell, senior vice president of the Eastern U.S. at Otis Elevators.
  • Stephen Smith, executive director of the Center for Building in North America.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Elevators," by Stephen Smith (Center for Building in North America, 2024).
  • "Elevator and Escalator Fact Sheet," (National Elevator Industry, 2020).
  • "The Evolution of Elevators: Physical-Human Interface, Digital Interaction, and Megatall Buildings," by Stephen Nichols (Frontiers of Engineering, 2017).
  • Lifted: A Cultural History of the Elevator, by Andreas Bernard (2014).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Up and Then Down," by Nick Paumgarten (The New Yorker, 2008).
  • "World's Tallest Towers."

Districts across the country are facing shortages of school bus drivers. Can technology help? Zachary Crockett takes a seat in the back.

• SOURCES:
  • Keith Corso, co-founder and CEO of BusRight.
  • Marc Medina, transportation supervisor for the Farmingdale School District in Long Island.
  • Jada Melendez, school bus driver in Burlington County, New Jersey.

• RESOURCES:
  • "How St. Louis parents are dealing with school bus driver shortages," by Gabrielle Hays (PBS, 2024).
  • "The school bus driver shortage remains severe," by Sebastian Martinez Hickey and David Cooper (Economic Policy Institute, 2023).
  • "‘End of the Line’: School Bus Industry in Crisis Because of the Coronavirus," by Pranshu Verma (New York Times, 2020).

Everyone loves to complain about it — but preparing a meal that tastes good at 35,000 feet is harder than you might think. Zachary Crockett will have the fish.

• SOURCES:
  • Molly Brandt, innovation chef for North America at Gategroup.
  • Chris Kinsella, chief commercial officer for North America at Gategroup.
  • Guillaume de Syon, professor of history at Albright College.

• RESOURCES:
  • "No Thanks, Grandma, I’m Saving Room for Airplane Food," by Christine Chung (New York Times, 2023).
  • "The Golden Age of airplane food is over. The future: Snacks and sustainability." by Natalie Comptom (The Washington Post, 2019).
  • "Why does food taste different on planes?" by Katia Moskvitch (BBC, 2015).
  • "And to Penny-Pinching Wizardry," by Claudia Deutsch (New York Times, 2001).
  • "The Pioneering Years: Commercial Aviation 1920–1930," by Rich Freeman (U.S. Centennial of Flight).

Every year, America celebrates its independence with millions of dollars worth of explosives imported from China. Zachary Crockett lights a fuse and backs away quickly.

• SOURCES:
  • JJ Brau, fireworks coordinator for J&M Displays.
  • Mark Johnson, vice president of J&M Displays.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The explosive history of fireworks, from ancient China to Revolutionary America," by Joe Hernandez (NPR, 2024).
  • "July 4 fireworks fiasco solved – technically," by Jonathan Horn (The San Diego Union-Tribune, 2016).
  • "The Fireworks King," by Damian Paletta and Emily Rauhala (The Washington Post, 2018).
  • "Exploding The Mystery Of Blue Fireworks," by Short Wave (2013).
  • "How Do Fireworks Make Shapes?" by Natalie Wolchover (Live Science, 2011).

• EXTRAS:
  • "Agreement Between The City of Rapid City and J&M Displays, Inc. for Annual Fireworks Displays" (2023).

These glistening round gemstones have come a long way since your grandmother's time, but procuring them is still a lot of work. The world is Zachary Crockett’s oyster.

• SOURCES:
  • Jeremy Shepherd, C.E.O. of Pearl Paradise.
  • James Brown, owner of Cygnet Bay Pearl Farm.

• RESOURCES:
  • "Pearls Have Acquired a New Luster Among Young Designers," by Victoria Gomelsky (New York Times, 2024).
  • "The Value of Pearls: A Historical Review and Current Trends," by Akitsugu Sato and Laurent Cartier (GemGuide, 2022).
  • "From Single Source to Global Free Market: The Transformation of The Cultured Pearl Industry," by Russell Shor (Gems & Geology, 2007).

Youth baseball — long a widely accessible American pastime — has become overrun by $10,000-per-year, for-profit travel leagues. Zachary Crockett peers inside the dugout.

• SOURCES:
  • Linda Flanagan, author.
  • Nick Mackenzie, future New York Yankees shortstop.
  • R.J. Mackenzie, physical education teacher and baseball dad.
  • John Miller, journalist and baseball coach.

• RESOURCES:
  • "The Cost of Youth Baseball Is Getting Absurd," by Adam Minter (Bloomberg, 2024).
  • "Perfect Game Sees Prosperity Thanks To New Investments In Youth Sports," by Wayne G. McDonnell, Jr. (Forbes, 2024).
  • "How America Sold Out Little League Baseball," by John W. Miller (America Magazine, 2022).
  • "In Youth Sports, Talent Helps but Money Rules," by Roman Stubbs (The Washington Post, 2022).
  • Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids Sports and Why It Matters, by Linda Flanagan (2022).
  • "State of Youth Sports: Parents, Policymakers Better Appreciate Physical Activity, Face Barriers to Help Kids Play," by Jon Solomon (The Aspen Institute, 2022).

• EXTRA:
  • Take Back the Game: How Money and Mania Are Ruining Kids Sports and Why It Matters, by Linda Flanagan (2022).