Corn Products (Fortune 1938)

Editor's note: Each week we publish a favorite story from Fortune's archives. We turn to a 1938 article looking at Corn Products, which at the time was the world's biggest corn refinery. The severity of the worst U.S. drought in 56 years has pushed crop prices up for months. And with corn being America's biggest crop, its scarcity will mean all that's made with corn will get more expensive and impact MORE

A literary stroll through Central Park

Distinguished writers evoke one of the world's great urban sanctuaries. A review of Central Park: An Anthology, edited by Andrew Blauner.

By Lawrence A. Armour, contributor

FORTUNE -- Susan Cheever's "My Little Bit of Country," her contribution to a delightful new collection of essays and short stories set in New York City's Central Park, could have easily been called "A Love Letter to My Favorite Place in the World."

Her earliest memories MORE

Is there such a thing as bad gasoline?

It's not the gas itself that can screw up your engine. It's the stuff that gets in it that hurts.

By Jennifer Abbasi, contributor

FORTUNE – Bad gasoline is not a myth. Sediment and water from runoff can enter underground holding tanks at gas stations through loosely tightened or worn-out fuel caps, explains Ronald Hayes, who oversees fuel inspections for the state of Missouri. And most gasoline now contains 10% ethanol, MORE

A car you can't crash (really)

At 29 miles per hour or less, Lexus's new flagship sedan prevents drivers from crashing into pretty much anything or anyone.

By Doron Levin, contributor

FORTUNE -- Automotive safety systems that sense when a vehicle is about to crash and initiate braking and tighten seatbelts to mitigate injury are evolving into systems that can prevent some collisions entirely.

The 2013 Lexus LS460, Toyota's (TM) luxury flagship, begins arriving in the U.S. in November MORE