"Do it yourself" ("DIY") is the method of building, modifying, or repairing things by oneself without the direct aid of professionals or certified experts. Academic research has described DIY as behaviors where "individuals use raw and semi-raw materials and parts to produce, transform, or reconstruct material possessions, including those drawn from the natural environment ". DIY behavior can be triggered by various motivations previously categorized as marketplace motivations, and identity enhancement.
Boy building a model airplane, Texas, 1942 (photograph by Arthur Rothstein for the Farm Security Administration)
Shelves attached to a toy vehicle
Fiberglass dome house, California, in style of the Whole Earth Catalog building techniques
Electronics World 1959, home assembled amplifier
Popular Mechanics is a magazine of popular science and technology, featuring automotive, home, outdoor, electronics, science, do it yourself, and technology topics. Military topics, aviation and transportation of all types, space, tools and gadgets are commonly featured.
Popular Mechanics first cover (January 11, 1902)
The impact of the greenhouse effect on Earth's climate was succinctly described more than a century ago in this 1912 Popular Mechanics article.