Paper crinkles. A compass scratches against its surface, and a name is written.

 

Years later, a town is formed.  In the early 20th century, cartographers and map makers would place fake towns, known as phantom settlements or paper towns, on their maps to protect their copyright. When cartographers Otto G. Lindberg and Ernest Alpers placed the fictitious town Agloe on a map to protect their copyright, they had no idea it would inspire a settlement of the same name years later.  

 

​These "paper towns” speak to the idea that small human actions lead to material change in the world. Few actions have outcomes as unknown but direct as the creation of Agloe, especially in our increasingly complex world. And yet, we hope our actions will have incredible impacts anyways.  

 

At TEDxPSU 2025: Paper Towns, the 15th anniversary of the TEDx conference at Penn State, we invite you to find your own, small yet great, mark on a map as you hear ideas from 9 speakers that once started as their own Paper Town.