The Wisdom of Crowds: Brilliant Democracy or Statistical Coincidence?
The truth about the wisdom of crowds: Francis Galton’s ox experiment, herding behavior, Dunning-Kruger, cognitive diversity, and when to trust majority opinion.
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The Wisdom of Crowds: Brilliant Democracy or Statistical Coincidence?
Read more: The Wisdom of Crowds: Brilliant Democracy or Statistical Coincidence?The truth about the wisdom of crowds: Francis Galton’s ox experiment, herding behavior, Dunning-Kruger, cognitive diversity, and when to trust majority opinion.
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Half-Hangit Maggie Dickson: The Bizarre Story of the Woman Who Survived Her Own Execution
Read more: Half-Hangit Maggie Dickson: The Bizarre Story of the Woman Who Survived Her Own ExecutionThe true story of Half-Hangit Maggie Dickson, the 18th-century Scottish woman who survived her own execution—and changed legal history.
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Jake DeShazer: The Doolittle Raider Who Returned to Japan as a Missionary
Read more: Jake DeShazer: The Doolittle Raider Who Returned to Japan as a MissionaryJake DeShazer survived 40 months as a WWII POW after the Doolittle Raid—then returned to Japan as a missionary. Discover how solitary confinement, a shared Bible, and radical forgiveness reshaped his life.
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Davy Crockett’s Tall Tales: How a Congressman Became America’s First Political Humorist
Read more: Davy Crockett’s Tall Tales: How a Congressman Became America’s First Political HumoristExplore Davy Crockett’s forgotten career as a frontier humorist, from tall tales and political satire to the Lion of the West and the Alamo. Discover how a congressman’s wit helped shape America’s tradition of political comedy.
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The Bolivian Navy: Why Does Bolivia Have a Navy If It’s Landlocked?
Read more: The Bolivian Navy: Why Does Bolivia Have a Navy If It’s Landlocked?Why is there a Bolivian Navy if the country is landlocked? The answer involves war, national identity, rivers, and a century-old fight for sea access.
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“Fart Proudly”: The Hilarious Enlightenment Satire by Benjamin Franklin
Read more: “Fart Proudly”: The Hilarious Enlightenment Satire by Benjamin Franklin“Fart Proudly” proves Benjamin Franklin had a wicked sense of humor. Discover the real story behind his infamous flatulence essay.
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William Brodie: The Deacon, the Double Life, and the Original Jekyll & Hyde
Read more: William Brodie: The Deacon, the Double Life, and the Original Jekyll & HydeDiscover the true story of William Brodie, Edinburgh’s respectable Deacon who secretly led a life of burglary — and inspired Robert Louis Stevenson’s Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. A tale of double identities, scandal, and poetic justice.
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The 9 Weirdest Books Ever Published: Banned Letters, Alien Alphabets, and Boxed Chapters
Read more: The 9 Weirdest Books Ever Published: Banned Letters, Alien Alphabets, and Boxed ChaptersExplore the weirdest books ever published—from novels without verbs or the letter “E” to boxed chapters, alien alphabets, and unsolved manuscripts. These bizarre literary experiments push language, structure, and storytelling to their limits.
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How the Berlin Wall Fell Because Someone Misread His Notes
Read more: How the Berlin Wall Fell Because Someone Misread His NotesThe fall of the Berlin Wall wasn’t planned—it was triggered by a mistake. Learn how a bungled press conference changed history on November 9, 1989.
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Connect-the-Dots in the Sky: Who Invented the Constellations, and Were They Squinting?
Read more: Connect-the-Dots in the Sky: Who Invented the Constellations, and Were They Squinting?Discover the history of constellations—from Babylonian star maps to Greek mythology and modern astronomy—and explore why connecting those dots into lions, bulls, and sea-goats takes more imagination than you think.
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Tommy Johnson: The Tuba Player Behind Jaws, Close Encounters, and The Price Is Right
Read more: Tommy Johnson: The Tuba Player Behind Jaws, Close Encounters, and The Price Is RightTommy Johnson was the legendary tuba player behind the iconic sounds of *Jaws*, *Close Encounters of the Third Kind*, and *The Price Is Right*. Discover how two simple notes made him a hidden giant of Hollywood film history.
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The Burke and Hare Murders: The Shocking Cadaver Scheme That Transformed 19th Century Medicine
Read more: The Burke and Hare Murders: The Shocking Cadaver Scheme That Transformed 19th Century MedicineExplore the Burke and Hare murders, the shocking 1828 Edinburgh crimes in which two men killed to supply cadavers to medical schools—sparking outrage and helping lead to the Anatomy Act of 1832.
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Soapy Smith: The King of the Frontier Con Men
Read more: Soapy Smith: The King of the Frontier Con MenJefferson “Soapy” Smith turned a simple soap scam into a criminal empire across Denver, Creede, and Skagway. Discover the true story of the Wild West’s most organized con man and his dramatic end during the Klondike Gold Rush.
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How Herbert Hoover Became a Synonym for Misery (Which Is Not Fair, but Here We Are)
Read more: How Herbert Hoover Became a Synonym for Misery (Which Is Not Fair, but Here We Are)Before the Great Depression defined his name, Herbert Hoover fed millions in wartime Europe and reshaped American government. His legacy deserves a second look.
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The Sultana Disaster: America’s Deadliest Maritime Tragedy You’ve Never Heard Of
Read more: The Sultana Disaster: America’s Deadliest Maritime Tragedy You’ve Never Heard OfThe Sultana disaster killed more Americans than the Titanic, yet remains largely forgotten. How a steamboat explosion on the Mississippi vanished from history.
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