Benito Mussolini started out as a school teacher. He soon realized he was unsuited for the job. This was no shock to his students, who conferred a nickname upon their teacher: “The […]
From Tyrant Teacher to Despicable Dictator
Duct Tape: So Versatile That it Can Bring Down a President
Night watchman Frank Willis was making his rounds on the night of June 17, 1972. As he passed one of the doors in the office building’s parking complex, he noticed a piece […]
From Plane Wreck to “Star Trek” — the Heroic Exploits of Gene Roddenberry
Fans of Star Trek are all too familiar with the scene: the ship is badly damaged, the helm is unresponsive, and everything seems to be going wrong. In moments like this, Captain […]
The Limits of Vice Presidential Power
In 1922 there still was no official residence for the Vice President of the United States. Calvin Coolidge took up residence in the New Willard Hotel in Washington, D.C. during his vice […]
Should Abraham Lincoln Have Been a Pastor?
As often as Abraham Lincoln referred to faith issues in speeches and ordinary conversation, one wonders if he may have felt a call toward pastoral ministry. An incident in the decade before […]
The Case That Kept Finding Presidents
Of the thousands of cases appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court, only a few are accepted by the Court each year. Of those, most fade into obscurity and are interesting only to […]
Supreme-ly Qualified Presidents
For an attorney, arguing a case before the United States Supreme Court is one of the highest honors imaginable. Twenty-six of the 44 men who have served as President of the United […]
No Speeding Under the Radar for the Inventor of Radar
If Robert Watson-Watt’s name doesn’t immediately ring a bell with you, you aren’t alone. It didn’t mean anything to the Canadian police officer who was running radar one day in 1956 and […]
Repeated Failure Plus $5 Correspondence Course Equals Recipe for Fantastic Ice Cream
Things were not going well for Jerry Greenfield and Ben Cohen. The lifelong friends had plans for their lives, but those plans were crumbling. Jerry had planned on being a physician, but […]
Writing His Own Termination Letter
Ronald Reagan: The Lifeguard Who Never Stopped Rescuing
The man who would become the 40th President of the United States was 15 years old when he became a lifeguard at Lowell Park in Dixon, Illinois. In a foreshadowing of the […]
Jokes About His Name Drove Him Bananas
Growing up with the surname Banana could not have been easy. Just ask Canaan Sodindo Banana. One can only imagine the ribbing he received from classmates and neighborhood bullies. His name was […]
Proof that Being a Criminal Mastermind Isn’t a Genetic Trait
Most people have heard of Al Capone, the notorious mob boss who ran Chicago from his criminal headquarters during the waning years of Prohibition. Less well known is Capone’s eldest brother, James, […]
After Escaping Cannibals, Dealing With Politicians Was Easy
In September 1944 nine US airmen were shot down over Chichi Jima, a small island 700 miles south of Tokyo, Japan. Of these nine men, only one evaded capture by the Japanese. […]
How Bad Scheduling and a Misguided Con Scheme Changed the World
Johannes Gutenberg (circa 1400 – February 3, 1468) was responsible for one of the pivotal inventions in all of history: the moveable-type printing press. That invention, more than any other, allowed mankind […]
Commonplace Fun Facts 