Half-Hangit Maggie Dickson: The Bizarre Story of the Woman Who Survived Her Own Execution
The 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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Award Names Explained: Who Oscar, Emmy, Nobel, Pulitzer, and Tony Were Named After
Read more: Award Names Explained: Who Oscar, Emmy, Nobel, Pulitzer, and Tony Were Named AfterYou’ve heard of Oscar, Hugo, and Emmy. Now have these award names explained. A fascinating, lightly humorous look at the real people (and accidents) behind history’s most famous awards.
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Why St. James’s Palace, Not Buckingham Palace, Is the Monarch’s Official Residence
Read more: Why St. James’s Palace, Not Buckingham Palace, Is the Monarch’s Official ResidenceFind out why St. James’s Palace, not Buckingham Palace, is the official residence of the British monarch.
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Nostradamus: Plague Doctor, Jam Enthusiast, and the World’s Most Successful Ambiguity Machine
Read more: Nostradamus: Plague Doctor, Jam Enthusiast, and the World’s Most Successful Ambiguity MachineDid Nostradamus really predict the future—or just write perfect ambiguity? A skeptical, witty look at his life, prophecies, and lasting myth.
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Heraclitus Hated Everyone—and Built a Philosophy Around It
Read more: Heraclitus Hated Everyone—and Built a Philosophy Around ItWho was Heraclitus? Meet the ancient Greek philosopher who believed everything changes, distrusted most people, wrote in riddles, and somehow became one of philosophy’s most quoted—and misunderstood—figures.
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The Bizarre Death of Samuel Wardell And The Alarm Clock That Killed Its Owner
Read more: The Bizarre Death of Samuel Wardell And The Alarm Clock That Killed Its OwnerA 19th-century lamplighter built an alarm clock that worked too well. Meet Samuel Wardell—and the bizarre true story of the alarm clock that killed him.
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Joseph Merrick: The Shocking and Sad True Story of The Elephant Man
Read more: Joseph Merrick: The Shocking and Sad True Story of The Elephant ManThe true story of Joseph Merrick, misremembered as the Elephant Man—how Victorian society turned discomfort into spectacle, science, and polite cruelty.
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Teflon: The Invention That Proved Failure Sometimes Works Better
Read more: Teflon: The Invention That Proved Failure Sometimes Works BetterTeflon wasn’t invented on purpose. A failed 1930s experiment, wartime science, and curiosity gave us the world’s most useful nonstick mistake.
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Knee-Deep in Blood: Diocletian, Alexandria, and the Horse That Ended a Slaughter
Read more: Knee-Deep in Blood: Diocletian, Alexandria, and the Horse That Ended a SlaughterDiocletian vowed to drown Alexandria in blood—until his horse refused to stand. Explore the brutal legend, the uneasy math, and the animal that stopped a Roman slaughter.
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You Bet Your Life: How Groucho Marx Hijacked a Quiz Show and Invented Modern TV Hosting
Read more: You Bet Your Life: How Groucho Marx Hijacked a Quiz Show and Invented Modern TV HostingGroucho Marx turned You Bet Your Life into a revolutionary quiz show by ignoring the quiz. Discover how improvisation, editing, and authenticity made the show a radio, TV, and syndication classic.
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No Animals Were Harmed: the 467 Rules Behind Hollywood’s Promise
Read more: No Animals Were Harmed: the 467 Rules Behind Hollywood’s PromiseWhat “No Animals Were Harmed” really means in movies—inside Hollywood’s 467-rule system protecting animal actors on film and TV.
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Lake Maracaibo’s Eternal Storm: The World’s Most Reliable Lightning Show
Read more: Lake Maracaibo’s Eternal Storm: The World’s Most Reliable Lightning ShowDiscover Lake Maracaibo’s eternal lightning storm—why it flashes hundreds of times a night, fooled pirates like Francis Drake, and still baffles scientists today.
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The Pledge of Allegiance and the Salute We Don’t Like to Talk About
Read more: The Pledge of Allegiance and the Salute We Don’t Like to Talk AboutA forgotten chapter of American history explains why the Pledge of Allegiance once included a salute that looks and feels really uncomfortable.
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Every Generation Explained: From the Lost Generation to Gen Alpha—and What Shaped Them
Read more: Every Generation Explained: From the Lost Generation to Gen Alpha—and What Shaped ThemEvery generation explained: a wry, historically grounded look at how generations—from the Lost Generation to Gen Alpha—got their names, what shaped them, and why every generation thinks the others are doing life wrong.
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Why There Is a Hidden Mini Washington Monument Buried Under the National Mall
Read more: Why There Is a Hidden Mini Washington Monument Buried Under the National MallThere’s a Mini Washington Monument buried under the National Mall. Discover its surprising purpose and why this hidden structure quietly keeps everything aligned.
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The Transcontinental Airway System and the Giant Arrows America Forgot About
Read more: The Transcontinental Airway System and the Giant Arrows America Forgot AboutEarly aviators once navigated America at night using massive concrete arrows and lighted beacons. Discover the forgotten Transcontinental Airway System—and the giant arrows still pointing the way.
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