The Day a Cheese Cannonball Was Fired in War (Yes, Really)
Yes, a cheese cannonball was really fired in war. Discover this bizarre moment and other strange facts from the devastating Paraguayan War.
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Tommy Johnson: The Tuba Player Behind Jaws, Close Encounters, and The Price Is Right
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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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Jimmy Durante and the Rare Case of a Comedy Legend Who Was Also a Decent Human Being
Read more: Jimmy Durante and the Rare Case of a Comedy Legend Who Was Also a Decent Human BeingJimmy Durante was more than a comedy legend—he was a genuinely decent human being. A thoughtful tribute to laughter, kindness, and legacy.
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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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A Buttload is an Actual Unit of MeasurementFebruary 5, 2020
