One of the biggest secrets of World War II was the Allied plan for the invasion of mainland Europe. Codenamed “Operation Overlord” and commanded by General Dwight D. Eisenhower, D-Day’s details were […]
Many of us had a teacher whom we suspected was a witch. In the case of Jim Backus, it was very nearly true.
After the sinking of the RMS Titanic on its maiden voyage, many people asked how such a tragedy could have been avoided. Over the more than 100 years since that fateful night […]
On February 15, 1933, Franklin D. Roosevelt was in Miami, Florida. Having just won the presidential election three months earlier, he was still 17 days away from being inaugurated as the 32nd […]
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 […]
At what point does a person stop being considered lucky and is instead considered bad luck for others? Consider the case of Violet Constance Jessop, whose primary claim to fame was her […]
What can be more awkward than two ladies showing up at a social event, wearing identical outfits? How about two countries showing up for the Olympics, waving identical flags? That’s what happened […]
Tsutomu Yamaguchi could tell you stories about being in the wrong place at the wrong time. He was working for Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and on August 6, 1945 his work took him […]
EDITOR’S NOTE — January 19, 2021: We knew when we published this piece on January 26, 2016, that the story was so fanciful that its veracity might be dubious. We were, however, […]
Herbie Goes Bananas, the 1980 film about a Volkswagen Beetle that is seemingly alive, is widely regarded as the worst of the Herbie movies. Some might even call it a disaster. Few […]
Robert Todd Lincoln (1843-1926), the eldest child of President Abraham Lincoln, was a witness to the murders of three presidents.
At first glance, Futility by Morgan Robertson seems weak on imagination. Robertson’s novel features a ship, the Titan, described as “the largest craft afloat and the greatest of the works of men.” […]
Edgar Allan Poe’s only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, was published in 1838. He claimed the story to be based on true events. As it turned out, he […]
Robert Todd Lincoln, son of President Abraham Lincoln, was once saved from possible serious injury or death by Edwin Booth, famous actor, and brother of John Wilkes Booth, the assassin of his […]
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