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The Great Panjandrum: A Hilariously Terrible Idea
As the British military brainstormed ways to break the German-built Atlantic Wall during World War II, desperation drove them to unorthodox ideas -- …
4 years, 11 months ago
Dr. T. W. Stallings: One Man's Corvid-Hating Quest to Make Oklahoma Literally Eat Crow
Times were tough during the Great Depression. Economic unrest, massive migration and falling crops left many people struggling to survive -- even the…
4 years, 11 months ago
Pineapples In Europe, Part 2: People Literally Rented Pineapples to Impress their Friends
As the pineapple craze swept through Europe's upper class, aristocrats worked tirelessly to grow their own pineapples. This was no small feat, since …
4 years, 11 months ago
Pineapples In Europe, Part 1: A Weird, Cartoonishly Expensive Flex
Today, pineapples are a common (and delicious) produce item found in grocery stores and markets across the world -- but not too many centuries ago, a…
4 years, 11 months ago
The Mysterious Dark Day That Terrified New England
As New Englanders woke on the morning of May 19th, 1780, they realized something was... off. The sunrise looked oddly colored and dim. As the day wor…
5 years ago
The Windham Frog Fight of 1754
As the French and Indian War escalated, the residents of Windham, Connecticut lived in constant fear of possible attacks, crop-ruining weather, disea…
5 years ago
Ancient Mesopotamian Societies Sacrificed Substitute Kings to Eclipses
Thousands of years before the current day, ancient civilizations accurately predicted both lunar and solar eclipses. They often believed these events…
5 years ago
The Mad Gasser of Mattoon, Part 2
As the small town of Mattoon captured national attention during the reign of the Mad Gasser, the investigation took a turn. Authorities were baffled …
5 years ago
The Mad Gasser of Mattoon, Part 1
As wartime fears peaked across the US during World War II, people throughout the nation were overwhelmed with fears of invading Nazis, secret biologi…
5 years ago
A Currency for Colonies: The Strange Story of "Leprosy Money"
For thousands of years people across the planet lived in fear of leprosy (now known as ‘Hansen's Disease). In many cases, people infected with the di…
5 years ago