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Nazis, Churchill and Chocolate
When Lord Victor Rothschild first heard the news, he was incredulous -- surely Nazi Germany wasn't seriously planning to assassinate Winston Churchill with an exploding chocolate bar. However, Rothsc…
Published on 8 years ago
When (and why) did the US start calling its citizens consumers?
Today, the terms "citizen" and "consumer" are often used interchangeably by authors, journalists and politicians. To some experts, this shift has disturbing implications. But how important is a word?…
Published on 8 years, 1 month ago
Does the US Confederacy still exist in Americana, Brazil?
At the close the US Civil War, tens of thousands of former Confederate families fled the US for a small city in Brazil, where they sought to continue living as they had in the days before the war. Tu…
Published on 8 years, 1 month ago
Did a real-life rainmaker almost drown San Diego?
Charles Mallory Hatfield considered himself a real-life rainmaker (or, as he preferred to describe himself, a 'moisture accelerator') and, when San Diego faced one of its most damaging droughts, Hatf…
Published on 8 years, 1 month ago
X-Rays, Songs and Soviets: The Stilyagi Story
Caught between the conflicting ideologies of the Cold War, Soviet teens were banned from collecting Western music -- smuggled records could be both rare and expensive. The solution? Discarded X-rays,…
Published on 8 years, 1 month ago
Who solves murders in Antarctica?
Antarctica is home to one of the most brutal climates on the planet, and the few humans living on this continent face profound isolation and cramped quarters. Often, tension rises as the months betwe…
Published on 8 years, 1 month ago
How White America Tried to Destroy Chinese Restaurants
Today Chinese restaurants serve some of the most popular cuisine in the United States, with more than 41,000 restaurants scattered around the country. Yet in the 1900s these restaurants were so contr…
Published on 8 years, 1 month ago
Butter: Protestantism's Secret Ingredient?
The Protestant Reformation remains one of the most significant cultural events in the Western world. Martin Luther's 95 Theses addressed numerous concerns with the Catholic church, including corrupti…
Published on 8 years, 1 month ago
Wharram Percy Versus The Undead
Humanity has always had a fascination with -- and fear of -- the dead. And when the small medieval village of Wharram Percy felt they might become victims of the undead, they took drastic, grisly act…
Published on 8 years, 1 month ago
The Wild Hippos of Pablo Escobar
When notorious drug kingpin Pable Escobar died, he left behind a legacy of brutal crime, opulent living and, oddly enough, four hippos. Fast forward to the modern day, and experts estimate as many as…
Published on 8 years, 2 months ago