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Conquest via Bird Poop: One Island at a Time
If you land on a deserted island, you might be tempted to search for the basic stuff first -- food, water, shelter, and so on -- but don't forget to …
8 years, 3 months ago
When Scientists Hid Under Beds To Spy On Kids
Let's say you're a scientist -- how far would you go to carry out a study? Back in the 1930s, two intrepid researchers went into full spy mode, stalk…
8 years, 4 months ago
When People Thought They Were Made of Glass
In 1422, King Charles VI died after ruling France for more than 40 years. He was also remembered as Charles the Mad, in part because he was convinced…
8 years, 4 months ago
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 Churchil…
8 years, 4 months 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 dis…
8 years, 4 months 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…
8 years, 4 months 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 D…
8 years, 4 months 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 r…
8 years, 4 months 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 …
8 years, 4 months 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…
8 years, 4 months ago