Highwaymen, Footpads, and Royal Scamps: How Britain Ranked Criminals by Class and Courtesy
Once upon a time, even crime had class. Meet Britain’s highwaymen, footpads, and royal scamps—and their very polite excuses.
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Highwaymen, Footpads, and Royal Scamps: How Britain Ranked Criminals by Class and Courtesy
Read more: Highwaymen, Footpads, and Royal Scamps: How Britain Ranked Criminals by Class and CourtesyOnce upon a time, even crime had class. Meet Britain’s highwaymen, footpads, and royal scamps—and their very polite excuses.
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The CIA’s Rectal Tool Kit: The Cold War’s Most Uncomfortable Escape Plan
Read more: The CIA’s Rectal Tool Kit: The Cold War’s Most Uncomfortable Escape PlanThe CIA’s rectal tool kit sounds like a joke, but it was a serious Cold War escape device—revealing how spycraft solved impossible problems.
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The Addams Family: How a Creepy, Kooky, and Weirdly Wholesome Family Exposed the Strangeness of ‘Normal’
Read more: The Addams Family: How a Creepy, Kooky, and Weirdly Wholesome Family Exposed the Strangeness of ‘Normal’The Addams Family’s journey from cartoons to pop culture icon—and why their creepy, kooky, loving household exposes the strangeness of “normal.”
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How to Hide a Nobel Prize: The Incredible WWII Story of Gold, Acid, and Survival
Read more: How to Hide a Nobel Prize: The Incredible WWII Story of Gold, Acid, and SurvivalLearn how two Nobel Prizes were dissolved in acid during WWII to hide them from the Nazis—and how chemistry saved gold meant for peace.
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James Dewar, the Thermos, and the Invention He Gave Away
Read more: James Dewar, the Thermos, and the Invention He Gave AwayJames Dewar invented the vacuum flask that became the thermos—then never patented it. A story of science, trademarks, and missed fortunes.
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The Tichborne Claimant: How a Victorian Butcher Convinced a Nation He Was An Aristocrat
Read more: The Tichborne Claimant: How a Victorian Butcher Convinced a Nation He Was An AristocratThe true story of the Tichborne Claimant—how a Victorian butcher convinced Britain he was a missing aristocrat, igniting one of history’s strangest trials.
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Götz von Berlichingen of the Iron Hand: How a One-Handed Knight Became a Legend
Read more: Götz von Berlichingen of the Iron Hand: How a One-Handed Knight Became a LegendMeet Götz von Berlichingen, the Iron Hand—one-armed knight, professional feud enthusiast, literary icon, and medieval problem for authority.
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The Katzenjammer Kids: America’s Longest-Running Comic Strip and Its Very Weird History
Read more: The Katzenjammer Kids: America’s Longest-Running Comic Strip and Its Very Weird HistoryMeet The Katzenjammer Kids: the 1897 comic strip that pioneered comics, survived a courtroom battle, and turned child misbehavior into an art form.
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Lizzie Borden Took an Axe: The 1892 Case That Taught America the Difference Between Suspicion and Proof
Read more: Lizzie Borden Took an Axe: The 1892 Case That Taught America the Difference Between Suspicion and ProofA deep dive into the Lizzie Borden case explores why the axe murders remain unresolved, how folklore replaced evidence, and why America never stopped mistaking suspicion for proof.
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Hoarding for the Apocalypse: The World’s Strangest Strategic Reserves and Stockpiles
Read more: Hoarding for the Apocalypse: The World’s Strangest Strategic Reserves and StockpilesGovernments stockpile more than oil. From raisins and cheese to helium, pork, and Oreos, a tour of the world’s strangest strategic reserves.
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The Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic of 1962: When Giggles Shut Down a Nation
Read more: The Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic of 1962: When Giggles Shut Down a NationIn 1962, the Tanganyika Laughter Epidemic shut down schools across East Africa. Explore why strange epidemic wasn’t funny.
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The Lord Mayor of London: Modern Money, Medieval Rules, and One Square Mile of Territory
Read more: The Lord Mayor of London: Modern Money, Medieval Rules, and One Square Mile of TerritoryThe Lord Mayor of London governs one square mile with medieval ceremony and modern finance. It’s not democracy as you know it.
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When Planes Go Rogue: The Battle of Palmdale, the Cornfield Bomber, and a MiG That Wouldn’t Stop Flying
Read more: When Planes Go Rogue: The Battle of Palmdale, the Cornfield Bomber, and a MiG That Wouldn’t Stop FlyingThree true aviation stories where planes went rogue—from the Battle of Palmdale to the Cornfield Bomber and a MiG that crossed Europe without a pilot.
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Fonts 101: The Tiny Shapes Quietly Controlling Your Life
Read more: Fonts 101: The Tiny Shapes Quietly Controlling Your LifeFonts shape how we read, trust, and judge information. Explore the history of typefaces, how fonts are made and licensed, and why tiny typographic details can change history.
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The Manhattan Well Murder: America’s First Murder Trial and the Legal Team-Up That Should Not Have Been
Read more: The Manhattan Well Murder: America’s First Murder Trial and the Legal Team-Up That Should Not Have BeenThe true story of the Manhattan Well Murder—America’s first recorded murder trial—featuring Alexander Hamilton, Aaron Burr, and a verdict that shocked early New York.
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