James R. Coffey - History Defined

Benedict Arnold: The Most (In)Famous Traitor in American History

In modern parlance, the name Benedict Arnold is synonymous with treason and betrayal. He’s history’s most famous turncoat. Though relatively few know the story surrounding Arnold’s condemnation, most are aware that he was accused of leading British forces against the American Continental Army. These were the very forces he’d once commanded. But what would lead …

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The Life and Times of Pop Artist Andy Warhol

In May of 1962, the relatively unknown pop artist Andy Warhol was featured in Time magazine with his painting, “Big Campbell’s Soup Can with Can Opener (Vegetable).” That became Warhol’s first painting displayed in a museum, exhibited at the Wadsworth Atheneum in Hartford, Connecticut in July of 1962. On July 9, 1962, Warhol’s Campbell’s Soup …

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The World of Marshall Applewhite: UFOs, Suicide, and Cults

On March 26, 1997, the San Diego police received a disturbing call from someone who had just discovered 39 dead bodies in a mansion located in a luxurious gated community. As the police descended on the mansion it soon became clear that within this nondescript house, something sinister had taken place. Laid out before them …

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The Legendary Story of the Warrior Chief, Shaka Zulu

Part myth, part legend, the African warrior-chief known as Shaka Zulu transformed the Zulu people. This was a relatively small and insignificant tribe. And he turned them into one of the most savage and well-trained war machines in African history. To some, Shaka was a nation-builder. He was a uniter of Black people. A bringer …

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Are Humans Hard-Wired for Religion? The “God Module”

Social scientists and philosophers have long argued that “god” is nothing more than a construct of the primitive human mind. A result of the fundamental need to explain the unexplainable. But could it be that a specific area of the brain is responsible for triggering spiritual and religious thoughts? Could humankind’s relationship with “god” be …

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Edward Leedskalnin and His Mystical “Coral Castle”

On the outskirts of Miami-Dade County, Florida, between the cities of Homestead and Leisure City, stands a network of architecture constructed from thousands of stones weighing several tons each. They are sculpted into a variety of shapes including slab walls, tables and chairs, a giant crescent moon, a water fountain, and a sundial. It is …

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The Wild Life and Adventures of Jules Verne

Novelist, poet, playwright, and songwriter. Jules Verne was one of the most prolific writers in history. He was, no doubt, best known for his wildly-popular adventure novels, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Around the World in Eighty Days, and The Mysterious Island. Several of these were made into major motion pictures. Considered …

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The Life of Robert Stroud, the “Birdman” of Alcatraz

Brought to public awareness primarily by the 1962 American biographical film, Birdman of Alcatraz (starring Burt Lancaster), Robert Stroud was a convicted murderer. He was sent to federal prison where he spent 42 years in solitary confinement. Yet incredibly, he developed such an obsession with birds that he became one of the foremost authorities on …

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The Life of Anton LaVey: Self-Ordained High Priest of Satan

The so-called “Summer of Love” took place in San Francisco, California in 1967. It turned the San Francisco Bay area into a tourist destination for the curious and thrill-seeking; those wanting to witness the “Hippie” phenomenon for themselves. The newspapers made it sound like the media event of the year. On February 6, 1967, Newsweek printed a …

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The Tragic Life of Tortured Poet, Sylvia Plath

Credited with single-handedly advancing the genre of “confessional” poetry, Sylvia Plath is considered one of the most dynamic and admired poets of the 20th Century. She is best known for her two highly acclaimed collections, The Colossus and Other Poems (published in 1960) and Ariel (in 1965). As well as her beautifully introspective semi-autobiographical novel, …

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