Also known as the Second Indochina War, the Vietnam War was a long and bloody conflict, spanning 20 years from 1955 to 1975. The war was primarily a clash of ideologies between the communist government of North Vietnam and the capitalist government of South Vietnam. Throughout the war and the events leading up to it, …
Inside the Third Reich’s concentration camps were scores of evil guards capable of committing horrible and sadistic acts. When the Allies tried the perpetrators of the Holocaust after the end of the war, the public was surprised by the beastly behavior of female guards like Irma Grese and Elisabeth Volkenrath, who often committed worse acts …
Jenny Barkmann: The “Beautiful Spectre” of Stutthof Read More »
According to Ancient Greek mythology, Hermes was known for his cunning and mischievous nature. On the day he was born, it was said that Hermes invented the lyre, stole 50 head of cattle from his brother Apollo, and then hid the cattle in a cave so well that even Apollo couldn’t find them. When Apollo …
In June 1995, the neighborhood of Golf Manor, Michigan, was suddenly confused as several men converged on a small house in Commerce Township. Three men wore ventilated moon suits and swarmed the house’s backyard. They then started breaking down the door of a shed with electric saws. The house belonged to Michael Polasek and Patty …
A Backyard Project That Went Radioactive: David Hahn’s Nuclear Reactor Read More »
Most people know Sir Christopher Lee for his outstanding performances as Saruman in The Lord of the Rings, Count Dooku in Star Wars, Scaramanga in The Man with a Golden Gun, and his most iconic role as Dracula in ten Hammer Horror films. But Lee was more than an actor with a long list of roles and a …
Sir Christopher Lee: From WW2 spy to Hollywood legend Read More »
Imagine an institution renaming itself in honor of the boy it once attempted to bar in the name of racial segregation. In the summer of 1959, the Lake City Public Library in South Carolina refused a young 9-year-old boy from checking out books. But the boy wasn’t raised to submit to such harmful societal constructions …
The extraordinary life of astronaut Ronald McNair Read More »
William Poole, aka Bill the Butcher, was a fierce knife-wielding gang leader in 19th-century New York City. He led the nativist street gang Bowery Boys, went on to rule the criminal underworld, and later got into politics. Bill’s larger-than-life presence was immortalized by actor Daniel Day-Lewis’ fictionalized portrayal of him as William “Bill the Butcher” …
Bill the Butcher: The notorious life of William Poole Read More »
The end of World War II promised an era of peace in Asia and the West. The neutralization of Japan in the region led Korea to be under the control of two superpowers: the United States and the Soviet Union. But what seemed an excellent decision to control the tides of war was the first …
What caused the Korean War and how did the US get involved? Read More »
In 1979, the Sumitomo Heavy Industries in Japan completed an ultra-large crude carrier (ULCC) that is still the biggest and longest self-propelled ship in history, the Seawise Giant. Throughout its long and turbulent history, it would be known by several names: Knock Nevis, Oppama, Happy Giant, Jahre Viking, and Mont. It would also pass through …
Raising the Seawise Giant: the fascinating history of the largest ship ever built Read More »
History has a long reach. The story of Georgia Tann, who ran a criminal enterprise from the 1920s to the 1950s to place thousands of babies taken from often-poor mothers with wealthy parents, still echoes today even though most of the babies she took are very elderly or gone. Early Years and Formulating the Scheme …
Georgia Tann stole thousands of babies from the poor and gave them to the rich Read More »
