“Half-hangit Maggie” Dickson Survived Her Own Execution
In 18th Century Scotland, there was a woman who was sentenced and put to death, but lived through it all to win the nickname “Half-hangit Maggie.”
Bombing Your Way To Stock Market Success Is A Bad Investing Strategy
It was one of the most convoluted and over-thought plots in the history of crime: a guy tried to manipulate the stock market with bombs.
Defense Scheme No. 1: The Secret Canadian Plan To Invade The US
This year has not been a record one for US/Canadian ties, but at least it's not like 1921, when a Canadian military official worked up a secret plan to invade a bunch of northern US cities. (And, for that matter, the US had a northern invasion plan too.)
“Pomp And Circumstance,” A Graduation Tradition, Was Not Written For Graduations
Commencement season is here, which means a lot of people hearing a composition known as “Pomp and Circumstance.” Though that piece of music was not written with graduation in mind.
Elvis Once Bought A Yacht That Franklin Roosevelt Used As President
Today in 1964, Elvis Presley donated a historic ship to help a Memphis hospital raise money. That ship had once been a favorite hangout for President Franklin Roosevelt.
Daniel Sickles Lost His Leg In The Civil War, But Also Never Really Went Without It
When Daniel Sickles lost his leg at Gettysburg, he had it mounted and put on display at a medical museum.
The Guy Who Took The Famous Photos Of A Galloping Horse Also Killed A Guy
Eadweard Muybridge's photos of a galloping horse essentially led to what we know now as motion pictures. But it wouldn’t have taken nearly as long if Muybridge hadn’t been put on trial for murder (!)
When The “Kenneth, What Is The Frequency” Guy Attacked Dan Rather And Inspired An R.E.M. Song
In 1986 a guy mugged one of the most famous people in TV news, all the while shouting “Kenneth, what is the frequency?” And that's only the beginning of the story.
The Toronto Circus Riot Started Because Clowns Fought Firefighters At A Brothel
July 13, 1855 is the date of the Toronto Circus Riot, an event which sounds baffling and bizarre from the name alone, but the details are even weirder.
An Ad In The 70s Had Awful Advice For Bowlers: “Beat Your Wife Tonight”
In the 1970s some people in the bowling industry thought they’d come up with a clever way to get more people to the lanes, but they chose poorly when it came to the words.