When Key West Left The US To Become The Conch Republic
Today in 1982, Key West, Florida, decided it was time to do its own thing, declaring independence from the United States and forming its own country.
A Guy Used A Loophole In International Law To Put Himself “In Charge” Of Western Antarctica
This week in 1819 was probably the first European sighting of Antarctica. It’s different from all the other continents in so many ways - including how, from a certain point of view, a big chunk of Antarctica is “ruled” by a guy who’s never even been there.
California Miners Once Tried To Start “The Great Republic Of Rough And Ready”
Today in 1850, a man in California decided to start his own country. While it didn’t last, and may not have happened at all, the name is unforgettable: the Great Republic of Rough and Ready.
Ernest Hemingway’s Brother Tried To Make Half Of A Raft Into A Country
Like his famous brother Ernest, who was born today in 1899, Leicester Hemingway was a novelist and a storyteller. But Leicester did something even Ernest never did: he created his own micronation.