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“Murder Wasn’t Very Pretty”: The Rise and Fall of D.C. Stephenson
The Grand Dragon of the Klan and prominent Indiana politician had a vicious streak that had horrifying consequences
August 30, 2012 |
By Karen Abbott
It Wasn’t Me – Could Identical Twins Get Away With Murder?
Identical twins can actually get away with crimes by blaming one another
August 24, 2012 |
By Rose Eveleth
The Smoothest Con Man That Ever Lived
"Count" Victor Lustig once sold the Eiffel Tower to an unsuspecting scrap-metal dealer. Then he started thinking really big
August 22, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
In Vietnam, Rhino Horn is the Drug of Choice at both Parties and Hospitals
A new report issued by TRAFFIC issues the latest depressing statistics surrounding the epidemic-proportion illegal rhino horn trade between South Africa and Asia.
August 21, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
‘We the People’ Do a Better Job of Picking Endangered Species than the Government
Crowdsourcing threatened and endangered species listings turns out to be more efficient than relying solely on the US Fish and Wildlife Service, the agency that oversees the Endangered Species Act
August 17, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Vietnam’s Dogs are Both Humans’ Best Friends and Snacks
In Vietnam, dog lovers had best keep their pooches behind high, locked fences if they don't want their pets to wind up boiled in a pot, served fried with a sprig of cilantro or twirling over a barbecue pit.
August 01, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Should Dolphins and Whales Have Human Rights?
Because of their complex brains and rich social lives, should dolphins and whales be considered non-human legal persons, with full legal rights?
July 23, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
City Officials Declare War on Lawn Gardens
To the urban gardener's dismay, it seems that, at least for city officials, the sight of glistening berries and bountiful veggies is an offense warranting reprimand and bulldozers.
July 20, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
$2 Million in Ivory Seized From Manhattan Jewelers
Two New York City jewelers, caught with $2 million worth of illegal ivory, plead guilty to charges of commercializing wildlife.
July 13, 2012 |
By Colin Schultz
For Coal Miners, Back to Black Lungs
Though Congress promised back in 1969 that mines would clean up their act, the miner's bane seems to be back in Appalachia's coal mines. Black lung has returned to the scene.
July 11, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Daughters of Wealth, Sisters in Revolt
The Gore-Booth sisters, Constance and Eva, forsook their places amid Ireland's Protestant gentry to fight for the rights of the disenfranchised and the poor
July 10, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
The High Priestess of Fraudulent Finance
Her claim of being "the Heiress to $15,000" was just one of the many falsehoods that carried Cassie Chadwick from city to city and bounced check to bounced check
June 27, 2012 |
By Karen Abbott
In 45 States, It’s Illegal to Keep Your HIV Status Secret
Should it be illegal to keep your HIV status a secret? Most states agree that it should. Forty-five states have laws against HIV-positive persons not disclosing their status during sex, acts of prostitution, needle exchanges or when donating organs, blood or semen. Some of those states also make it illegal for HIV-positive persons to bite [...]
June 26, 2012 |
By Rachel Nuwer
Surgery, Security and Sales: The Future of Closed-Circuit Television
Just as people were experimenting with the potential uses of broadcast TV in the 1930s, so too were they envisioning ways to utilize closed-circuit TV in the 1950s
June 26, 2012 |
By Matt Novak
The “Latin Lover” and His Enemies
Rudolph Valentino fought a long battle against innuendo about his masculinity right up until he died. But now he seems to have won
June 13, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
The Ax Murderer Who Got Away
One hundred years ago this week, a family of six were murdered by ax in the little town of Villisca, Iowa. Might those killings be linked to as many as nine other multiple ax murders that occurred across the North-West and Midwest in 1911-12?
June 08, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
The Romneys’ Mexican History
Mitt Romney’s father was born in a small Mormon enclave where family members still live, surrounded by rugged beauty and violent drug cartels
May 2012 |
By Héctor Tobar
The Case of the Sleepwalking Killer
The evidence against Albert Tirrell was lurid and damning—until Rufus Choate, a protegé of the great Daniel Webster, agreed to come to the defense
April 30, 2012 |
By Karen Abbott
Edgar Allan Poe: Hollywood’s Favorite Mad Genius
Tracing the work of the famed writer through movies
April 25, 2012 |
By Daniel Eagan
Theodore Roosevelt’s Life-Saving Speech
When a would-be assassin shot his .38 at the presidential candidate, the 50-page manuscript and metal eyeglasses case tucked against Roosevelt's chest absorbed the blow
April 25, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
