The Senator and the Gangsters
In the early 1950s, few Americans knew much about organized crime. But Sen. Estes Kefauver, a Democrat from Tennessee, changed that with a series of hearings that turned into a television extravaganza.
April 18, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
Closing the Pigeon Gap
A hundred years ago, the British Empire looked enviously at the efficient carrier pigeon networks established by its European rivals. Yet during the First World War, Allied birds outperformed their rivals and saved thousands of lives–all thanks to the efforts of one London pigeon fancier.
April 17, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
The House that Polly Adler Built
She entered the brothel business without apology and set out to become the best madam in America
April 12, 2012 |
By Karen Abbott
Salk, Sabin and the Race Against Polio
As polio ravaged patients worldwide, two gifted American researchers developed distinct vaccines against it. Then the question was: Which one to use?
April 03, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
The Portrait of Sensitivity: A Photographer in Storyville, New Orleans’ Forgotten Burlesque Quarter
The Big Easy's red light district had plenty of tawdriness going on—except when Ernest J. Bellocq was taking photographs of prostitutes
March 28, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
On Heroic Self-Sacrifice: a London Park Devoted to Those Most Worth Remembering
In 1887, a painter was inspired by an idea: commemorate the everyday heroism of men, women and children who had lost their lives trying to save another's
March 19, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
Paris or Bust: The Great New York-to-Paris Auto Race of 1908
Even before there were roads, there were men who wanted to drive fast.
March 07, 2012 |
By Karen Abbott
Colonel Parker Managed Elvis’ Career, but Was He a Killer on the Lam?
The man who brought The King to global fame kept his own past secret. But what exactly was Tom Parker hiding?
February 24, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
A Spectacle of Horror – The Burning of the General Slocum
The deadliest disaster in New York before 9/11 killed many women and children and ultimately erased a German community from the map of Manhattan.
February 21, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
The Mysterious Mr. Zedzed: The Wickedest Man in the World
Sir Basil Zaharoff was the archetypal "merchant of death"—an arms salesman who made a career out of selling to both sides in a conflict and stood accused of starting World War I for his personal profit.
February 16, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
The Monster of Glamis
The secret of Glamis Castle—a concealed room, a hidden heir—was one of the great talking points of the 19th century. But will the mystery ever be resolved?
February 10, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
The Man Who Wouldn’t Die
The plot to kill Michael Malloy for life-insurance money seemed foolproof—until the conspirators actually tried it
February 07, 2012 |
By Karen Abbott
The Game that Put the NFL’s Reputation on the Line
In 1930, many football fans believed the college game was better than the professional one
January 31, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
The Most Terrible Polar Exploration Ever: Douglas Mawson’s Antarctic Journey
A century ago, Douglas Mawson saw his two companions die and found himself stranded in the midst of Antarctic blizzards.
January 27, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
Hit by a Bus, How Ben Hogan Hit Back
The champion golfer was critically injured in 1949—and went on to the most dominant phase of his career.
January 25, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
Prohibition’s Premier Hooch Hounds
Izzy Einstein and Moe Smith were so good at undercover work, a newspaper said they could disguise themselves as "breaths of air or unconfirmed rumors." But their success came back to haunt them
January 10, 2012 |
By Karen Abbott
The Prime Minister who Disappeared
In 1967, Harold Holt went for a swim off an Australian beach and never came back. By law, no official inquest could be held without a body. Soon the whispers of conspiracy began.
January 04, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
Friends in the House, Hostility at Home
Coya Knutson won a seat in the U.S. House in 1954 but was undone by a secret she brought to Washington
December 29, 2011 |
By Gilbert King
The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce
It has become one of the great legends of World War I. But what really happened when British and German troops emerged from their trenches that Christmas Day?
December 23, 2011 |
By Mike Dash
The Great Dissenter and his Half-Brother
John Harlan championed racial justice on a hostile Supreme Court. Robert Harlan, a freed slave, achieved renown despite the court's decisions
December 20, 2011 |
By Gilbert King
