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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
Clarence Dally — The Man Who Gave Thomas Edison X-Ray Vision
"Don't talk to me about X-rays," Edison said after an assistant on one of his X-ray projects started showing signs of illness. "I am afraid of them."
March 14, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
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
The Aftermath of Mountain Meadows
The massacre almost brought the United States to war against the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, but only one man was brought to trial: John D. Lee
February 29, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
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
General Grant in Love and War
The officer who gained glory as a warrior in the Civil War also had a domestic side.
February 14, 2012 |
By Gilbert King
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
Going Mad for Charles Dickens
Two centuries after his birth, the novelist is still wildly popular, as a theme park, a new movie and countless festivals attest
February 2012 |
By Joshua Hammer
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
The Stalking of the President
Charles J. Guiteau said he wanted to kill President James A. Garfield "in an American manner." He passed up several opportunities before he thought the time was right.
January 17, 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
The Epic Struggle to Tunnel Under the Thames
No one had ever tunneled under a major river before Marc Brunel began a shaft below London's river in the 1820s
January 03, 2012 |
By Mike Dash
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
