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Past Imperfect

John D. Lee, seated on his coffin, moments before his execution.

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

Colonel Tom Parker—the title was awarded to him by Louisiana Governor Jimmie Davis in 1948 for political services rendered—claimed until 1982 to have been born in West Virginia. In fact he was a Dutchman, and the circumstances under which he left the Netherlands in 1929 remain a puzzle to this day.

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?

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.

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

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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

President Ulysses S. Grant with First Lady Julia Dent Grant and son Jesse in 1872.

The Civil War

General Grant in Love and War

The officer who gained glory as a warrior in the Civil War also had a domestic side.

Glamis Castle in the 18th century, shortly before its "mystery" began.

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?

Headline from the San Antonio Light, November 12, 1933

The Man Who Wouldn’t Die

The plot to kill Michael Malloy for life-insurance money seemed foolproof—until the conspirators actually tried it

Attila entertains–as imagined by a 19th- century artist.

Nice Things to Say About Attila the Hun

The Four Horsemen of Notre Dame

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

The last photo of Mawson's Far Eastern Party, taken when they left the Australasian Antarctic Party's base camp on November 10, 1912. By January 10, 1913, two of the three men would be dead, and expedition leader Douglas Mawson would find himself exhausted, ill and still more than 160 miles from the nearest human being.

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

Ben Hogan received a tickertape parade down Broadway in New York after winning the 1953 British Open and the "Hogan Slam."

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

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History Writers to Watch in 2012

A rundown of historians, authors and bloggers to follow in the coming year

Artist rendition of Charles Guiteau's attack on President Garfield

The Stalking of the President

Charles J. Guiteau said he wanted to kill President James A. Garfield “in an American manner.”

Izzy Einstein (left) and Moe Smith share a toast in New York City

Prohibition’s Premier Hooch Hounds

Harold Holt, the Australian Prime Minister, taking a swim

The Prime Minister who Disappeared

Laborers working at the face of the Thames Tunnel were protected by Marc Brunel's newly-invented "Shield"; behind them, other gangs hurried to roof the tunnel before the river could burst in. Nineteenth century lithograph.

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

Coya Knutson campaigning for Congress

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

Riflemen Andrew and Grigg (center)—British troops from London—during the Christmas Truce with Saxons of the 104th and 106th Regiments of the Imperial German Army.

World War I: 100 Years Later

The Story of the WWI Christmas Truce

It has become a great legend of World War I. But what really happened when British and German troops emerged from their trenches that Christmas Day?

Justice John Marshall Harlan

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

Ariel and Taeping at sea during the great Tea Race of 1866. Oil painting by Jack Spurling, 1926

The Great Tea Race of 1866

At the height of the sailing era, four of the world’s fastest clippers raced home with the season’s precious early cargo of tea

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