The strange and tragic history of Japan’s attempt to bomb the United States during World War II began with a summer picnic. It began just outside the small town of Bly, Oregon, on a secluded forest road. Reverend Archie Mitchell was with his wife Elsie and five children from their Sunday school class at the […]
The Unforgettable Impact of Japanese Fire Balloons During WWII Read More »
Rats can be a real nuisance. They get into our food, our trash, and even our homes. But when applied in the right (or rather, wrong) ways, they can turn into something far more sinister: a form of torture so cruel that the very mention of it can be enough to compel someone to spill
Rat Torture: One Of History’s Most Barbaric Torture Methods? Read More »
50 years of conquest saw Mongol armies at the gates of Hungary, Persia, and along the Yangtze facing the last remaining Chinese resistance. The Mongols thought they were invincible and with good reason. A succession of aggressive leaders started with Genghis Khan in 1211. This extended to their last truly expansionist ruler, his grandson Kublai
Cooperation vs. Chaos: The Mongolian Invasions of China and Japan Read More »
You may have read about Arthur Conan Doyle’s fictional monstrous hound in the famous Sherlock Holmes story titled, “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” But in the 18th century, a real-life bloodthirsty beast terrorized Gévaudan, an ancient Southern French county that today lies in the Department of Lozère. Known as La Bête du Gévaudan or the
The Beast of Gévaudan: Terror of the French Countryside Read More »
If you’ve ever seen the Batman movies, you’re probably familiar with the Joker’s leering, painted-on grin. It’s a bloody smile that stretches far beyond the corners of his mouth, making it evident that his cheeks have been sliced open from ear to ear. What you may not realize, is that this was an actual form
The History of the Glasgow Smile Read More »
The lost city of Atlantis: the ancient mythical civilization that sank beneath the waves and supposedly lies somewhere in the Atlantic Ocean waiting to be rediscovered. If you’re like 57% percent of Americans, you may believe that lost civilizations like Atlantis exist. And that’s perhaps what makes the story of Atlantis so fascinating. Appearing in two
History of the Lost City of Atlantis Read More »
Born as a slave in the early 1800s, Henry “Box” Brown escaped from enslavement and became a well-known abolitionist and stage performer. His escape is notable for both its creativity and gutsiness. He mailed himself to freedom in a crate, earning him his nickname. Today, he is an icon in African-Americans’ fight for freedom. Early
Henry Box Brown: The slave who mailed himself to freedom Read More »
Also known as the Second Indochina War, the Vietnam War was a long and bloody conflict, spanning 20 years from 1955 to 1975. The war was primarily a clash of ideologies between the communist government of North Vietnam and the capitalist government of South Vietnam. Throughout the war and the events leading up to it,
What Caused the Vietnam War? Read More »
Inside the Third Reich’s concentration camps were scores of evil guards capable of committing horrible and sadistic acts. When the Allies tried the perpetrators of the Holocaust after the end of the war, the public was surprised by the beastly behavior of female guards like Irma Grese and Elisabeth Volkenrath, who often committed worse acts
Jenny Barkmann: The “Beautiful Spectre” of Stutthof Read More »
According to Ancient Greek mythology, Hermes was known for his cunning and mischievous nature. On the day he was born, it was said that Hermes invented the lyre, stole 50 head of cattle from his brother Apollo, and then hid the cattle in a cave so well that even Apollo couldn’t find them. When Apollo
What was Caduceus, the staff of Hermes? Read More »
