January 31, 2012

On December 14, 1799, George Washington died. A few days later, William Thornton – the architect who designed the U.S. Capitol – visited the widow Martha Washington. Did Thornton offer to turn President Washington into a zombie? Did President George Washington almost become a Zombie? Yes, in a manner of speaking. Richard Thornton did offer…

January 29, 2012

In 1841, John Tyler became the tenth President of the United States. Now, more than 170 years later, his grandson has stepped into the political limelight. So, what does the Tyler family think of today’s politicians? John Tyler Reenters the Public Eye? The fact that John Tyler still has living grandsons is amazing in its…

January 24, 2012

In 1820, Thomas Jefferson put the finishing touches on a strange modified Bible entitled The Life and Morals of Jesus of Nazareth. The work, which took him over a decade to complete, was not published until 1895, 69 years after Jefferson’s death. What was the purpose of the Jefferson Bible? Thomas Jefferson & the Jefferson…

January 22, 2012

On January 31, 1945, twelve soldiers raised their rifles, pointed them, and fired. Fifteen minutes later, private Eddie Slovik was dead. He remains the only U.S. soldier executed solely for desertion since the Civil War, when it was a disturbingly common punishment. Why did Slovik suffer this fate? Desertion during World War II? “The person…

January 20, 2012

On February 15, 1944, Private Dale H. Maple picked up two passengers in Colorado, and headed for Mexico. He was promptly arrested and charged with treason. Why? Because the two passengers weren’t Americans…they were Nazi prisoners of war. The 620th Engineer General Service Company: Nazi Sympathizers…in the U.S. Military? After enlisting in February 1942, Maple was…

January 18, 2012

Today, the Drug War is a part of American life, just like the War on Terror, the War on Poverty, and any other number of “Wars on Concepts.” But how did the Drug War originate? The Origin’s of America’s Drug War? Few people realize the Drug War is a very new invention, launched in 1914…

January 16, 2012

On December 15, 1944, a plane carrying jazz sensation Glenn Miller vanished while flying over the English Channel. The plane, its crew, and the passengers were never seen again. What happened to Glenn Miller? The disappearance of Glenn Miller is one of the great unsolved mysteries of history. For decades, researchers have questioned whether the…

January 15, 2012

You’ve probably never heard the name John Elfreth Watkins, Jr before. But in 1900, he made a series of predictions…predictions of the future. Did any of them come true? John Elfreth Watkins, Jr.: Predictions of the Future Of course, some of Watkins’ predictions of the future were hilariously wrong (“A man or woman unable to…