The fraudster and swindler who almost talked his way into becoming king of a tiny mountain realm, armed with a catalogue of lies and a manifesto for modernisation To be a vocational swindler, fraudster, conman, trickster, scam artist, is to be someone typically unconscionable; someone who is successful in one’s lies by telling them with... Continue Reading →
4 Nations You Didn’t Know Fought in World War II
Four countries that didn't have a dog in the fight but, unknown to most, battled in the 2nd World War World War Two wasn’t called a ‘world war’ for nothing; a whole heap of nations got sucked into it. There was the ‘Big Six’ of course; there were the exiled governments of occupied countries like... Continue Reading →
The Wolf Truce, 1917
A story came out of the horrors of the First World War of an enemy of a novel kind; that wolves on the Eastern Front grew so bold, so numerous, soldiers on both sides were forced to turn their guns on these pack predators. It was the Winter 1917 and WW1 was into its fourth... Continue Reading →
The 1916 New Jersey Shark Attacks that Inspired Jaws
The view of sharks as cold-blooded man-eaters goes even further back than Jaws. In the summer of 1916, five bathers were viciously attacked, transforming the reputation of these apex-hunters forever. Death from Below Fond memories are made frolicking around summertime seashores. Yet, in temperate waters dangers lurk. Rip currents and jellyfish are to be wary... Continue Reading →