The place to learn about the past and present,
Click for part 1 USS Hornet Sunk, 1829 A large US Navy sloop-of-war was lost in 1829, albeit in a maritime disaster rather than a military one. The USS Hornet was a 440-ton ship armed with 20 cannon and had a distinguished record as the first U.S. Navy ship to capture a British privateer in... Continue Reading →
"Modern American war is as easy to script as a B-movie" quipped one US Army officer, referring to the predictability of US victories against its enemies in the late 20th Century. Yet, it wasn't always smooth sailing for the Yanks. Presented, the worst US military disaster of every decade spanning the Declaration of Independence til... Continue Reading →
The time the US justice system tried to re-imprison a model citizen they had released early It was just another day for Rene Lima-Marin in his job helping to transform city skylines by installing glass windows into skyscrapers until an unknown caller buzzed his mobile phone. The woman on the line said she was from... Continue Reading →
A little girl survived a 1-hour submersion in freezing creek water one Summer in Utah. On a hot June day the birds were singing, the bees buzzing, and mum’s voice on the phone wafted through the warm air, so warm after a late start to Summer. Her reassuring tones set her blond-haired toddler at ease... Continue Reading →
What's the best way to promote train travel to Texas? Stage a train crash for people to come and see there, of course! Read about what happened on the big day when the guy in charge of health and safety took the day off. We know that one to two hundred years back, people’s faith... Continue Reading →
One man's fate to die on a date in 1980 was so strong even escaping Death Row could not postpone his mortality. Such is the antisocial, troublesome character of some people you meet that you just know they’re destined to be dead or in prison before they reach their 40th birthday, and so was the... Continue Reading →
The embarrassing episode for the Chicago Police Dept. when they discovered a teenager had managed to get hold of a uniform and go under cover as a cop. Find out what duties he performed during his 'shift' and try to figure out how he slipped through the net. It was just past lunchtime and a... Continue Reading →
To fly is a dream, and every kid at some point imagines acquiring enough helium balloons for a little aerial adventure. Big kid Larry Walters actually pulled off this stunt for real in an epic flight over Los Angeles. Who hasn’t held a bunch of helium balloons as a kid and imagined the fun they... Continue Reading →
God surely showed his hand when an exceptional spate of coincidences rescued 15 choir members from being blown to smithereens It was a frigid evening on the first day of March in 1950 and the clock was ticking towards utter tragedy for the fifteen members of the West Side Baptist Church choir, in Beatrice, Nebraska. The... Continue Reading →
It was an awkward moment when Mantao representative George McLauchlan crossed the Atlantic to present a commemorative clock to Bideford town's officials, only for them to not have a clue why. Find out what happened here. The sky above was white and seagulls could be heard in the distance being a nuisance. David Riley was... Continue Reading →
History and Things 