The place to learn about the past and present,
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 →
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 →
Seven men who were famous for their colossal height, size and strength, including the 'Cape Breton Giant', 'Canadian Colossus' and 'Childe of Hale' Robert Wadlow is the tallest human being to have ever existed as verified by science, towering over all at 8 ft 11 in (2.72 m). Yet the same condition which made him... Continue Reading →
From a dog landing on someone's head to celebrating a goal, here are 15 tales of death striking from the oddest angles. Death is a fascinating topic for many; there is a deep, intrinsic fear of our mortality and of how fragile it can be. Alas, we are not all destined to die of old... 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 →
The time the US accidently dropped not one, but three nuclear bombs on Spanish soil. The imagery of a nuclear fireball inspires awe and terror in equal doses; we all understand the capacity a massive ball of rising red flame, seen on the horizon, has to turn flesh to dust and obliterate anything in its... Continue Reading →
The hectic goal-fest of Boxing Day, 1963 when 66 goals were scored in 10 games in the English top flight Division One is probably the most epic day in English football history. Some say that 'the beautiful game' isn't the most exciting spectacle, perhaps because it's one of few sports in which a game can... Continue Reading →
In perhaps the greatest 'hold my beer' escapade to date, Thomas Fitzpatrick stole a plane to win a bet that he could fly from Jersey to New York in just 15 minutes. Bulky sedans rumbled sedately along the right-angled streets, and haggard creatures of the night here and there passed under the patchy street lighting... 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 →
History and Things 