Topic

History

A collection of 332 issues

Singapore's Royal Ghost: How the Lion City Became a Republic From Day One

Singapore, once a medieval kingdom, became a republic the moment it gained independence from Malaysia in 1965. It has never had a monarch in its modern history, with its first head of state, Yusof Ishak, transitioning from a governor-like role to become its first President.

The Lost Cross of King Harold: A Tale of Miracles, Monks, and a Mysterious Disappearance

An 11th-century stone crucifix, unearthed in Somerset, became a famed healing relic in Waltham after a miraculous journey. Devotedly rebuilt by King Harold Godwinson, the Holy Cross of Waltham vanished without a trace during Henry VIII's Dissolution of the Monasteries, its fate a mystery.

Mother Carey's Chickens: The Ghostly Birds and the Sea Witch Who Claimed Drowned Sailors' Souls

Mother Carey, a feared sea witch in 18th-century folklore, personified the cruel ocean. Her storm petrels, known as "Mother Carey's chickens," were believed to be the souls of drowned sailors, warning of her wrathful storms. Her name, from Latin "Mater Cara," is a grimly ironic title.

Hollywood's Most Unlikely Winner: How the U.S. Marine Corps Won an Oscar for a Film That Shocked a Nation

In 1944, the entire U.S. Marine Corps received an unprecedented Academy Award for "With the Marines at Tarawa." The graphic color documentary, which required presidential approval to release, brought the shocking reality of the Pacific War to the American home front for the first time.

Throne of Blood: The 2001 Nepalese Royal Massacre and the Fall of a Dynasty

On June 1, 2001, Nepal's Crown Prince Dipendra, enraged over a marriage dispute, shot and killed ten members of his family, including his parents, the King and Queen. He then turned the gun on himself, plunging the nation into chaos and ending a dynasty.

When the RAF Airdropped Cats into Borneo: The Bizarre True Story of Operation Cat Drop

In the 1950s, the WHO used DDT in Borneo to fight malaria. This inadvertently killed local cats via biomagnification, leading to a rat plague that destroyed crops. The solution was Operation Cat Drop, where cats were parachuted into villages to restore ecological balance.