Topic

History

A collection of 332 issues

The Unbroken Chain: Inside the Kong Family's 2,500-Year, 2-Million-Member Family Tree

The Kong family, direct descendants of Confucius, possess the world's longest family tree. Spanning over 2,500 years and 83 generations, this meticulously documented lineage now includes over 2 million members, a testament to enduring cultural and familial heritage.

Dimples and Diplomacy: Shirley Temple's Surprising Role in the Fall of Communism

Shirley Temple, the iconic child star, had a remarkable second act as a diplomat. As US Ambassador to Czechoslovakia in 1989, she witnessed and supported the Velvet Revolution, playing a key role in the nation's peaceful transition from communism to democracy.

Old Reliable's Revenge: The Day Titanic's Sister Ship Rammed a U-Boat

During WWI, the RMS Olympic, Titanic's sister ship, was a troop transport. When German U-boat U-103 tried to torpedo her, the Olympic's captain ordered the massive liner to ram the submarine. The Olympic sliced into the U-boat, sinking it, and continued on without stopping to rescue survivors.

The Audacious Clerk Who Put His Own Face on Money and Changed U.S. Law Forever

In 1866, when Congress authorized a 5¢ bill honoring explorer 'Clark,' Treasury official Spencer Clark seized the ambiguity and put his own portrait on the currency. The resulting outrage led to a permanent ban on depicting any living person on U.S. money, a law that stands today.

Fallen from the Sky: The Unthinkable Story of 9/11's First Fallen Firefighter

Daniel Suhr, the first FDNY member killed on 9/11, was responding to the World Trade Center when he was tragically struck and killed by a person who had jumped or fallen from the South Tower, a harrowing testament to the chaos of that day.

The Cult of Lysenko: How Pseudoscience and Political Power Starved Millions

Trofim Lysenko, a Soviet agronomist, rejected genetics for his own pseudoscientific theories. Backed by Stalin, his policies, like planting seeds densely, were forced upon farmers, leading to catastrophic crop failures and contributing to devastating famines in the USSR and China.

Green, Yellow, Red: The Forgotten Color-Coded System That Rated Arcade Games

Long before the ESRB, arcades had their own rating system. The American Amusement Machine Association used simple color-coded stickers—green for all ages, yellow for mild content, and red for strong themes—to guide parents and players in the golden age of arcade gaming.

The Man Who Surfed a Skyscraper: Pasquale Buzzelli's Impossible 9/11 Survival Story

On 9/11, Port Authority engineer Pasquale Buzzelli was on the 22nd floor of the North Tower when it collapsed. He rode a slab of concrete down through the pancaking floors and, against all odds, survived the fall. His is one of the most miraculous survival stories from that tragic day.