Topic

History

A collection of 339 issues

The Unsung Canine Chef: Remembering the Turnspit, the Dog That Cooked Dinner and Was Erased by Technology

Meet the Turnspit, an extinct dog breed bred for one purpose: to run in a wheel, powering a rotating spit to cook meat. Once a common kitchen appliance, this hardworking canine was sadly rendered obsolete by machinery, a poignant tale of a living engine forgotten by time.

The Canadian Mountain Named After a Tyrant: Why 'Mount Stalin' Lasted Until 1987

From 1944 to 1987, a peak in British Columbia was named Mount Stalin to honor a WWII ally. This article explores why the name was given and why, despite the Cold War and knowledge of his tyranny, bureaucratic inertia and the mountain's remoteness caused the name to persist for decades.

An Appointment with Death: The Bizarre Coincidences of King Umberto I and His Doppelgänger

King Umberto I of Italy met his doppelgänger, a restaurateur. They shared a name, birthday, birthplace, and wife's name. On July 29, 1900, the king learned his double was shot and killed. Hours later, the king himself was assassinated. Their parallel lives ended in parallel deaths.

5,000 Meters Deep: The Cold War's Lost Thermonuclear Bomb in the Philippine Sea

In 1965, a US Navy A-4E Skyhawk carrying a B43 thermonuclear bomb rolled off the USS Ticonderoga and sank in the Philippine Sea. The pilot, plane, and bomb were never recovered and now rest 16,000 feet deep, a secret held from the public until 1989.

Proud to be an American... and a Canadian? The Secret History of Lee Greenwood's Other Anthem

Lee Greenwood's "God Bless the USA" is a beloved American anthem, but few know he also wrote and recorded "God Bless Canada" for a 1989 tourism campaign. With swapped lyrics praising Manitoba and Calgary, the song reveals a surprising chapter in the history of a patriotic classic.

From Savannah to Sand: Unearthing the Lost Green World of Ancient Arabia

Stunning evidence reveals the Arabian desert was a lush, green savannah. Fueled by ancient monsoons, it hosted vast lakes, river networks, and wildlife like hippos, creating a vital corridor for early human migration out of Africa before its dramatic desertification.

The Dictator on the CIA's Payroll: Manuel Noriega's Betrayal and the US Invasion of Panama

Manuel Noriega, the Panamanian dictator captured in a US invasion, was a long-time CIA asset. For years, he received up to $200,000 annually from the US for intelligence while simultaneously collaborating with drug cartels. This tangled web of convenience and crime ultimately led to his downfall.

The Great Manhattan Giveaway: Why the Dutch Traded New York for a Sugar Colony

In 1674, the Dutch formally traded New Amsterdam (Manhattan) to England for Suriname. While this seems like a colossal blunder today, the immensely profitable sugar plantations of Suriname made it the far more valuable asset in the 17th century—a calculated economic power move.