Weird History
The Life of Typhoid Mary
The story of the real Typhoid Mary - In the early 1900s, germ theory was a relatively new concept, and many – including doctors – were unaware of how diseases spread. At the time, bacterial diseases like typhoid and dysentery could still...
Weird History
Tesla Facts that May Shock You
Yes, pun intended. In this, the age of the Internet, Nikola Tesla has enjoyed a posthumous surge in popularity that makes Einstein look like an old french fry. It took an entire David Bowie to fill his shoes in The Prestige. Our RL Iron...
Weird History
How Woodstock 99 Went Off The Rails
The 30th anniversary celebration of the Woodstock music festival took place in Rome, NY, from July 22-25, 1999. But what was originally conceived as a modern homage to the landmark hippie-fueled musical lovefest of the 1960s ended up...
Curated Video
Civil War Innovation & Technology
It was the most destructive conflict in US history – but the American Civil War also saw the emergence of new technologies and innovations born from a will to win.
Weird History
Fort Knox Is More Mysterious Than You Think
Located just outside Louisville, Kentucky, Fort Knox is a top-secret United States Army post surrounded in mystery and conspiracy theories. Not only does it house a majority of the nation's gold reserve, it's so exclusive that even U.S....
Weird History
What It Was Like During the Golden Age of Flying
The 1950s and '60s are often regarded as the golden age of airlines, offering luxurious seating, fancy meals, and beaming flight attendants. But while it was certainly roomier than today's modern sardine can technique of travel, there...
Step Back History
Why is Puerto Rico not a State?
Puerto Rico lies at a strange place in the greater American empire. It's one of the oldest colonized places in the Americas, and a debate about its fate has roiled for centuries. Let's talk about it!
Jack Rackam
The Moses of Oklahoma | The Life & Times of John Horse
What's this? A person who actually did some good in his life? Talk about off-brand! Still, I think he's got an amazing story. From fighting the US in the Seminole Wars and in Washington, breaking out of Fort Marion, old enemies turning...
Weird History
What It Was Like to Be a Civil War Soldier
The Civil War was the bloodiest in US history: more Americans perished in five years than in all other conflicts combined. What was it like to fight? Soldiers faced new technology on the field, like rifle-muskets that could cut down...
Weird History
What Life Was Really Like On the Oregon Trail
Life on the Oregon Trail was both incredibly boring and extremely dangerous. Pioneers had to exercise extreme caution and a lot of bravado to cross the 2,170 mile stretch of land starting in Missouri and ending in Oregon. Accidents and...
Weird History
The Feud Between Guns N Roses and Nirvana
Even before Kanye West interrupted Taylor Swift, rock and roll feuds tore both bands and fans apart. The transition from big hair in the late '80s to dirty hair in the early '90s created one of the most memorable rock beefs in history:...
Weird History
Governeur Morris | The Wildest Founding Father
From engaging in trysts at the Louvre, to losing a leg in an adultery-driven accident, to vehemently opposing slavery, Gouverneur Morris is arguably one of the most fascinating figures in history. Bronx born, Gouverneur Morris was one of...
Step Back History
How The Vietnam War Birthed a Generation of White Terrorists
Born in the fires of Vietnam, the White Power movement decided in 1983 to overthrow the government of the United States. But to do so, you need recruits, weapons, organization, and money. This is how they tried to build it.
Weird History
Who Was Cassius Clay, Abolitionist
So who was the original Cassius Clay? The simple answer is that he was a prominent abolitionist politician in the mid-1800s. He served in the Kentucky House of Representatives and was appointed ambassador to Russia by Abraham Lincoln....
Weird History
Actor Woody Harrelson's Dad Was a Hit Man
When Woody Harrelson first rose to fame on the sitcom Cheers in 1985, his father had already made headlines for a much more nefarious reason. Charles Voyde Harrelson was given two life sentences for the murder of Texas judge John H. Wood...
Weird History
Facts About the Space Shuttle Challenger Disaster
Every American who lived through the '80s remembers the Challenger explosion. But what happened to cause the famous national tragedy? How could such a catastrophe happen when NASA so meticulously checks and double checks all the...
Weird History
Gibsontown-Circus Freak Community
Imagine a town where everyone has run away to join the circus. That's what it's like to live in Gibsonton, Florida, home to all manner of circus sideshow performers since the 1940s.
Weird History
Heroines Of The Wild West
When you think of the stereotypical Wild West individual, what comes to mind? Does your mind conjure images of dirty, gruff men as mean as rabid coyotes, spitting large chunks of tobacco into metal spittoons? The type of men who would...
Weird History
When Teddy Roosevelt got shot and stil gave a Speech
Sometimes, the words of politicians save lives. In the case of Teddy Roosevelt, ""Bull Moose"" Party presidential candidate in 1912, that was very literally true.
Having already served as the 26th President of the United States,...
Weird History
What Happened Immediately After The American Revolution
What happened right after the Revolutionary War ended? It's easy to think the United States of America was born immediately after the British surrendered at Yorktown, but in truth it was a long, arduous process to transform the...
Weird History
What Was George Washington's Private life Like
During the American Revolution, newspapers printed sensational stories about George Washington's affairs. An enslaved woman named Venus claimed George fathered her son. And years after his passing, a racy love letter written to a married...
Weird History
What It Was Like to Be a Cowboy
Contrary to Hollywood scripture, RL Cowboy Lyfe was less Rawhide and more A Million Ways to Die of Dysentery in the Desert. The life of a cowboy in the 1800s was a full plate of hard work, danger, and monotony with a heaping helping of...
Weird History
What Happened After Kennedy Was Assassinated
On November 22, 1963, President John F. Kennedy was assassinated in Dallas, Texas. Arguably the crime of the century, Kennedy's murder stunned the American people and set off an outpouring of grief around the world. But the days after...
Weird History
Jimi Hendrix's Woodstock National Anthem
Woodstock 1969 can be seen as the crowning event of the decade's free love movement, and its cultural impact spans generations. The shining star of the event turned out to be Jimi Hendrix's national anthem performance. His electric...