Money does not exist. Only its value does. Go to the bank and ask to see the $1,000 in your

Why Are High Schools Graduating Illiterate Seniors? If you really want to know what is happening in America’s schools, do

Coming Out of the Water Dry (The 1838 Missouri Extermination Order) “The Mormons must be treated as enemies, and must

When Detective Heinz Noonan arrives in Spokane to investigate a simple case of double obituaries, he has no idea he’s

Detective Heinz Noonan, the “Bearded Homes,” is sent to Virginia Beach, North Carolina, to find 30 antique Christian crosses that

Why would anyone steal something that has no value? And then stick the insurance company for a ten-million-dollar loss? That’s

How can $2 million in diamonds vanish? First, the diamonds were assessed to make sure they were authentic. Then, in

The Alaska Gold Rush is the least studied era of United States history. If you pull up Alaska Gold Rush

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“Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.”

“Sometimes a picture is worth a thousand words.”

This is a photograph of a ship somewhere along the Mississippi before the Civil War.

“Who invented the telephone booth?

“Who invented the telephone booth?

Thomas Watson, Alexander Graham Bell’s assistant. His landlady complained about the excessive noise he was

Not that one!  This one!

Not that one!  This one!

In the 1950s, American engineers working in the Middle East – where liquor was frowned

Nothing is worse than a missed opportunity

Nothing is worse than a missed opportunity

Petroleum as a fuel source is on the wane.  We will not have another century

“62 days on the road and for what?!”

“62 days on the road and for what?!”

During the summer of 1919, a United States Army Major was assigned to a transcontinental

“He’s cccrrraaazzzyyyyy!”

“He’s cccrrraaazzzyyyyy!”

It was said that the Roman Emperor Caligula once declared war on Neptune, the God

No, what you are seeing is history, not fantasy.

No, what you are seeing is history, not fantasy.

Charles VI of France (1368-1422) was daffy. He thought he was made of glass and

“Talk about luck!!!”

“Talk about luck!!!”

There’s been a lot of talk about who was on the Titanic. How about the

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Yeah, I know. “Photoshop.”

Yeah, I know. “Photoshop.”

Yeah, I know. “Photoshop.”  Actually, no. It is a double-exposure from 100 years ago. During

“Yes, Dorothy, there is such a thing as fake news.”

“Yes, Dorothy, there is such a thing as fake news.”

I, as an Alaskan, am outraged some people are giving fake news a bad name. 

An Alaska Gold Rush Millionaire!  What?!

An Alaska Gold Rush Millionaire! What?!

When people think of a gold rush, they instantly think the big money is made

One hundred and 13 years ago

One hundred and 13 years ago

One hundred and 13 years ago, my 19-year-old grandfather arrived in San Francisco on his

“What could possibly go wrong, eh?”

“What could possibly go wrong, eh?”

Nice, eh? Historic but nice. Well, these are fashions from my great grandparents’ women’s fashion

“How much is a dollar really worth?”

“How much is a dollar really worth?”

Starting in 1938, Emerich Juettner – also known as Edward Mueller –started counterfeiting one dollar

“A pet snake and a Voodoo Doll?  In the White House?!”

“A pet snake and a Voodoo Doll? In the White House?!”

lice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of President Theodore Roosevelt, didn’t give a whit about the ‘proper

“Wanna shot of whiskey?”

“Wanna shot of whiskey?”

Here’s a REAL Alaska Gold Rush saloon!  It’s from the Koyukuk, one of the real-life

SNOW FISHING AT THE TAKOTNA BRIDGE

SNOW FISHING AT THE TAKOTNA BRIDGE

Every Alaskan has a bear story and almost every one of those stories falls into the category Alaskans refer to as bullchitna.
“It must be true, I read it in the newspaper.”

“It must be true, I read it in the newspaper.”

As printed in the Tacoma Evening News on March 3, 1903, C. Payne, an armless

“You want to build a bridge in the Alaska Gold Rush of what??!!”

“You want to build a bridge in the Alaska Gold Rush of what??!!”

In the teens, someone who was incredibly stupid was known as being “as cunning as

“Do you know your cans?”

“Do you know your cans?”

Never underestimate the drive to be informed or educated. In the days of the Wild

Sometimes you do not get what you see.

Sometimes you do not get what you see.

This is a common sight in most American communities west of the Mississippi. When those

“What do you see from up there?”

“What do you see from up there?”

One of the most iconic images of the Arctic for tourists is the blanket toss. 

“Now, don’t get all 1970s on me!”

“Now, don’t get all 1970s on me!”

DO NOT ROLL YOUR EYES when I tell you this is a statue of Sonny

“Why are railroad rails exactly 4 feet, 8.5 inches apart?”

“Why are railroad rails exactly 4 feet, 8.5 inches apart?”

The US standard railroad gauge is 4 feet, 8.5 inches. Why? Because the first railroads

“I want my steak RAW!”

“I want my steak RAW!”

Vicious maneaters, right? Actually that’s incorrect.  In fact, the piranha got its reputation because of

“You’re outa here!”

“You’re outa here!”

In 1910, Victor Berger, a founding member of the Socialist Party of America, was elected

Meet “Lemonade Lucy” Hayes

Meet “Lemonade Lucy” Hayes

History is sometimes not kind to one’s reputation.  A case in point is that of

“She didn’t take $%^& from idiots!”

“She didn’t take $%^& from idiots!”

In 1951, a snippy newspaper columnist suggested Marilyn Monroe would be better off wearing a

It’s easy to say how BAD things are right now:

It’s easy to say how BAD things are right now:

It’s easy to say how BAD things are right now: COVID19, race riots, high unemployment,

“Whoever said I wasn’t a great artist?”

“Whoever said I wasn’t a great artist?”

Long before he became well-known as the inventor of Morse Code, Samuel Morse was a

“Why are there 5,280 feet in a mile?”

“Why are there 5,280 feet in a mile?”

All Roman roads had mileage stones, set one thousand paces apart. The term “mile” comes

Not Photoshop

Not Photoshop

This is not Photoshop; it’s a real home. It’s also a metaphor for the turmoil