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

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

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

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“What’s the problem?  It’s just a selfie!”

During the Second World War, French singer Edith Piaf was stuck in Paris. To stay

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“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

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“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

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Nothing is worse than a missed opportunity

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

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“Hey, get the lead out!”

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Newspapers: a century of no change at all

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“Just because someone says it, it’s not necessarily true.”

  Alaska bush pilot Archie Ferguson was famous for inventing “The Arctic Bump.” He convinced

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

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These were the remains of “Big Nose George” Parrot in 1950, half a century after

The Alaska Gold Rush often only required a tie.”

The Alaska Gold Rush often only required a tie.”

The Alaska Gold Rush lasted 40 years, from 1880 to the First World War.  It

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Politics boring?

Politics boring?

Politics boring? Well, you don’t know how lucky you are. In America, you have a

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Welcome to the Melting Pot

One of my favorite anecdotes, hopefully true, involves a couple from Iowa who were visiting

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They’re not. They are Lumbee Indians from North Carolina. On January 18, 1958, James W.

Yup, it’s a sea horse

Yup, it’s a sea horse

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“She’s a member of the Lunatic Fringe?!”

“She’s a member of the Lunatic Fringe?!”

Hollywood aficionados will immediately recognize Louise Brooks.  Her beauty is timeless. She was an icon

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Inventions come and go

Here’s a blast from the past.  This is Joshua Pusey, the inventor of the matchbook. 

“Talk about luck!!!”

“Talk about luck!!!”

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

The Matter of the Decamped Snake Venom

The Matter of the Decamped Snake Venom

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I’d like to believe this photoshop

I’d like to believe this photoshop

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“How you gonna get that stuff outa here?”

One of the historical tidbits students miss is the importance of the United States Postal

Readers do not know how blessed they are.

Readers do not know how blessed they are.

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“Wait a MINUTE! That’s no LADY!!”

“Wait a MINUTE! That’s no LADY!!”

That’s what a patron of P.T. Barnum’s American Museum claimed. And he took Barnum to

“Who was the first and only person to interview a United States President when he was nude?”

“Who was the first and only person to interview a United States President when he was nude?”

Anne Royall was one of – if not the first – first female journalist. She