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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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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“Talk about a real-life Robin Hood!”

“Talk about a real-life Robin Hood!”

Charles Arthur “Pretty Boy” Floyd was only 30 years old when the FBI shot him

“An INDIAN!  How did that happen?!”

“An INDIAN!  How did that happen?!”

He was known as “Indian Charlie.” His real name was Charles Curtis. And he was

“You have a problem with AI  and want to go back to the ‘Good Old Days?”

“You have a problem with AI  and want to go back to the ‘Good Old Days?”

This was an IBM computer in 1958. 40% of the US population was alive in

“Edward who?”

“Edward who?”

Edward Hines. He was a Commissioner of the Wayne County Road Commission in Michigan from

A snapshot from the history of telecommunication

A snapshot from the history of telecommunication

“Talk about going to work at a young age!”

“Talk about going to work at a young age!”

Stephan Bibrowski, born in Wilczagówa, Poland, in 1890, had a body covered with hair.  His

“NO!  Yes!”

“NO!  Yes!”

In 1934, eight men were fined $1 each …. … for bathing topless at Coney

“15 Cents to clean a shirt!!  I’ve got a closet full!!”

“15 Cents to clean a shirt!!  I’ve got a closet full!!”

In the last century, washing machines were too expensive for most homes, so the laundry

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This is the Culebra Cut

This is the Culebra Cut

This is the Culebra Cut in what would become the Panama Canal. The Panama Canal

The Matter of the Decamped Snake Venom

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When small amounts of snake venom quietly disappear from multiple facilities, Heinz Noonan uncovers a hidden system designed to keep life-saving research alive.
The Matter of the Pilfering Cephalopod

The Matter of the Pilfering Cephalopod

A casino octopus escapes nightly for gamblers’ bets, but when a $45,000 ring vanishes, Heinz Noonan smells a setup.
“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

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“Are you a whippersnapper?”

If it takes you longer than ten seconds to read this license plate holder, you

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“Poison?!  Really?!  Uh-huh.  Then why is the emperor drinking it?”

“Poison?! Really?! Uh-huh. Then why is the emperor drinking it?”

Legend has it the Persian emperor Jamsheed loved grapes so much he stored them in

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“They slid DOWN the ice staircase?!”

One of the best-known images of the Klondike Strike is the line of men lock

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“What happens if you cannot assert your rights?”

During the Alaska Gold Rush, George Hinton Henry, the “Father of Alaska Journalism,” kept printing

If you don’t have something unique, you have nothing

If you don’t have something unique, you have nothing

This is not photoshop.  It is an actual sculpture and it symbolizes my mantra as

Good Old Days

Good Old Days

Next time someone starts talking about the “good old days” keep in mind there was

He was the hardest damn man to kill.”

He was the hardest damn man to kill.”

He was James Brown Miller and he was a hired killer, from 1861 until he

Failing is easy; I’ve been doing it for years!

Failing is easy; I’ve been doing it for years!

Back in the 1970s there was a song by Dr. John – Right Place, Wrong

Grandma!  Was that you?

Grandma! Was that you?

As an historian of the decade of the teens, this is one of my favorite

“Who’s that behind you, Mary?”

“Who’s that behind you, Mary?”

After the Civil War, the field of photography took a deplorable turn. Many families had

Why Fantasies should remain Fantasies

Why Fantasies should remain Fantasies

This is called a sport fishing fantasy. But you have to be careful with fantasies.

“When truth is stranger than fiction.”

“When truth is stranger than fiction.”

Talk about truth being stranger than fiction! In 1898, during the Klondike Rush, a young

“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

“Why are truck drivers called teamsters?”

“Why are truck drivers called teamsters?”

In the days before the automobile, everything you needed came to your local store in

When truth is stranger than fiction

When truth is stranger than fiction

I’ll bet you didn’t know that Edgar Allen Poe’s “The Raven” was based on a

“You think boats are crowded now?”

“You think boats are crowded now?”

In Nome, anyone could, in actuality, find gold just lying on the ground. In sand,

“Let’s give credit where credit is due!”

“Let’s give credit where credit is due!”

General Wilds P. Richardson arrived in the District of Alaska – Alaska was not a

“You do not want to mess with this woman!”

“You do not want to mess with this woman!”

Buffalo Calf Road Woman of the Northern Cheyenne was one of the few women warriors. 

“It’s a WWHHHAATTT?”

“It’s a WWHHHAATTT?”

Everyone loves a Fourth of July Parade! One of the nice things about historic photographs