History Dispatches

Mystery of the Princes of the Tower

In 1483, Edward IV of England died - leaving his 12-year old son as king. The boy’s uncle, Richard, Duke of Gloucester, was designated protector of the boy. But that summ

Vietnam's Most Harrowing Escape. The time a man landed a Cessna on the USS Midway.

As South Vietnam fell in 1975, thousands of soldiers and civilians needed to get out of the country, but many had no official channels. Such was the case with Major Buang

Daylight Savings Time

Daylight Saving Time is the act of moving our clocks forward every spring - thus giving everyone more daylight later in the day. It infuriates some people. And every six

The Statue of Zeus at Olympia - One of the Seven Wonders of the World

Constructed of gold and ivory in the mid 5th century BC the statue of Zeus at Olympia was considered so awe inspiring, it was declared one of the wonders of the world. Bu

Friedrich Fröbel and Kindergarden

In 1840 a German educator - Friedrich Fröbel - coined a term for a method of teaching young children that would revolutionize education. This is the story of Friedrich Fr

Central Park Zoo Hoax

In November of 1874 the Central Park Zoo in New York City experienced an unprecedented escape. Dozens of animals broke free of their cages, and went on a rampage across t

Sinking of the Wilhelm Gustloff

On January 30, 1945, the German transport ship Wilhelm Gustloff - loaded with more than 10,000 passengers - sailed west from Gotenhafen on the Baltic Sea - to escape the

Google Maps War

In 2010, a Nicaraguan dredging crew accidentally trespassed on a small island controlled by Costa Rica. Why? Because they were using Google Maps to navigate. Unfortunatel

Dummy Hoy - Baseball's deaf star

William Hoy - known as Dummy - was a celebrated major league baseball player in the early days of the game. He led the league in stolen bases, hit over .300, and was one

Aral Sea Disaster

Once called the Jewel of Central Asia, the Aral Sea was the third largest lake in the world, and supported a unique ecosystem, and millions of people. But after irrigatio

Ötzi the Iceman

In 1991, two German tourists spotted something in the Alps at an elevation of more than 10,000. It was the remains of a human being. But not just any human - this was a m

Dorothy Molter - The Root Beer Lady

In the Boundary Waters of Minnesota, in some of the most pristine and untouched wilderness in the world, lived Dorothy Molter, the last permanent resident of the region.

Margery Booth - Opera Singer and Spy

Margery Booth was a British opera singer who became popular in Germany in the 1930s - and was even a favorite of Adolf Hitler. She married a German man, and became a natu

The Brazen Bull - One of the cruelest torture devices in history

What goes around comes around is often a saying to make someone feel better - but in the case of the Brazen Bull it was apt. The Brazen Bull was a legendary and cruel tor

Rikers Island Salvador Dali Art Heist

Rikers Island - the New York City jail complex - was the home for nearly 40 years to a painting by surrealist master Salvador Dali. He donated the painting to Rikers in 1

The SS Eastland Disaster: The worst disaster in Great Lakes history

The deadliest day in on the Great Lakes was not a ferocious storm far out to sea. But rather a calm day in a Chicago harbor. That is when a passenger steamer listed and r

Loving Day - The story of Richard and Mildred Loving

In 1958, Richard Loving - a white man - married Mildred Jeter - a black woman. The newlyweds would be arrested a year later in Virginia - where mixed race marriages were

Hannibal's most daring achievement: Crossing the Alps

When Hannibal - the sworn enemy of Rome wanted to attack Italy - he had a problem. Going by sea was impossible, and invading by land was almost as difficult as it require

Operation Rubicon - one of the most successful intelligence operations of the Cold War

Crypto AG was a Swiss company that specialized in encryption technology with roots all the way back to 1920. In 1970, the company was sold. The buyers - the CIA and BND -

The Smoot: History's oddest measuring stick

On a cold October night, on the Harvard Bridge in Boston, Oliver Smoot and his fellow MIT fraternity pledges were doing something odd - measuring how long the bridge was