Category: Odd Facts
Lincoln’s Spies — Meet Four Union Agents Who Fought in the Shadows to Bring Down the Confederacy
“The phone tapping, human collection, and aerial snooping today’s U.S. spy community engages in can be traced back to the Civil War.” By Douglas Waller ABRAHAM LINCOLN WAS one of the least experienced men to…
Pardo’s Push – How a Quick-Thinking Fighter Pilot Used Some Incredible Flying to Save His Wingmen Over Enemy Territory
“Although the daring plan saved Aman and Houghton from capture, Pardo was initially reprimanded for his actions.” By Sylvain Batut MARCH 10, 1967 is a day Bob Pardo won’t ever forget. At the time, the…
Mauthausen Miracle — How One Concentration Camp Inmate’s Uncanny Luck Saved Him From Certain Death Several Times
“During a round-up of Jews in early June, 1944, Hersch was shoved into a cattle car with several others and shipped to Mauthausen Concentration Camp in western Austria.” By Jack Hersch DURING WORLD WAR Two…
Project A119 – The Bizarre Cold War Plan to Nuke the Lunar Surface
“The blast, which would have been visible on Earth, was intended to demonstrate to both friends and foe alike the west’s military and technological sophistication.” THE APOLLO PROGRAM is rightly heralded as one of the…
Twenty Thousand Miles to Home — The Miraculous Voyage of the USS Marblehead
“Marblehead’s journey from the Java Sea to New York took 89 days and covered more than 20,000 miles, much of it with inoperable steering, uncontrolled leaks, limited electrical power and almost no habitable berthing areas.”…
The Birth of the ‘Stars and Stripes’ – How America’s Flag Evolved During the War of Independence
“The design would undergo several changes over the course of the conflict. Here are some of the variations.” By George Yagi Jr. WHEN THE Second Continental Congress declared independence from Great Britain on July 4,…
