Why Does Red Mean “Stop” and Green Mean “Go”? The History of Stoplights

April 22, 2022

Traffic light showing red, green, and yellow colors along with street lamp post. (Ellen van Bodegom/Getty Images) Everyone, even small ch...

The Banana Massacre

March 23, 2022

Bananas may seem as wholesome as plants come, but behind that happy yellow peel lies a sinister history full of corruption, oppression, and death. Bananas are originally from Eastern Asia but made...

Fritzi Ritz: The Wild Comic Strip Flapper Who Morphed Into Nancy's Sensible Aunt

February 23, 2022

First published Fritzi Ritz comic strip. (Larry Whittington/Wikimedia Commons) It's always difficult to imagine the adult figures of our...

The Real-Life Murderesses Who Inspired The Musical "Chicago"

February 5, 2022

Beulah Annan. (Chicago Sun-Times/Chicago Daily News collection/Chicago History Museum/Getty Images) The Oscar-winning smash 2002 hit film about two fame-hun...

1932: Radio City Music Hall Opens

December 27, 2021

inside shot of opening of the new Radio City Music Hall. (Bettmann/Getty Images) The renowned Radio City Music Hall, which opened on December 27, 1932, is unlike any other building in...

1924: In New York City, The First Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade Is Held

November 27, 2021

Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade in 1924. (RV1864/Flickr) On November 27, 1924, the first Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade came marching down the st...

The Team Of Researchers At The University Of Toronto Who Discovered Insulin

September 20, 2021

Fifty units of 'lletin' (Insulin Lilly) manufactured by Eli Lilly & Company, Indianapolis, USA in 1923. (SSPL/Getty Images) Diabetes is a dea...

The Unbelievable Comeback Story Of Elizabeth Robinson Schwartz, Olympic Heroine And Accident Victim

September 8, 2021

Betty Robinson, A.K.A. Elizabeth Schwartz, in the 100-meter race at the 1928 Olympic games. (Library of Congress/Corbis...

St. Francis Dam Disaster

July 25, 2021

A group of people and their car stand dwarfed by the shattered remains of the St. Francis Dam. (Bettmann Archive/Getty Images) In 1926, the St. Francis Dam began providing water to the growing...

Charles Lindbergh’s Nazi Connection

July 13, 2021

Charles Lindbergh had a complicated public reputation. As the first pilot to fly nonstop across the Atlantic Ocean, he was a national hero. As the father of a kidnapped and murde...

The First Federal Prison For Women Was Opened In 1928, West Virginia (And How It Went)

May 8, 2021

Nestled in the rolling hills of Alderson, West Virginia, sits the very first federal prison for women in the United States, the F...

Steamboat Willie: Facts, Stories, & Trivia About Mickey Mouse's First Cartoon Ever

November 19, 2020

Steamboat Willie is commonly known as one the first cartoon ever made (and distributed) with sound (even though the Fleischer brother...

The Pineapple Primary: An Election Violence Threat That Required 500 Federal Marshals

November 8, 2020

Chicago has a long history of corrupt politics and organized crime, and tensions between two groups vying for control of the city ...

Ocoee Massacre Of 1920: When One Black Man Voting Sparked Over 30 Murders

November 5, 2020

Incidents of Election Day violence have occurred for generations, but one of the most gruesome and demoralizing acts of it was the Ocoee massa...

Fascist Blackshirts March On Rome In 1922: How The Fascist Party Made Themselves Known

November 1, 2020

(Unknown author/Wikimedia Commons) In 1922, after years of drumming up support for his fascist ideals, Benito Mussolini ordered hi...

Liberia's 1927 Presidential Election: The Most Rigged Election Ever (With A 1,680% Turnout)

September 21, 2020

The flag of Liberia. (Government of Liberia/Wikimedia Commons) In the minds of many, "politics" and "corruption" are synonymo...

Rudolph Hass, The US Postal Worker Who Invented Hass Avocados

August 22, 2020

You've probably never thought about the origins of your favorite avocado, simply enjoying your taco or toast without a care for the interesting and inspir...