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Julia Chen
Nov 22, 20213 min read
FRANCISCA ROJAS: GUILTY BY FINGERPRINT
First use of Forensic Fingerprinting in Buenos Aries, Argentina Fingerprinting was first used as a means of perpetrator identification in...
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Michael Gott
Nov 22, 20213 min read
JAPANESE TEMPLE GEOMETRY
Japanese temple geometry refers to the practice of carving verbal geometrical problems, theorems, and shapes into wooden tablets and...
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Michael Gott
Nov 22, 20213 min read
Hanaoka Seishu
Surgeon Developed General Anesthesia in Edo, Japan Hanaoka Seishu is the first person on record to have performed a successful surgery...
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Herbert Wignall
Nov 22, 20213 min read
Hiram Bingham IV: US Diplomat who Saved Thousands in WWII
Hiram “Harry” Bingham IV (1903-1988) saved thousands of Jews and other "enemies" of Germany during the early years of WWII by using...
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Dana Rovang
Nov 22, 20212 min read
George Méliès: Film Effects Pioneer and Conjuror
In the fall of 1896, early filmmaker and performance magician, Georges Méliès, was making a short movie on a Paris street. He developed a...
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Dana Rovang
Nov 22, 20212 min read
Wingfoot Express Airship Disaster, Chicago 1919
Almost two decades before the disaster of the LZ 189 Hindenburg Zeppelin (1937), Chicago witnessed the horrific destruction of the...
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Herbert Wignall
Nov 22, 20213 min read
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker, Medal of Honor Recipient
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker (1832-1919) was born on a farm in Oswego, New York in November 1832. She attended Syracuse Medical College,...
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Dana Rovang
Nov 22, 20212 min read
Bushnell's Turtle
The American Revolutionary War marked a period of great expansion in martime history. One of the most significant developments was the...
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Dana Rovang
Nov 22, 20212 min read
Kate Shelley and the Great Train Rescue of 1881
On 6 July 1881, a massive storm in Boone County, Iowa caused a flash flood. The flood washed out the support trestles for the train...
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Herbert Wignall
Nov 22, 20212 min read
"Billy" Mitchell; or, How to Sink a Battleship
US Army General William “Billy” Mitchell (1879-1936) was the commander of the Army Air Services in WWI. After the war, Mitchell lobbied...
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Dana Rovang
Nov 22, 20212 min read
Dr. Gustavus Katterfelto and his "Live Insects"
In 1781-82, an influenza pandemic swept through Europe. A scientific lecturer and magician, Gustavus Katterfelto, had recently arrived to...
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Herbert Wignall
Nov 22, 20212 min read
Adolphus Greely and the Lady Franklin Expedition
In 1881, First Lieutenant Adolphus Greely was placed in command of the Lady Franklin Expedition aboard the ship Proteus. It was to...
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Dana Rovang
Nov 19, 20212 min read
CLEOPATRA'S VERY EXPENSIVE DINNER
In his Natural History, Roman natural philosopher, Pliny the Elder, described a decadent dinner thrown by Cleopatra for Antony. ...
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Julienne Landsdown
Nov 19, 20212 min read
SABA SABA
Saba Saba (Seven Seven in Swahili) refers to the date of July 7, and it is a meaningful date in many parts of Africa. In Tanzania, the...
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Dana Rovang
Nov 19, 20212 min read
Valentine Greatrakes and the Year of Wonders
In 1666, Great Britain was hit with an outbreak of the plague, the Great Fire of London, and it survived an attack by the Dutch. This...
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