Category Archives: American history

And the Bride Wore …

How a Queen Who Wore Black Gave Us White Wedding Gowns

With June in full swing, you may find yourself in a church pew watching a lovely woman make her way down the aisle. Maybe a little girl will lean over and whisper that timeless ditty, “Here comes the bride, all dressed in white ….”

Believe it or not, if earlier customs were still followed today, she might wear a wedding dress of royal purple. Or midnight blue. Or bright crimson. (Though somehow, Billy Idol singing “It’s a nice day for a red wedding” wouldn’t have sounded the same.)

Instead it’s white. Always white. In a time when traditions are dropping like pins falling in a bowling alley, people cling to the white wedding gown. Continue reading →

The Silver Dollar Girl

Was A Famous Coin Based On An 18 Year-old Teacher’s Face?

They say Helen of Troy was the face that launched a thousand ships. A teenage teacher may have been the face that launched a million silver dollars. Or maybe she wasn’t. Listen to her story, and then decide for yourself.

By the mid-1870s, America’s coins had become, well, boring. The dime, quarter, half dollar and silver dollar all shared the exact same image of Lady Liberty sitting down. They’d shared them for 40 long years, too. (There was even a twenty-cent coin minted between 1875-78, and it featured the same image of Liberty resting her feet.)

So the U.S. Mint decided it was time to shake things up. In 1876, the Mint Director wrote to his counterpart in Britain, asking if he could recommend a good engraver and coin designer. Yes, the Brit replied, we’ve got a talented young guy here named George Morgan. You want to hire him? Continue reading →

The Con Man’s Con Man

He Swindled Al Capone and Sold the Eiffel Tower – Twice!

You’ve heard the old line about gullible suckers buying the Brooklyn Bridge, and smooth talkers selling swampland in Florida. Outlandish, right?

But in the 1920s and 30s, one con artist was so brazen, he actually sold Paris’ beloved Eiffel Tower … not once, but twice! He hustled money from the nastiest gangster of all time, Al Capone, and caused lawmen to pull out their hair in frustration.

That’s the remarkable legacy of “Count” Victor Lustig, the Con Man’s Con Man. Continue reading →

How An Army Officer Missed Out On A Fortune

The one decision that cost him a bundle

Every so often, inspiration strikes and inventors devise the gadgets that move society forward. Such as the automobile. The personal computer. The Pet Rock.

Inspiration visited a young army officer one day. The things he created found an eager market. But because of just one decision, he didn’t make a dime off them.

The next time you feel like you can’t catch a break, remember Henry Hopkins Sibley, and you’ll know what bad luck really is. Continue reading →

Meet the Real Duncan Hines

How An Unlikely Career Made Him A Cake Mix King

You turn into the supermarket’s cake mix aisle and find the Big Three brands on the shelf. There’s Pillsbury, whose Doughboy is a cartoon character. There’s Betty Crocker; sure, her pretty face is on the box. But it’s a portrait drawn from imagination, because she’s fictitious.

Then there’s the third brand. No cute mascot, no human likeness; just a simple name in simple font.

Duncan Hines is the only one of the trio who was a real person. Yet he had nothing to do with cake mixes, cooking or baking. Then how did his name wind up on a box sitting in your kitchen cabinet?

It’s an unlikely story that stemmed from a meandering career path which, among other things, had him rub elbows with a man who later became a household name.

Get ready to meet the real Duncan Hines. Continue reading →

The Man Who Said No To Hitler – And Lived To Tell About It

Every dictatorship shares one thing in common: unquestioning, blind obedience to the dictator from his subjects. Whether it’s the Castros’ Cuba, Kim Jong-un’s North Korea or Stalin’s Russia, it’s always the same – when the Boss says “Jump!” you ask “How high?”

Nazi Germany was particularly bad about that. It was All About Adolf, no ifs, ands or buts. Defying him was not only bad, bad things happened to those who did. Very bad things.

Which is why the story I’m about to share is so remarkable. Because in the closing days of World War II, one German not only said “no” to Hitler’s face, he even lived to tell about it. Continue reading →

The Secret Behind Harry’s Famous Balcony

Why Truman Really Built It

[Spoiler alert: the payoff to this remarkable story comes at its conclusion; please stick with it till the end to learn the secret.]

Early one evening in February 1946, Harry Truman summoned the White House’s chief usher to the second floor Oval Study. He pointed out the window through the South Portico to the Washington Monument and Potomac River beyond.

“That’s a magnificent sight,” he said. Then he dropped his bombshell.

“I’d like to take better advantage of the view. I’m going to put a balcony there.” Continue reading →

The Craziest Protest You’ve Never Heard Of

What Happened When A Missouri County Went Rogue

Let’s face it: 2016 is the Year of the Angry Voter. On the Left, Right and smack dab in the middle, many folks are fed up with politics as usual. In some cases, that frustration has even led to nasty demonstrations.

Which reminds me of the craziest protest you’ve never heard of. It started as a joke, had moments that were as zany as a Saturday Night Live sketch and ended, incredibly, in victory with the protesters making their point.

So get ready to discover what happened when McDonald County left the State of Missouri.

Continue reading →

“I Didn’t Say That!”

15 Famous Quotes That Are Flat Wrong

They are so famous, a school child can recite them from memory. They’re repeated so often, they’ve become part of our cultural currency.

And they are flat wrong, too.

Dozens of legendary quotes from our past were actually misunderstood, taken out of context or, (the worst offense of the bunch) never uttered at all. Continue reading →

The President’s Stuff Is Missing!

Somewhere in America at this very moment, someone may be walking around with LBJ’s class ring on his finger, Abe Lincoln’s telegrams in his pocket, Harry Truman’s swords in one hand and an oil portrait of FDR in the other.

The National Archives says those items, plus many other presidential and historical oddities, are missing. And the Feds don’t have a clue where they could be. Continue reading →

J. Mark Powell

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