Custer’s Kid Brothers

For the Custers, Little Bighorn Was A Family Affair

Americans were in shock exactly 140 years ago today. And it wasn’t supposed to have been that way.

July 1876 was, after all, the nation’s centennial. The little upstart country had beat the odds by bucking the greatest military power on earth, then beat them again by surviving 100 years. It was supposed to have been time for a national party.

Instead, stunning news came from the Black Hills in distant Montana Territory. George Armstrong Custer, dashing Civil War hero and flamboyant Indian fighter, plus all 267 of his men, had been wiped out in a ferocious battle with Native American braves.

The defeat cast a dark shadow over centennial celebrations and launched a legend that lingers nearly a century and a half later. Continue reading →

“I Pledge Allegiance To …”

The secret reason why a minister wrote the Pledge of Allegiance

Every morning, millions of American children put their hands over their hearts and begin the school day with a simple recitation. It’s been done for nearly 125 years and is as much a part of American culture as apple pie and the Fourth of July.

But did you know more than patriotism was behind the Pledge’s creation? A master wordsmith penned the famous words for an unlikely reason – it was a clever marketing gimmick with a hidden purpose. But the real shocker is the way kids originally saluted the flag while reciting it.

Get ready to learn the incredible story of how we got the Pledge of Allegiance. Continue reading →

Mission: Rescue Napoleon!

The unlikely tale of pirates, a mayor, a French emperor … and a jazz legend

Every so often, history offers a story where amazing characters interact with one another so unbelievably, you know it has to be true. This is one of them.

Napoleon Bonaparte was in a serious funk in early 1821. For five long years, the man who once ruled Europe from the Spanish plains to the steppes of Russia had been a captive of the British. They kept him permanently exiled on St. Helena, a volcanic hunk of rock in the South Atlantic some 2,500 miles from Argentina. It was as close to the End of the Earth as you could get. Just to be on the safe side, British warships were anchored nearby.

Napoleon wasn’t going anywhere anytime soon.

Until Nicolas Girod decided to step in. Continue reading →

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 →

Home, Sweet Home!

Dear Frequent Reader:

You may be surprised to find there’s no Holy Cow! History story this week. Let me explain why.

I just completed a 920 mile move from Columbia, South Carolina (where I worked for the past four years) to join my family in the Missouri Ozarks. It’s the first time I’ve lived in my native state for 32 years, and I’m delighted to be back among the people and places that mean the most to me. 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 →

J. Mark Powell

Author