Prologue: Pieces of History

In the history of Presidential elections, there has never been a battle of the beards. Beards have challenged mustaches. Mustaches have challenged clean-shaven candidates. Clean-shaven candidates have challenged beards. But never in the history of our republic, have two bearded candidates duked it out on the campaign trail. This is startling for many reasons. One, [...]

These doughboys’ morale could use a lift, Bryan, because the original caption reads “three 5,000 cubic feet Nurse Balloons in Hangar. Fort Sill, Oklahoma, May 1, 1918.” So far as we can tell there are two balloons, not three in this photo, meaning these soldiers are one dirigible short and probably have some explaining to [...]

Sixteen-year-old boys loved her. Parents of 16-year-old boys did not. Yes, long before Hugh Hefner donned his trademark smoking jacket, before Larry Flynt shocked a nation with Hustler, there was Miss Flossie Lee. In the 1890s, the Augusta, Maine, entrepreneur ran Art Photo Co., a corporation that promised to send photos of “the best female models” [...]

It’s been called the nectar of the gods, but it may soon be called the nectar of Starbucks. The giant coffee chain is now selling wine (and beer) in a few test stores in Seattle in an attempt to expand its brand image. Starbucks has long been known as the “third place”—not quite home, not [...]

One hundred forty three years ago today, the people of Alaska went to bed under the Russian flag, and awoke under the Stars and Stripes. They also woke up eleven days in the future. The purchase of Alaska was not an easy sell for anyone. Russia wanted to offload the frozen territory in the 1850s. [...]