Ratcatchers, the pest control of the Victorian Age, had their own rock star: Jack Black and his pursuit of the “fancy rat”
The Collyer brothers were found amid 120 tons of belongings, including 250,000 books and several bowling balls, in their Fifth Avenue mansion
Swedes swarmed a Lufthansa contest offering a fully funded brand-new life in Berlin, even changing their names to qualify
“I pity the fool!” Mr. T. started out as a Chicago bouncer and a bodyguard for celebrities Steve McQueen, Michael Jackson, and Diana Ross
The sinking of the HMS Birkenhead: The event that gave rise to the “women and children first” protocol
Take-out restaurants existed in ancient Rome and were called “thermopolia”
The early version of chess was chaturanga, a 7th century AD Indian board game of elephants, generals, and chariots
Einstein’s handwritten note musing over the meaning of happiness sold for more than $1 million in auction
Mystery: Hours before his death, Edgar Allan Poe was found in the gutter, disheveled and raving
Not being Italian was no obstacle to James Caan, who portrayed Sonny in “The Godfather,” winning “Italian of the Year”–twice!
