For this final episode of the Futility Closet podcast we have eight new lateral thinking puzzles — play along with us as we try to untangle some perplexing situations using yes-or-no questions.
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Futility Closet Eight lateral thinking puzzles
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Futility Closet Sidney Cotton risked his life to gather aerial photos during World War II
One of the most remarkable pilots of World War II never fired a shot or dropped a bomb. With his pioneering aerial reconnaissance, Sidney Cotton made a vital contribution to Allied planning. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe his daring adventures in the war's early months.
We'll also revisit our very first story and puzzle over an unknown Olympian.
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Futility Closet In 1891, an unknown criminal began poisoning women in London
In 1891, a mysterious figure appeared on the streets of London, dispensing pills to poor young women who then died in agony. Suspicion came to center on a Scottish-Canadian doctor with a dark past in North America. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the career of the Lambeth Poisoner, whose victims remain uncounted.
We'll also consider a Hungarian Jules Verne and puzzle over an ambiguous sentence.
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Futility Closet Between 1856 and 1889, a mysterious leather-clad man walked the roads of Connecticut and New York
In 1856, a mysterious man appeared on the roads of Connecticut and New York, dressed in leather, speaking to no one, and always on the move. He became famous for his circuits through the area, which he followed with remarkable regularity. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the Leatherman, whose real identity remains unknown.
We'll also consider the orientation of churches and puzzle over some balky ponies.
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Futility Closet Englishman Nathaniel Courthope spent four years defending a tiny island's nutmeg from the Dutch
In 1616, British officer Nathaniel Courthope was sent to a tiny island in the East Indies to contest a Dutch monopoly on nutmeg. He and his men would spend four years battling sickness, starvation, and enemy attacks to defend the island's bounty. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Courthope's stand and its surprising impact in world history.
We'll also meet a Serbian hermit and puzzle over an unusual business strategy.
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Futility Closet One night in July 1904, H. Rider Haggard dreamed that his daughter's dog was dying
In 1904, adventure novelist H. Rider Haggard awoke from a dream with the conviction that his daughter's dog was dying. He dismissed the impression as a nightmare, but the events that followed seemed to give it a grim significance. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Haggard's strange experience, which briefly made headlines around the world.
We'll also consider Alexa's expectations and puzzle over a college's name change.
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Futility Closet In 1945, a U.S. Army transport plane crashed in the highlands of New Guinea
In 1945, a U.S. Army transport plane crashed in New Guinea, leaving three survivors marooned in the island's mountainous interior. Injured, starving, and exhausted, the group seemed beyond the hope of rescue. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the plight of the stranded survivors and the remarkable plan to save them.
We'll also reflect on synthetic fingerprints and puzzle over a suspicious notebook.
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Futility Closet In the 1920s, painters of luminous watch dials began to fall mysteriously ill
In 1917, a New Jersey company began hiring young women to paint luminous marks on the faces of watches and clocks. As time went on, they began to exhibit alarming symptoms, and a struggle ensued to establish the cause. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of the Radium Girls, a landmark case in labor safety.
We'll also consider some resurrected yeast and puzzle over a posthumous journey.
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Futility Closet Stories from the 1906 San Francisco earthquake
The San Francisco earthquake of 1906 is remembered for its destructive intensity and terrible death toll. But the scale of the disaster can mask some remarkable personal stories. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the experiences of some of the survivors, which ranged from the horrific to the surreal.
We'll also consider a multilingual pun and puzzle over a deadly reptile.
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Futility Closet A French spy, a transatlantic voyage, and the birth of the modern strawberry
The modern strawberry has a surprisingly dramatic story, involving a French spy in Chile, a perilous ocean voyage, and the unlikely meeting of two botanical expatriates. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the improbable origin of one of the world's most popular fruits.
We'll also discuss the answers to some of our queries and puzzle over a radioactive engineer. -
Futility Closet In 1864, two ships were wrecked on the same remote island. Unaware of each other, their crews struggled to survive
In 1864, two ships' crews were cast away at the same time on the same remote island in the Southern Ocean. But the two groups would undergo strikingly different experiences. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of the Auckland Islands castaways and reflect on its implications for the wider world.
We'll also consider some fateful illnesses and puzzle over a street fighter's clothing.
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Futility Closet In 1959, Marine pilot William Rankin parachuted through a violent thunderstorm
In 1959, Marine pilot William Rankin parachuted from a malfunctioning jet into a violent thunderstorm. The ordeal that followed is almost unique in human experience. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Rankin's harrowing adventure, which has been called "the most prolonged and fantastic parachute descent in history."
We'll also hear your thoughts on pronunciation and puzzle over mice and rice.
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Futility Closet Six lateral thinking puzzles
Here are six new lateral thinking puzzles to test your wits and stump your friends — play along with us as we try to untangle some perplexing situations using yes-or-no questions.
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Futility Closet In 1850, a Nile hippo created a stir when it arrived at the London Zoo
In 1850, England received a distinguished guest: A baby hippopotamus arrived at the London Zoo. Obaysch was an instant celebrity, attracting throngs of visitors while confounding his inexperienced keepers. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe his long tenure at the zoo, more than 4,000 miles from his Egyptian home.
We'll also remark on a disappearing signature and puzzle over a hazardous hand sign.
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Futility Closet Did an 1860 ad for Pony Express riders say "Orphans Preferred"?
In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll explore some curiosities and unanswered questions from Greg's research, including a novelist's ashes, some bathing fairies, the mists of Dartmoor, and a ballooning leopard.
We'll also revisit the Somerton man and puzzle over an armed traveler.
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Futility Closet In 1818, John Cleves Symmes Jr. declared that the earth was hollow
In 1818, Army veteran John Cleves Symmes declared that the earth was hollow and proposed to lead an expedition to its interior. He promoted the theory in lectures and even won support on Capitol Hill. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe Symmes' strange project and its surprising consequences.
We'll also revisit age fraud in sports and puzzle over a curious customer.
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Futility Closet In 1857, guests at Washington D.C.'s National Hotel began to come down with a mysterious illness
In 1857, guests at Washington D.C.'s National Hotel began to come down with a mysterious illness. One of them was James Buchanan, who was preparing to assume the presidency of the United States. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the deadly outbreak and the many theories that were offered to explain it.
We'll also contemplate timpani and puzzle over an Old West astronaut.
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Futility Closet It's still uncertain who fired the shot that killed Manfred von Richthofen
In 1918, German flying ace Manfred von Richthofen chased an inexperienced Canadian pilot out of a dogfight and up the Somme valley. It would be the last chase of his life. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the last moments of the Red Baron and the enduring controversy over who ended his career.
We'll also consider some unwanted name changes and puzzle over an embarrassing Oscar speech.
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Futility Closet In 1917 two English girls came home with a photograph of fairies
In 1917, two young cousins carried a camera into an English dell and returned with a photo of fairies. When Arthur Conan Doyle took up the story it became a worldwide sensation. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of the Cottingley Fairies, a curiosity that would remain unexplained for most of the 20th century.
We'll also remember a ferocious fire and puzzle over a troublesome gnome.
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Futility Closet In 1898 a Belgian ship was frozen into the ice off the coast of Antarctica
In 1898 a Belgian ship on a scientific expedition was frozen into the sea off the coast of Antarctica. During the long polar night, its 18 men would confront fear, death, illness, and despair. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe life aboard the Belgica during its long, dark southern winter.
We'll also consider a devaluing signature and puzzle over some missing music.
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