In 1896, Adolf Beck found himself caught up in a senseless legal nightmare: Twelve women from around London insisted that he'd deceived them and stolen their cash and jewelry. In… Read the rest of the article: The mistaken identity of Adolf Beck, "one of the strangest true stories in British legal history"
In 1930, British explorer Augustine Courtauld volunteered to spend the winter alone on the Greenland ice cap, manning a remote weather station. As the snow gradually buried his hut and… Read the rest of the article: Augustine Courtauld was marooned at a remote weather station in Greenland in 1930
In 1815 an American ship ran aground in northwestern Africa, and its crew were enslaved by merciless nomads. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll follow the… Read the rest of the article: Twelve Americans were enslaved in Africa after an 1815 shipwreck
One stormy morning in 1880, naturalist John Muir set out to explore a glacier in Alaska's Taylor Bay, accompanied by an adventurous little dog that had joined his expedition. In… Read the rest of the article: John Muir's 'adventure with a dog and a glacier'
In 1971 high school student Juliane Koepcke fell two miles into the Peruvian rain forest when her airliner broke up in a thunderstorm. Miraculously, she survived the fall, but her… Read the rest of the article: High school student Juliane Koepcke survived a two-mile fall into the Peruvian rain forest
Birmingham, England, faced a surprising crisis in 1889: A lion escaped a traveling menagerie and took up residence in the city's sewers, terrifying the local population. In this week's episode… Read the rest of the article: In 1889 an African lion escaped into the sewers of Birmingham, England
Mathematician Paul Erdős had no home, no job, and no hobbies. Instead, for 60 years he wandered the world, staying with each of hundreds of collaborators just long enough to… Read the rest of the article: The rootless, fruitful life of mathematician Paul Erdős
Belle Gunness was one of America's most prolific female serial killers, luring lonely men to her Indiana farm with promises of marriage, only to rob and kill them. In this… Read the rest of the article: Belle Gunness lured lonely men to her Indiana farm to rob and kill them
In 1629, a Dutch trading vessel struck a reef off the coast of Australia, marooning 180 people on a tiny island. As they struggled to stay alive, their leader descended… Read the rest of the article: In 1629, Dutch castaways on a tiny island faced a desperately murderous leader
When American forces overran the Philippine island of Lubang in 1945, Japanese intelligence officer Hiroo Onoda withdrew into the mountains to wait for reinforcements. He was still waiting 29 years… Read the rest of the article: In the Philippines, one Japanese holdout fought World War II until 1974
In 1824 the viceroy of Egypt sent a unique gift to the new king of France: a two-month-old giraffe that had just been captured in the highlands of Sudan. In… Read the rest of the article: In 1826 a giraffe traveled 4,000 miles to be presented to the king of France
Mount Pelée, on the Caribbean island of Martinique, erupted in 1902, killing 30,000 people in the scenic town of Saint-Pierre. But rescuers found one man alive — a 27-year-old laborer… Read the rest of the article: A prisoner in solitary confinement was the only survivor of the worst volcanic disaster of the 20th century
Between 1838 and 1841, an enterprising London teenager repeatedly broke into Buckingham Palace, sitting on the throne, eating from the kitchen, and generally causing headaches for Queen Victoria's attendants, who… Read the rest of the article: English teenager Edward Jones broke repeatedly into Buckingham Palace in the 1830s.
Here are five 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… Read the rest of the article: Five lateral thinking puzzles
In 1941, Catalonian chicken farmer Juan Pujol made an unlikely leap into the world of international espionage, becoming a spy first for the Germans, then for the British, and rising… Read the rest of the article: How a Spanish chicken farmer became the greatest double agent of World War II
In 1821, Scottish adventurer Gregor MacGregor undertook one of the most brazen scams in history: He invented a fictional Central American republic and convinced hundreds of his countrymen to invest… Read the rest of the article: Con man Gregor MacGregor sent shiploads of emigrants to a place that didn't exist
Without any forethought or preparation, Christopher Knight walked into the Maine woods in 1986 and lived there in complete solitude for the next 27 years, subsisting on what he was… Read the rest of the article: Meet the North Pond hermit, who lived alone in the Maine woods for 27 years
Insurance agent William Herbert Wallace had a terrible night in January 1931 — summoned to a nonexistent address in Liverpool, he returned home to find that his wife had been… Read the rest of the article: Did William Wallace commit the perfect murder in 1931?
Stuck in an East African prison camp in 1943, Italian POW Felice Benuzzi needed a challenge to regain his sense of purpose. He made a plan that seemed crazy —… Read the rest of the article: This mountain inspired a prison break in 1943
In 1913 outdoorsman Joseph Knowles pledged to spend two months in the woods of northern Maine, naked and alone, using only what he was able to find in the forest.… Read the rest of the article: In 1913, Joe Knowles set out to spend two months naked and alone in the Maine woods
