History A stunt pilot doing loops around the Soviet propaganda megaplane crashed into it, killing 45 Ellsworth Toohey

History February 30 happened once, in 1712 Sweden — and May 35 still happens every year in China Ellsworth Toohey

History Nixon gave Spain moon rocks from Apollo 11. Spain lost them. Ellsworth Toohey

History The dentist who convinced FDR to bomb Japan with bats Gail Sherman

History In 1942 Los Angeles fired 1,440 anti-aircraft rounds at nothing Ellsworth Toohey

History The Strand once published a jade specimen worth exactly one fat man Ellsworth Toohey

History A Japanese doomsday cult bought a million-acre Australian sheep ranch to test sarin gas Ellsworth Toohey

History Om Malik, 1966-2026 Rob Beschizza

History In 1858 the Thames smelled so bad that Parliament fled and Disraeli called it a 'Stygian pool' Ellsworth Toohey

History A mountain man spent 25 years eating the livers of the people who killed his wife Ellsworth Toohey

History In 1916 a con man ran a car on water and fleeced Henry Ford Ellsworth Toohey

History For centuries, a cracked Egyptian statue sang at dawn Ellsworth Toohey

History The masked prisoner of Louis XIV whose name was never spoken Ellsworth Toohey

History A 20-mile maze under Budapest hid a secret WWII aircraft engine plant Ellsworth Toohey

History An expedition spent years looking for an Arctic island that didn't exist Ellsworth Toohey

History In 1835 a New York paper put bat-men and unicorns on the moon Ellsworth Toohey

History Japan's greatest sword was surrendered to a US sergeant in 1946. Nobody knows where it is. Ellsworth Toohey

History In 1974, Turkish forces fenced off a Cyprus beach resort. It's still empty. Ellsworth Toohey

History Sid Caesar built the writers' room that taught Mel Brooks, Neil Simon, Carl Reiner, and Woody Allen how to be funny Ellsworth Toohey

Science Sally Ride flew to space 43 years ago today. She still has the best astronaut name. Séamus Bellamy