In July 1913, the temperature rose to 134° Fahrenheit in Death Valley, California.
Bad Idea
Garry Hoy's fatal plunge is now a gold standard in the realm of urban legends.
Death in the Mess
Dale Buis and Chester Ovnand are the first of over 58,000 names on the Vietnam War Memorial.
Soapy Smith
He was one of the most infamous con artists on the western frontier.
Howard Hughes Crashes
Howard Hughes took one of the fastest planes ever built on a maiden flight that almost killed him.
The Best Thing Since...
The machine that Otto Rohwedder created not only sliced bread, but it also wrapped it.
Science Bites Back
In 1855, contracting rabies was a death sentence. When a nine-year-old boy named Joseph Meister was bitten by a rabid dog, Louis Pasteur and Émile Roux put a revolutionary treatment to the test.
Birth of the Bikini
Louis Réard sliced a bit off the design so that the belly button could be revealed. He advertised his alteration as "smaller than the world's smallest swimsuit."
Boating with Alice
While floating on an offshoot of the River Thames, Charles Dodgson (A.K.A Lewis Carroll) came up with an improvised tale that would one day morph into the classic book, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland.
Last of the Great Auks
It was an excellent swimmer, but rather clumsy on land, which made it easy prey for eagles, polar bears and humans.
Sickles' Leg
During the Battle of Gettysburg, a Confederate cannonball mangled the right leg of General Daniel Sickles. He would go on to lead an illustrious and controversial life.
The Lost Comet
In 1770, Lexell's Comet blazed a brilliant path across the evening sky. It is noted for being the comet that came closest to the earth.
Gulliver's Inferno
A nightclub fire in Port Chester, New York claimed 24 lives.
All-American Hero
One by one, three boys fell off the underwater cliff. None of them could swim, and neither could Joe Delaney.
Mianus
In 1983, a 100-foot section of the Mianus River Bridge collapsed and 4 vehicles plunged into the shallow water below.
The Captain
Bob Keeshan started his performing career in 1948 as the horn-honking Clarabell the Clown on the Howdy Doody Show. His landmark show, Captain Kangaroo, premiered in 1955 and would run for 30 years.
Radioactive Boy Scout
A hazmat crew rolled into the suburban address and carefully dismantled a workspace that had been used by a 17-year-old Eagle Scout to create a primitive nuclear reactor.
Martin and Mitchell
Two cryptographers working for the National Security Agency left the United States and never returned. William Martin and Bernon Mitchell defected to the Soviet Union.
Dancing Mania
In 1374, hundreds (maybe thousands) of Germans suddenly started dancing in the streets.
Isner and Mahut
In the world's longest tennis match, John Isner defeated Nicoloas Mahut in the first round at Wimbledon after 11 hours and 5 minutes of play that stretched over 3 days and 183 games.