History Dispatches

On the island of Sri Lanka there is a mountain that is sacred to multiple religions. For thousands of years people have made pilgrimages to the summit of this peak to see the great rock formation that some say is the footprint of Adam - or Buddha - or St. Thomas the Apostle - or Shiva. This the story of Sri Pada - or Adam’s Peak. Sources https://sacredland.org/sri-pada-sri-lanka/ https://www.buddh...

William Henry Harrison became the 9th president of the United States on March 4, 1841, and served out his presidency admirably. He generated no scandals, entered no wars, and caused no economic crisis. Of course that was helped by the fact that he served for one month before his untimely death. This is the story of William Henry Harrison, the shortest serving U.S. president. Sources https://miller...

Lonnie Johnson is an accomplished aerospace engineer who has worked for NASA and the United States Air Force. He worked on the Stealth Bomber, and owns three tech companies. He has many awards, prizes, and patents. But Johnson is most famous for inventing one of the most beloved toys in history - the Super Soaker. Sources https://www.bbc.com/news/magazine-37062579 https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lon...

In 1968 a Soviet nuclear submarine was lost beneath the waves of the Pacific Ocean, at a depth of over 15,000 feet. It was considered unattainable. Unless you are the CIA, who contracted with Howard Hughes, the famed Hollywood director and mega inventor, to specially construct a vessel to dredge the sub from the bottom of the ocean - all under the utmost secrecy. This is the story of Project Azori...

Japan is home to many unique places, but one of the most fascinating is Aoshima - aka - Cat Island. At its height, the tiny island of Aoshima was home to hundreds of cats - outnumbering humans by more than 35-1. This is the story of Cat Island. Sources https://japanswitch.com/ultimate-guide-to-aoshima-aka-cat-island-2/ https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/dec/27/japans-cat-island-falls-victim-to...

It was a normal spring afternoon on April 20, 1979, when president Jimmy Carter, while visiting his home in Georgia, was attacked by a rabbit. This is the story of the Jimmy Carter rabbit incident, and the media storm it created. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jimmy_Carter_rabbit_incident "The Other Side of the Story" by Jody Powell History Dispatches is part of the Airwave Media Network: w...

In 1996, Pepsi launched a new loyalty campaign. Buy Pepsi soda - get Pepsi points - which got you Pepsi branded stuff. For this campaign, a commercial featured a teenage boy flying a $37m fighter jet - which he had gotten using Pepsi points. It was all a good laugh until someone decided to redeem $700,000 of Pepsi points for the plane. This is the story of the Pepsi Points Jet Fighter Lawsuit. Wat...

On December 31, 1931, a trapper known as Albert Johnson shot and killed a Canadian police officer in the remote Northwest Territories. He fled into the wilderness, and proceeded to evade arrest for 48 days in -40 degree weather. But even today, his identity remains a mystery. This is the story of the Mad Trapper of the Rat River. Sources https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/albert-johnson...

On Feb. 19, 1942, the Nazis invaded Winnipeg, Canada. However, these Nazis were Canadians engaging in one of the most realistic and detailed mock invasions ever put together. This is the story of ‘If Day’ - the simulated Nazi Invasion of Winnipeg. Sources https://thecanadianencyclopedia.ca/en/article/if-day https://www.mhs.mb.ca/docs/mb_history/13/ifday.shtml https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/If_Day I...

In the pristine waters of Lake Champlain Vermont there exists a legend. A creature over a hundred feet long rivaling that of even the famed Loch Ness monster. This is the story of Champ. - the wild and wonderful lake monster of Lake Champlain. Sources https://www.lakechamplainregion.com/heritage/champ "The untold story of Champ : a social history of America's Loch Ness Monster" by Robert E. Bartho...

In the United States, one can go into a bar and rarely not find an India Pale Ale beer. The IPA, which emerged out of the craft brew revolution, is one of the most popular craft beers. Yet the origins of the IPA are fascinating - with heavy links to British colonialism. This is the story of the India Pale Ale - and its rise in popularity around the world. Sources https://www.smithsonianmag.com/his...

The largest ski race in the world is the Vasaloppet, which is 90 kilometers in distance and attracts over 15,000 participants every year. And it all started when a renegade Swedish noble was on the run from the Danish king. This is the story of the Vasaloppet. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gustav_Vasa https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Vasaloppet http://www.vasaloppet.se/om-oss/sa-borjade-allt/...

In 1859, the United States and Great Britain almost got into a shooting war. The reason - an American farmer shot and killed a pig on a disputed island in the Pacific Northwest. This is the story of the Pig War. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pig_War_(1859) https://www.nps.gov/sajh/learn/historyculture/the-pig-war.htm Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Building_the_redoubt.jpg H...

One of the most famous extinct animals is the Dodo bird. Located on the island of Mauritius, it went extinct less than a century after it was first described. This opened the eyes of the world to the effects that humans can have on an untouched environment. However, the Dodo has been the target of a 500-year long smear campaign, and was nowhere near as foolish as many believe. This is the story of...

In late 1939, the Soviet Union decided to take control of neighboring Finland. The Soviet Union had a population of nearly 200 million - while Finland had 3.7 million. How hard could it be? Well, lots harder than anyone imagined. Within six weeks two Soviet Divisions were wiped out - and nearly 30,000 Red Army troops were dead. This is the story of the Battle of Suomussalmi. Sources https://warfar...

In 1979, a reactor at the Three Mile Island nuclear power plant experienced a failure. It was triggered by a small issue that eventually turned into a partial meltdown. It is the closest the United States has ever come to a major nuclear incident, permanently shifting the popularity of nuclear power. This is the story of the Three Mile Island accident. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Three_M...

According to legend, in 1776, a group of Continental officials, including George Washington, came to the home of Philadelphia upholster Betsy Ross, and asked her to create a flag to represent the young American republic. The result would be the famed Betsy Ross flag. But did this really happen? Let’s find out with the story of the Betsy Ross Flag. Sources https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Betsy_Ross_f...

From 1986 through 2013, a hermit occupied the area of Belgrade Lake, Maine. During those 27 years he lived virtually without human contact, and survived through burglary. - over a thousand of them - before finally being caught. This is the story of the North Pond Hermit. Sources https://www.gq.com/story/the-last-true-hermit https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Thomas_Knight History Dispatches...

In 1701, construction of the famed Amber Room began. It was made of 1,000 pounds of amber panels, gold, gemstones, and mirrors. It was so extraordinary, it was called the "Eighth Wonder of the World". Then, in WWII, the Nazis looted the Amber Room from Russia, and took it back to Prussia. The room was there until the waning days of WWII - but after that - it disappeared. Was it destroyed or buried...

Kate Warne became America's first female private detective in 1856, joining the famed Pinkerton detective agency. During her 12-year career she helped thwart Confederate spies, protect high profile targets, and even assisted in preventing the Baltimore plot - an assassination attempt on Abraham Lincoln. This is the story of Kate Warne. Sources "The Baltimore Plot: The First Conspiracy to Assassina...

On March 4, 1865, Vice-President-Elect Andrew Johnson gave the most memorable - and controversial - vice-presidential inauguration speech in American history. And that is because Johnson, according to most observers, was resoundingly drunk - and had been on and off for the previous week. Johnson would mumble, slur, and insult his way through his speech, which would color him - and his subsequent p...

In the 1970s and 80s the swamps of south Florida became the perfect place to smuggle drugs into the United States. And the fishermen of the swamps were the perfect smugglers to ferry these illicit goods. The epicenter of this smuggling was Everglades City where almost the entire town was involved in the drug trade. This all came to a head in 1983 with Operation Everglades where nearly 80% of the a...

In November of 1956, the Hungarian Water Polo team came to Melbourne, Australia, for the Olympic games. But back in Europe, the player’s homeland was only a couple of weeks removed from a bloody - and failed - uprising against the Soviet Union. Then, on Dec. 6, in the semi finals - the Hungarian polo team was slated to face the Soviet Union - who many saw as their suppressors and overlords. What f...

On the South Pacific island of Tanna, the locals are waiting for a man to return and save them this man’s name, John Frum. He is the central figure in the most prominent cargo cult in the south pacific, dating to the start of World War Two. But the origins are just as murky as the man himself. This is the story of the John Frum Cargo Cult. "John Frum He Come" by Edward Rice https://www.smithsonian...

On Sept 10, 1813, on Lake Erie, nine vessels of the United States Navy met - and defeated - six ships of the British Royal Navy in one of the biggest naval battles of the War of 1812. The battle ensured American control of the lake for the rest of the war, which in turn allowed the Americans to recover Detroit, and win the Battle of the Thames - which broke the Indian confederation of Tecumseh. Th...