Ben Randall risked his life saving the lives of three friends who were kidnapped and sold as brides. As a young backpacker, Ben befriended and taught English to a group of teenage Hmong girls he met during his travels in Vietnam. After returning home to Australia, he received an … [Read more...]
The first step on the moon by astronaut Neil Armstrong was said to be “one small step for man, one giant leap for mankind.” But for many of the twelve men who’ve been there, that “one small step” completely changed the way they saw the world. Some returned feeling as if they’d … [Read more...]
If you were to enter the home of the Temerlin’s in the 1960s, you may have been greeted by their daughter Lucy, politely offering you a cup of tea she’d made herself. While that may sound ordinary, Lucy was a chimpanzee. Scientists wanted to know what would happen to a … [Read more...]
When 91-year-old George Doughty was rushed to the hospital with pneumonia, his 92-year-old wife, Dorothy, feared the worst. He was sedated and moved to intensive care three days later. His wife of 68 years was unable to visit him because she suddenly became ill with … [Read more...]
Keri Brandt was a vegetarian, and David Off was a rancher. Some might say he made his living raising cattle, but many of Keri’s vegan friends probably would say he made his living killing cattle. On their first date, he took her on a cattle drive. She wondered what she was doing … [Read more...]
The sun was high and the temperature higher one fateful day in 1899. Six-year-old George Muse and his brother Willie Muse were working in the tobacco fields of Virginia. The brothers were different from the other black workers on the plantation. They were albinos whose light … [Read more...]
Dr. Robert Epstein fell in love with the woman of his dreams. The only problem was it wasn’t a real woman. He had been fooled by a computer chatbot. If anyone should have known better, it was Dr. Epstein. He’s a psychologist who specializes in relationships and love and he’s one … [Read more...]
Noor Inayat Khan was born a princess but died living the life of a spy while fighting the Nazis. She was born in Moscow in 1914 to an American mother and an aristocratic Indian father, which made her a princess. Khan and her family soon moved to London and then Paris where she … [Read more...]
Typos are careless spelling or punctuation mistakes. They are usually minor, but not always. Sometimes these small mistakes can cost millions of dollars. NASA, the US space agency, made a little mistake in 1962 that had a big impact. Their spacecraft, called “Mariner 1”, was … [Read more...]
The ancient civilization of Atlantis was a utopia. It was lush and full of food and wildlife. And the people of Atlantis were wise and just. They were a knowledgeable society capable of amazing feats of architecture and engineering. Most people believe that the story of … [Read more...]
On an April morning in 1999, Columbine High School in Colorado became the scene of a terrible tragedy. Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold laughed and hollered as they killed 13 people and wounded 20 others. Their innocent victims were their teachers and classmates. The teenage … [Read more...]
When musician Clive Wearing was struck down by a brain infection in 1985, it stole his memories. It also prevented him from making new ones. Fresh events and experiences are lost in the blink of an eye. Herpes encephalitis had infected his brain and destroyed his memory. He … [Read more...]
What’s in a name? Well quite a lot if you’re the Washington Redskins football team. In 2013, former US President Barack Obama suggested the historic team should change theirs. He said it was offensive to the Native American community. The team defended the name as honoring … [Read more...]
Timothy Treadwell spent 13 summers living with grizzly bears in remote Alaska. He loved them and gave them cute pet names like Mr. Chocolate. These wild animals were anything but cute. Weighing up to 1,700 pounds and standing up to 7 feet tall, these animals were dangerous. … [Read more...]
When the Titanic hit an iceberg in the North Atlantic in 1912, it took 1,517 women, men and children to a watery grave. Masabumi Hosono was not one of them. Masabumi was the only Japanese person to survive the Titanic's sinking. He was one of the lucky few who escaped on a … [Read more...]
A ten-year-old girl who fought off a bloodthirsty alligator with her bare hands claims they’re ‘misunderstood creatures.’ The Florida sun was fierce and high when ten-year-old Juliana Ossa went in Orlando’s Mary Jane Lake. Her attempts to cool off came to a sudden end when … [Read more...]
Bravery comes in many forms. For some, it’s found in the heat of battle. For others, it’s found in the courage to defy society and stay true to oneself. As a young man, World War 2 veteran Peter Davies showed immense bravery under enemy fire. Over 70 years later he needed a … [Read more...]
When Mitsutaka Uchikoshi got lost on a Japanese mountain, his chances of survival were slim. He had no food, water, or protection against the environment. Mitsutaka became separated from his climbing party on Mount Rokko. The last thing he remembers is lying down in a grassy … [Read more...]
Kjell Inge Roekke is a man of contradictions. The billionaire owner of an oil company sounds like an unlikely environmentalist, but he is determined to clean up the oceans. As a young man, Roekke was a high school dropout who moved to the US to become a humble fisherman. Now … [Read more...]
Shakespeare died over 400 years ago, but his words live on in everyday English conversations. Even native English speakers who don’t know his plays, use idioms the famous playwright coined over 400 years ago. Shakespeare had a unique insight into what makes us tick. We often … [Read more...]
