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History of the Americas
Victoria Woodhull, She Who Would Be President
American women have spent their entire lives choosing between presidential candidates of the opposite sex. That is until now. This year, Hilary Rodham Clinton made history by becoming the first female nominee from a major party. She is,…
‘Gone to the White House, Ha, Ha, Ha!’ | Before Clinton vs. Trump, There was Blaine vs.…
In America, as everywhere else, politics and scandal are coupled like ham and eggs. Outrage at Donald Trump’s 'on mic' locker room banter, might suggest that such revelations are novel. Not at all!
Voters in the American Gilded Age,…
Fred Demara, the Great Imposter
Ferdinand Waldo Demara, commonly known as “Fred”, was born in Lawrence Massachusetts in the December of 1921. The family were fairly well off when he was born, but his father lost a lot of money in the Great Depression and the family had to…
Lieutenant de Erauso, the Mercenary Nun
Catalina de Erauso was a real person, that much we can verify. The details of her life, however, are much harder to pin down. Partially this is because our main source is her “autobiography”, which reads like an adventure novel and probably…
Josephine Baker: Superstar, War Hero and Activist
Josephine Baker was born in 1906 as Freda Josephine MacDonald in St Louis, Missouri. Her mother Carrie was a washerwoman and ex-vaudeville girl, her father was a drummer named Eddie Carson who ran off when Josephine was only a little girl.…
Belle Gunness, Deadly Lonely Heart
Belle Gunness was an immigrant who came to America in 1881. She took the name of Belle Storseth when she came over from Norway. She was born in 1859 as Brynhild, and her original surname was probably Paulsdatter Størseth. Details on her…
Harriet Tubman, American Hero
Harriet Tubman was born as Araminta Ross in Dorchester County, Maryland, sometime around 1822. The exact year is debatable - nobody bothered recording it, as nobody in authority really cared exactly when a slave baby was born. Because…
Gregor MacGregor, Prince of Poyais
Gregor MacGregor of the Clan Gregor was born in 1786. His clan was one of the most famous in Scotland, but not quite the most prestigious - in fact, up until twelve years before he was born the clan had legally no longer existed. King James…
The Apache Kid, Soldier and Outlaw
Even the true name of the Native American man known as Kid, and later called The Apache Kid, is lost to the mists of his legend. The most commonly given one is “Haskay-bay-nay-ntayl”, and it’s possible that most of the others we have are…
James Crouch, aka Theodore Keatinge, False Priest
James Crouch, who would go by half a dozen other names before he died, was probably born in London sometime in the 1830s. His mother died when he was young, around 1845, and his father abandoned him. He may have spent some time with his…