On the night of May 16, 1990, around 10:30, paramedics responded to a 911 call from a gated house on Mulholland Drive in the Hollywood Hills. The voice on the line belonged to Marlon Brando. When they arrived, they found a 26-year-old man named Dag Drollet on a couch in the den, shot once in … Read more
For decades, the official narrative of ancient Egyptian engineering has held that the pyramids of Giza were built using ramps, muscle power, and wooden sledges. However, an integrated analysis of survey data collected over the past thirty years suggests that the story may be far more complex, pointing to the existence of a large, constructed … Read more
In the spring of 1863, the strategic picture for the Confederacy was growing increasingly dire. A Union army under Major General William Rosecrans threatened central Tennessee, while Ulysses S. Grant was closing in on Vicksburg. Charleston, South Carolina, was under threat, and Union forces controlled the North Carolina coast except for Wilmington, as well as … Read more
On the night of April 8, 1956, Robert “Bobby” Wheels pulled his black 1955 Cadillac DeVille to a stop outside Wells restaurant on 132nd Street in Harlem. He had driven for Bumpy Johnson for 15 years, serving as more than a chauffeur. He was a confidant, a protector, and family. Bobby had been with Johnson … Read more
On the morning of March 25, 1975, Sheila Lyon, 12, and her younger sister Katherine, 10, left their home in Kensington, Maryland. They walked half a mile to Wheaton Plaza to see Easter decorations and meet friends for pizza. Their mother, Mary, told them to be home by 4 p.m. Their older brother Jay saw … Read more
The spring of 1945 found Germany collapsing. City by city, the Wehrmacht surrendered to Allied forces sweeping in from every direction. For General George S. Patton, commander of the United States Third Army, victory was close enough to taste. On a gray afternoon in occupied Germany, something happened that had nothing to do with artillery … Read more
On January 14, 1973, a bus carried a football team toward the Los Angeles Memorial Coliseum, about to complete the only perfect season in NFL history. In the back, head coach Don Shula stared out the window in complete silence. Jake Scott leaned toward him and asked what was wrong. Shula’s mind was not on … Read more
On November 10, 1985, a hunter walking through the woods near Bear Brook State Park in Allenstown, New Hampshire, found a 55-gallon drum lying among the trees. Inside were the skeletal remains of a woman and a young girl, wrapped in plastic and bound with industrial electrical wire. Police distributed composite sketches of the victims … Read more
In October 1959, Ellsworth “Bumpy” Johnson was in his seventh year of a 15-year sentence at Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary. At 54 years old, the former Harlem crime boss was serving time for federal narcotics conspiracy. Johnson had arrived at the maximum-security prison in June 1953, and by the autumn of 1959, he had established himself … Read more
On October 23, 1959, a confrontation in the Alcatraz Federal Penitentiary cafeteria became one of the most legendary acts of violence in the prison’s history. The incident involved Ellsworth "Bumpy" Johnson, a 54-year-old former Harlem crime boss, and Eric Pollson, a 38-year-old white inmate serving time for three murders. Johnson was in his seventh year … Read more