Uman (Ukraine) – Es war der 3. August 1941, fünf Uhr morgens, als Generalleutnant Iwan Muschtschenko am Fenster der Dorfschule von Monastyrok stand und in die Ferne blickte. Dort, wo gestern noch die Linien seiner Truppen lagen, stieg dichter schwarzer Rauch auf. Innerhalb von nur vier Tagen hatten sich die deutschen Panzerkeile bei Perwomaisk geschlossen … Read more
In September 2019, Dr. Michael Thompson was cataloging a newly acquired collection of early 20th century photographs at the Charleston Heritage Museum when he opened a leather portfolio marked simply "wedding 1904." Inside was a portrait of a young African-American woman in a white cotton dress with lace at the collar and cuffs. Unlike the … Read more
Forty years ago today, Paul "Big Paul" Castellano was shot and killed in front of Sparks Steak House in Manhattan. The date was December 16, 1985. For anyone who was part of that world, or even close to it, the shock waves were felt all over New York. Michael Francis remembers it distinctly. He was … Read more
Es ist der 1. Dezember 1941, irgendwo in Polen, im Hauptquartier der Heeresgruppe Süd. Ein Fernschreiber rattert. Generalfeldmarschall Gerd von Rundstedt nimmt das Blatt Papier, liest – und sein Gesicht erstarrt. Er ist abgesetzt. Mit 66 Jahren, nach drei Kriegen, nach der Einnahme von Warschau, Paris und Kiew, wird der rangälteste Feldmarschall der Wehrmacht aus … Read more
In December 1944, during the frozen misery of the Battle of the Bulge, soldiers of General George S. Patton Jr.'s Third Army made a discovery that would test the limits of military law and human restraint. Near a shattered oak tree in the Ardennes forest, they found a wounded German SS officer slumped in the … Read more
On a cold Manhattan evening in December 1985, a luxury car pulled up outside Sparks Steak House. Paul Castellano, then head of the Gambino crime family, stepped out toward the pavement. Before he could reach the sidewalk, men in fur hats and trench coats approached with weapons drawn and opened fire. Castellano and his driver … Read more
A restored 1899 family photograph has revealed the presence of a hidden fifth person, a young white girl seated with a Black family in Philadelphia, setting off a historical investigation that uncovered a forgotten story of love, loss, and a child taken away by authorities. Morgan Chen, a photo restorer with 12 years of experience, … Read more
On June 26, 1897, New York City police were confronted with a gruesome discovery: a headless torso wrapped in red oilcloth was found floating in the East River near 11th Street. Later the same day, two teenage boys swimming near the Brooklyn Navy Yards found a package containing two human legs, also wrapped in oilcloth. … Read more
Die Zahl steht in den Akten, nüchtern protokolliert, ohne Kommentar und ohne Erklärung: 1. 700 Abschüsse. Sie steht dort unter dem Namen einer Einheit, die zu keinem Zeitpunkt mehr als 40 einsatzbereite Panzer gleichzeitig ins Feld führte. Die schwere Panzer-Abteilung 503 ist damit der nachweislich erfolgreichste Panzerverband des Zweiten Weltkriegs — eine Bilanz, die Militärhistoriker … Read more
Lester Joseph Gillis, famously known as Babyface Nelson, was one of the most violent criminals of the 1930s. A bank robber and partner of John Dillinger, Nelson killed more FBI agents than any other criminal in history before meeting his own end in a bloody gunfight with federal agents in a Chicago suburb. Born in … Read more