Princess Marie Louise of Schleswig-Holstein was one of Queen Victoria’s grandchildren, but her royal status did not protect her from a painful marriage, public scandal, or deep personal struggles. Born on August 12, 1872, in England, she was the daughter of Princess Helena, Queen Victoria’s third daughter, and Prince Christian of Schleswig-Holstein. The family lived … Read more
On the twentieth of October, 1968, the most photographed woman in the world stood inside a small whitewashed chapel on a private Greek island and married a man twenty-three years her senior. The bride, Jacqueline Kennedy, widow of the assassinated American president, had struck millions as a living relic of a golden age shattered by … Read more
Der beißende Geruch von schmelzendem Plastik weckte mich, noch bevor der Rauchmelder losging. Mit vierundsechzig Jahren lernt man, seinen Instinkten zu vertrauen, besonders wenn die Luft im Schlafzimmer plötzlich dick und heiß wird. Ich griff nach meinem Mantel und trat in den Flur hinaus, wo die Tapete bereits blasig von der Hitze aufquoll. Ich geriet … Read more
For most of human history, turning a handle and getting clean water has been a miracle that nobody notices. But in the early 19th century, New York City discovered what happens when that miracle fails. Surrounded by water on every side, the island of Manhattan was dying of thirst and disease. By 1832, the city … Read more
In the autumn of 1944, a German anti-aircraft battery was positioned on high ground east of a marshaling yard in western Germany. Heavy guns covered the high altitudes, while light automatic weapons ringed the yard itself. The crews were experienced, the firing plans were prepared, and the guns had seen more combat than most gunners … Read more
On April 23, 1985, the Coca-Cola Company rented the Vivian Beaumont Theater at Lincoln Center in New York. Four hundred journalists filled the seats as chief executive Roberto Goizueta stepped to the podium and announced the end of something that had lasted 99 years. The formula was changing. Not the logo, not the bottle, not … Read more
In November 1928, the French luxury liner Île de France steamed east across the Atlantic with three passengers seated at the same dinner table. Joseph P. Kennedy, Sr. , already one of the richest men in America, sat beside his wife of fourteen years, Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy, mother of seven and daughter of a former … Read more
In the early 1920s, Mexico was emerging from the upheaval of its revolution, and Mexico City, a capital of roughly 750,000 people, stood as the nation’s political and economic heart. On the morning of July 10, 1922, in the elegant district of Colonia Roma, Senator Francisco Tejeda Yoca stood outside his home at number 48 … Read more
In late 1941, a young naval intelligence officer named John F. Kennedy began a secret affair with a Danish journalist who had once interviewed Adolf Hitler and been personally praised by him as the perfect example of Nordic beauty. The relationship quickly became one of the most dangerous romances in American political history, drawing the … Read more
On August 26, 2009, a man named Phillip Garrido walked into a parole office in Concord, California, accompanied by his wife, Nancy, two teenage girls he claimed were his daughters, and a young woman he introduced as his niece, Alyssa. A parole officer separated them for questioning. Within hours, Garrido admitted to abducting and raping … Read more