The Ancient and Esoteric Order of the Jackalope

"Michigan"

Strange stories from our 26th state, from Detroit to the Upper Peninsula.

John Yates Beall

Rapscallions!

"Resist at Your Peril!"

The only thing standing between John Yates Beall and Johnson's Island was the USS Michigan... that and a terrible con man and the cowardice of his own men.

Categories: History, Series 14

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a (historically inaccurate) woodblock print of the flaming steamship CAROLINE being carried over Niagara Falls

Dangerous Excitement

good times never felt so good

The Canadian revolution seemed over... and then the Redcoats seized an American ship, set it on fire, and sent it plunging over Niagara Falls.

Categories: History, Series 13

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Amazing Stories, March 1943

A Warning To Future Man

either the most astonishing revelation in history... or its greatest hoax

"I myself cannot explain it. I know only that I remember Lemuria! Remember it with the absolute conviction of a fanatic..."

Categories: Entertainment & Media, Hoaxes, Frauds & Forgeries, Most Popular, Series 11

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George Jacob Schweinfurth

Holy Ghost Babies

ten times worse than Brigham Young (or so they say)

George Jacob Schweinfurth was a charlatan who mocked religion, stole money, and despoiled women with his hypnotic powers. Then he did something unexpected.

Categories: Eccentrics & Prophecies, People & Places, Series 11

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"Prince" Michael Keyfor Mills

Exceeding Great

that's Ezekiel 9:9 for those of you reading along at home

How many times will folks fall for the same old tricks? You might be surprised. The story of Prince Mike, King Ben, and the Houses of Israel and David.

Categories: Eccentrics & Prophecies, Least Popular, People & Places, Series 5

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Simon Girty chewing gum card

He Whooped to See Them Burn

Simon Girty (1741-1818) -- renegade and traitor, or man of principle?

Was "white savage" Simon Girty (1741-1818) a renegade and traitor, or a man of principle? We reexamine his history and try to figure out what made him tick.

Categories: Biography, History, Most Popular, Series 4

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Ann O'Delia Diss Debar

Spirit Princess

one woman, thirty aliases, forty years and too many crimes to count

The greatest and most notorious Spiritualist swindler of all time was a woman from Kentucky who looked a bit like Lola Montez (if you squinted).

Categories: Biography, Hoaxes, Frauds & Forgeries, Series 3

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