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Elephants Gone Wild, Part 2
On July 7, 2021 by ElyseWhat makes an elephant turn to a life of crime? Nature? Nurture? Second Glance History’s guide to pickpocketing? We may never be sure, but what we do know is there are enough incidents of mammoth misconduct for a full season of “CSI: Ele-felony.” Last time, elephant bad boys Peanut and Basil impersonated a sea serpent
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Clip of the Week: June 16, 2021
On June 16, 2021 by ElyseRead to the end for a plot twist I guarantee you won’t see coming: A man who had committed bigamy was to-day acquitted at the Paris Assizes. He had married a woman twenty years older than himself, but she turned out to have a very bad temper, and refused to live with him. Then he
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Tattoos to Undo
On June 9, 2021 by ElyseStay tuned until the end for some shameless self-promotion! I’m way too old for teenage rebellion, but that didn’t stop me from walking into a tattoo studio recently. As I nervously contemplated which design I would spend the rest of my life staring at, I had no shortage of options. Did I want an inspirational
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Snarky in Seattle
On May 26, 2021 by ElyseSome people say, “Take a trip and forget your unhappy love affair.” What! Forget it now, only to remember it all the more later on? Never! . . . Better let your heart bleed for several days in succession and then heal itself than to staunch it by a few weeks’ trip somewhere only to
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Clip of the Week: May 19, 2021
On May 19, 2021 by ElyseBerlin—Girl postal clerk jumped on bicycle and caught convict who had escaped while being taken to prison. – The Day Book, January 18, 1913 I have so many questions, but apparently, I’m the only one. I’m guessing the journalist who filed this bare-bones story did NOT win the Pulitzer Prize that year—and not just because
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The Underwear Thief
On May 12, 2021 by ElyseIn 1921, somebody took Second Glance History’s guide to pickpocketing a little too far: For several months past, the city of Baltimore, Md., has been the “vantage point”, from which a dangerous and desperate hotel crook and accomplished thief has operated in several of the leading hotels. . . At these various hotels, the man
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5 More Times Love Conquered All
On February 3, 2021 by ElyseWho doesn’t love a good love story at this time of year? If you couldn’t get enough of last year’s unpronounceable surnames and coffin-themed pickup lines, you’re in luck. As an early Valentine’s Day present, Second Glance History is bringing you a new assortment of chocolates, er, stories with unexpected fillings. Whether you’re googly-eyed over
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Beginner’s Guide to Pickpocketing
On January 20, 2021 by ElyseFrom breaking your lease and traveling for free to becoming a juvenile delinquent, Second Glance History is all about helping you use history to make good life choices. Today, I’m pleased to present yet another guide to antisocial behavior: Pickpocketing 101. Pencils out—but best keep your wallets hidden away. Wear a fashionable hat. On arriving
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A Narrow Escape
On December 9, 2020 by ElyseDespite being a healthy, privileged resident of a highly industrialized nation, I’ve had a few close calls. I nearly strangled myself at birth with the umbilical cord—I’m still sorry about that, Mom. And then there was that time a glass coffee table spontaneously shattered a foot away from me. (It’s a thing.) Plus, who can