Romeo Gone Wrong

It’s that time of year again: cliché greeting cards, overpriced supermarket chocolate and for Second Glance History readers, cringeworthy tales of all the ways love can turn sour. History teaches us that all it takes is a misplaced coffin, one small yawn at your wedding or a passing resemblance to your mother, and you might Read More

Letters from the Front Lines

When this you see, remember me, though many miles between us be. – George Deal to Sarah Cole Deal; Memphis, Tennessee; February 1863 It is a truth universally acknowledged. . . that most people’s letters are insufferably boring. Mine included: If rambling on about the weather was an Olympic sport, I’d have several gold medals, Read More

A Sampler of Courage, Part 1

Courage, n. Mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. – The Merriam-Webster Dictionary Courage—and the feats humanity achieves because of it—have been on my mind recently. In the face of fear and oftentimes, commonsense, we slay monsters, we venture into uncharted territory, and we rescue kittens from trees. Don’t Read More

The Twin with the Nine Toes, Part Two

Welcome back! Pull up a chair, and if you’re reading in a region as cold as the one I’m writing in, settle in by a warm fire with a piping hot drink. And I do mean settle in—it’s a long one. When we last heard from Alfred Oliver in Part One, it was February 1914, Read More

The Twin with the Nine Toes, Part One

Upon seeing the front page of the Day Book on the morning of February 23, 1914, Chicago readers could have been forgiven for rubbing their eyes and wondering if they were still dreaming. They weren’t the only ones who might have reached for a cup of coffee to jolt themselves awake. A real-life Comedy of Read More

A Cinderella Story

No, not that Cinderella story. If you’re here for an insightful analysis of the teen flick starring Hilary Duff and Chad Michael Murray, you’re most welcome but likely to be disappointed. However, if you can forgive the lack of teen angst, read on. Today’s fairy tale comes to us from a 1911 newspaper blurb. Our Read More