Story
Behind Enemy Lines
On November 13, 2019 by ElyseNo matter how Andrew Valentine Farley and his three companions maneuver their boat, they’re fighting the tide, and the Confederates are gaining on them. When they initially spotted the other boat on their way back to the U.S.S. Ottawa, they assumed it was a fellow Union boat coming from Jacksonville, just north on the St.
Story
Haunting Gone Wrong
On October 30, 2019 by ElyseThese days, the newspapers—er, Twitter feeds—are filled with articles about lost jobs, dying industries and the changing face of the 21st-century economy. But amidst the handwringing over what’s been lost and who’s been left behind, one suffering population has been largely invisible: ghosts. Recent centuries have not been kind to those whose primary job is
Story
A Blah History
On April 17, 2019 by ElyseIf you thought National Thank a Mail Carrier Day was an obscure holiday, you’ll never guess what today is: Blah, Blah, Blah Day. “Blah” is a relatively recent addition to our lexicon, first appearing in 1918. Considering the wide range of complex emotions it conveys, it’s a wonder the English language did without it for
Story
The Prince and the Pilot
On April 3, 2019 by ElyseLoyal readers might recall the story of plant-eating, teetotaling, jiu-jitsu-demonstrating health nut and newspaper darling, Gladys Mason, who went missing somewhere between Chicago and San Francisco on a cross-country trek in 1913. Well, folks, we found her! It turns out, after leaving Chicago, she took a detour to Wisconsin, where she opened a popular burger
Story
Presidential Pardon
On February 20, 2019 by ElyseEven if you didn’t have the day off work, the onslaught of mattress sale commercials should have reminded you that this past Monday was Presidents’ Day. Along with National Thank a Mail Carrier Day, it’s a busy month. In honor of the holiday, let’s explore a footnote in the administration of one of the U.S.’s
Story
You’ve Got Mail
On February 6, 2019 by ElyseHope your National Thank a Mail Carrier Day celebrations were first class! If you didn’t know this was a thing, perhaps your invitation was lost in the mail. In honor of this underrated holiday, I have for your reading pleasure an anecdote about a dead—that is to say, undeliverable—letter belonging to Henry Ward Beecher. If
Story
A Guide to Healthy Eating
On December 26, 2018 by ElyseIf your holiday festivities were anything like mine, they were filled with delicious meals and celebratory drinks, quickly followed by a painfully tight belt buckle and a fervent promise to eat better next year. But before we resolve in 2019 to say goodbye to snacks, sweets and other indulgences, the early 20th-century press has a
Story
Dear Santa
On December 12, 2018 by ElyseThe holiday season is upon us—and has been upon us since before you unwrapped your first piece of Halloween candy—which means Santa Claus and kids all over the world are making their lists and checking them twice. The children of yesteryear were no less excited than their modern-day counterparts about a stranger breaking into their