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Heiress on the Loose
On January 6, 2021 by ElyseFolks, we have another mystery on our hands: Helen Owen, child of romance and adventure, mysteriously missing. . . – The New York Tribune, May 30, 1921 Is there any other way to go missing? But I digress. Poor Gladys Mason remains at large, but maybe Second Glance History will have better luck finding 17-year-old
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New Christmas Traditions
On December 23, 2020 by ElyseFrom alternative Fourth of July plans to innovative uses for your Thanksgiving leftovers, Second Glance History has made a habit of looking backwards for holiday inspiration. As this very strange year comes to an end—not a moment too soon—my gift to you is suggestions for celebrating Christmas, too. Whether you want to try out some
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5 Alternative Uses for Your Thanksgiving Turkey
On November 25, 2020 by ElyseSure, turkey tastes delicious when it’s sitting on your Thanksgiving plate or Zoom screen, doused in cranberry sauce—or cantaloupe, if you’re 10-year-old me. (I know, I was a weird child.) However, this holiday staple is good for so much more than a food coma and a week of leftovers. If 2020 hasn’t been strange enough
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Not Dead Yet
On November 11, 2020 by ElyseGood news for conspiracy theorists and Monty Python fans alike: The King lives! Except, by “the King,” I don’t mean Elvis. In fact, it’s “the prince” who’s back from the dead—Crown Prince Rudolf, heir apparent to the throne of the Austro-Hungarian Empire. The lamestream media, history textbooks and just about everyone else would have sheeple
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“What Was Your Most Memorable Halloween?”
On October 28, 2020 by ElyseMore than a century ago, an unnamed journalist was tasked with running around Washington, D.C. and asking notable politicians the burning questions of the day. No, not those about national politics, the burgeoning movement for women’s suffrage or even the war on the tango: Instead, this no-doubt future Pulitzer Prize winner asked U.S. cabinet secretaries
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World’s Worst Gym Teacher
On October 21, 2020 by ElyseNobody tell U.S. President Theodore Roosevelt how few pushups I can do: I wish to preach, not the doctrine of ignoble ease, but the doctrine of the strenuous life, the life of toil and effort, of labor and strife; to preach that highest form of success which comes, not to the man who desires mere
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Diary of a Not-Wimpy Ambassador
On September 9, 2020 by ElyseIf you found a diary left open and unguarded, conveniently transcribed, digitized and text searchable, would you snoop? If you said “no,” you’re a better person than I am. When it comes to gleaning insights about the days of yesteryear—to say nothing of tantalizing gossip—you can’t beat diaries and letters (along with certain newspapers).
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Love in the Time of Ice Cream Sundaes, Part 2
On August 12, 2020 by ElyseSpoiler alert! Don’t ruin the ending: Read Part 1 first. When we last saw our heroes in October of 1910, Beatrice Sanders and La Vere Tallman were shivering in a cave in the Catskill Mountains and slowly realizing that sometimes love just ain’t enough. Six weeks after the start of their romantic escape into the
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Love in the Time of Ice Cream Sundaes, Part 1
On July 29, 2020 by ElyseOnce upon a time, there was a boy from the wrong side of the tracks. He fell in love with a girl whose parents disapproved, and they ran away to be together. . . Sound familiar? I guarantee you haven’t heard this story, which is “as unique a romance as ever a pair of young