Rants

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Is My Museum Lying To Me?

Saturday, January 26th, 2013

The Chicago Sun-Times has published a muckraking report suggesting that the Lincoln stovepipe hat currently displayed in the Lincoln Museum in Springfield, Illinois, may not be Abe’s at all.

It Pays To Ask Around (or: Hanging Tough on Hanging Rock)

Monday, October 15th, 2012

In an age of GPS/mobile map convenience and on-demand attractions, travelers are occasionally hasty in advising us that an obscure sight is “Gone!” or “Not there!” It may well be gone, but it also might be behind a bush 50 ft. down the road, or dragged into a basement until the local tornado advisory is over.

Hydrogen Bomb vs. Twine Ball: Which is Scarier?

Thursday, September 20th, 2012

Museums, by tradition and by design, are places to safely view civilization’s deadly achievements and excesses.

Sarah Winchester: No Sane, No Shame

Wednesday, February 9th, 2011

A book written by a California history professor claims to set the record straight on Sarah Winchester, the reclusive millionaire whose Winchester Mystery House continues to baffle the rest of us.

The Real Mix-up At Arlington: Where’s RFK?

Saturday, July 31st, 2010

“Has anybody here, seen my old friend Bobby?” The AP reported that as many as 6,600 graves in the Arlington National Cemetery were misplaced or misidentified.

The Road Ahead: Let’s Keep It Smooth

Saturday, July 24th, 2010

Trimming expenses in tough times seems smart, like trimming your speed when an oncoming car flashes its headlights. But now The Wall Street Journal is reporting that counties in North Dakota, South Dakota, Michigan, Alabama, Pennsylvania, and Ohio are deliberately grinding up their paved roads as a way to save money. Embarrassing? The idea of [...]

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