Christopher Klein Archives

The Scandalous Romance That May Have Saved the British Monarchy

King Edward VIII’s 1936 abdication caused the British crown’s most profound crisis in modern history. But did it prevent greater long‑term trouble for the monarchy?

Why are Indiana residents called “Hoosiers”?

A little more than a decade after Indiana joined the Union on December 11, 1816, newspapers began to refer to the residents of the newly admitted state as “Hoosiers.” (Alternate spellings included “Hooshers” and “Hooshores.”) The unusual nickname appeared in print as early as 1832 and gained popular usage the following year after publication of […]

The Midget Subs That Beat the Planes to Pearl Harbor

Hours before enemy planes filled the skies above Pearl Harbor, Japanese midget submarines were already lurking below water in a little‑known aspect of the attack.

After Pearl Harbor: The Secret Plan to Hide America’s Iconic Documents

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, the U.S. government undertook a secret operation to hide the Constitution, Declaration of Independence and other treasured American artifacts.

Who is Mount Everest named after?

In 1852 the British‑sponsored Great Trigonometrical Survey, which had been mapping the Indian subcontinent since the early 1800s, identified the highest mountain in the world straddling Nepal and Tibet in the Himalayas. The British initially referred to the 29,035‑foot‑tall pinnacle as Peak XV until Andrew Waugh, the surveyor general of India, proposed that it be […]

Globetrotting Vikings: To the Gates of Paris

There was nothing romantic about the Vikings’ visits to Paris in the 9th century, but their journeys transformed an island market town into the capital of France.

Did Benjamin Franklin propose the turkey as the national symbol?

After the Continental Congress adopted the Declaration of Independence on July 4, 1776, it next tasked Benjamin Franklin—along with John Adams and Thomas Jefferson—with designing a seal to represent the new country. Given the opportunity to choose a national symbol, the Founding Father never suggested a turkey. According to his notes, Franklin proposed an image […]

The Thanksgiving Raccoon That Became a Presidential Pet

In November 1926 President Calvin Coolidge pardoned a live animal intended for his Thanksgiving dinner and adopted it as a pet. This was no turkey, however, but a raccoon.

Remembering the First Native American Woman Doctor

Susan La Flesche shattered not just one barrier, but two, to become the first Native American woman doctor in the United States in the 1880s.

That Time America Outlawed Pinball

It may be hard to believe, but not too long ago major American cities banned pinball out of fear of the arcade game’s effect on crime, juvenile delinquency and morality.

What is the Stone of Scone?

Although it may sound like a stale tea‑time pastry, the Stone of Scone is an ancient symbol of Scottish sovereignty. According to legend, the sandstone slab was used by the biblical figure Jacob as a pillow when he dreamed of a ladder reaching to heaven and then brought to Scotland by way of Egypt, Spain […]

America’s First UFO Sighting

Think UFO sightings are just a modern phenomenon? Think again. The Puritans were the first to record strange shining lights in American skies.