Without a doubt, one of the most spectacular gems in the entire world is the so-called Hope Diamond, a haunting blue stone weighing 45.52 carats. About the size of a walnut, the Hope is estimated to be worth a quarter of a billion dollars. Today, it sits on display in the Smithsonian Museum in WashingtonContinue reading “The Infamous Hope Diamond – Cursed or Coincidence?”
Author Archives: andrewspaulw
The 1918 SPANISH FLU Beats all Pandemics Since the Black Plague
To listen to an audio Podcast CLICK HERE Before COVID, before Ebola and HIV, the 1918 Flu Pandemic killed more humans than all of World War I combined, over 50 Million people worldwide! In just over a year, the so-called ‘Spanish Flu’ would infect a fifth of the world’s population. It still remains to thisContinue reading “The 1918 SPANISH FLU Beats all Pandemics Since the Black Plague”
Mata Hari – Exotic Dancer, Mistress, and French Spy
The name Mata Hari is almost synonymous with femme fatale, or any wicked temptress who uses her sexual charms to seduce the hero of the day. In reality, Mata Hari was a professional exotic dancer and mistress, who ultimately became a spy for France during World War I. Suspected of being a double agent, sheContinue reading “Mata Hari – Exotic Dancer, Mistress, and French Spy”
Simon Bolivar, Hero & ‘Libertador’ of South America
Simon Bolivar is the most famous political and military hero in Latin American history. He led revolutions against the Spanish Empire in no less than 6 South American countries. His short life and personal story is without doubt the stuff of legend. Yet today, outside of Latin America, where he’s still revered as El Libertador,Continue reading “Simon Bolivar, Hero & ‘Libertador’ of South America”
Podcast: The Mysterious Madame Blavatsky, Psychic or Charlatan?
Madame Helena Petrovna Blavatsky (or HPB to her followers) was a controversial 19th century medium, psychic, author and co-founder of the Theosophical Society. She claimed to be in contact with the ‘The Masters’, astral beings of great psychic powers who bestowed upon her the ancient secret science of Theosophy. The society grew from a modest start in 1875 to become aContinue reading “Podcast: The Mysterious Madame Blavatsky, Psychic or Charlatan?”
The Munich Massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics
During the 1972 Summer Olympics in Munich, West Germany, eight terrorists disguised in tracksuits, carrying gym bags filled with assault rifles and hand grenades, breached the Olympic Village security. Just before dawn on September 5th, Black September terrorists of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO), managed to enter the building where Israeli athletes were sleeping. Once inside,Continue reading “The Munich Massacre at the 1972 Summer Olympics”
Podcast: The 10 Most Successful Vaccines in History
We used to take vaccines for granted. After all, they’ve been around for decades. Some, like small pox and polio, were given to our grandparents and even great-grandparents. We all received our last round of childhood shots as kids. So much so, we were shocked by a modern pandemic in 2020. This was due inContinue reading “Podcast: The 10 Most Successful Vaccines in History”
The Oversteegen Sisters – Teenage Resistance Assassins
The Oversteegen sisters were only teenagers when they joined the Dutch resistance in the Netherlands during World War II. Together with a young friend, Hannie Schaft, they gathered intelligence for the Resistance, provided Jewish safe houses, bombed railways and, most remarkably, lured Nazi officers into the woods, and shot them. When World War II eruptedContinue reading “The Oversteegen Sisters – Teenage Resistance Assassins”
Podcast: Who Burned the Great Library of Alexandria?
Egypt’s Great Library of Alexandria was once the largest of the ancient world, containing the works of Homer, Plato, Euclid, Socrates, Aristotle and hundreds more. Close to one million books and scrolls from across Greece, Assyria, Egypt, Persia and India filled its vast shelves. It’s believed to have been completely destroyed in a devastating fireContinue reading “Podcast: Who Burned the Great Library of Alexandria?”
Operation Gunnerside: The Most Important WWII Mission you Never Heard Of
Operation Gunnerside was arguably the most important covert mission of World War II. It’s goal was daunting – to prevent Adolf Hitler from creating the atomic bomb first. Gunnerside would do so by denying the Nazi’s enough heavy water (deuterium oxide) to build a nuclear weapon. The Vemork hydroelectric plant, located in a remote valleyContinue reading “Operation Gunnerside: The Most Important WWII Mission you Never Heard Of”