In 1948, a little-remembered environmental disaster occurred in the U.S. that shocked the entire world. It may sound like something from a Steven King horror novel, but it’s the real thing.
Author Archives: andrewspaulw
The Mahanoy Plane – the Mother of all Inclined Railroads
In the Coal Mining Region of eastern Pennsylvania, Appalachian valleys from Harrisburg to Scranton contain prized veins of hard, black Anthracite coal. From the Civil War to the 1940’s, coal was the undisputed King of Fuels in the United States and the world. For Schuylkill County, there was one big problem, getting all that precious blackContinue reading “The Mahanoy Plane – the Mother of all Inclined Railroads”
6 Forgotten Secrets of Michelangelo’s David
How much do you think you know about Michelangelo’s David? You’ve no doubt seen countless pictures of the famous naked statue on the internet, television or in books.
The Deadly 1900 Galveston Hurricane
If you approached Galveston, Texas from the Gulf of Mexico in 1900, it looked like an American Venice.
The Forgotten Sultana Riverboat Disaster
More souls died on the Riverboat Sultana than the RMS Titanic!
5 Reasons the 1889 Johnstown Flood Should Never Have Happened
The Johnstown Pennsylvania Flood of 1889 was more a man-made Tsunami than flood by Mother Nature.
Was the Great Chicago Fire Started by a Cow?
It is true the infamous fire started in the barn of Catherine and Patrick O’Leary on Sunday night, October 8th, 1871.
The Lusitania Sank in Just 18 Minutes, Beating Titanic!
The ocean liner Lusitania was struck by a German torpedo in 1915 and sunk within sight of the Irish coast in just 18 Minutes! Compare that to the rather luxurious sinking of the Titanic three years earlier in 1912 that lasted 2 hours and 40 minutes. We have all seen the popular movie, so justContinue reading “The Lusitania Sank in Just 18 Minutes, Beating Titanic!”
The Tragic Fate of the SS St. Louis Jewish Refugees
In May 1939, just before World War II started, 937 anxious Jewish refugees fled Nazi Germany aboard an ocean liner named the SS St Louis.
10 Theories about the Never-Aging Count Saint Germain
Who was the Count of Saint-Germain, the never-aging man of mystery who left so few clues behind?