Stories

In 1974, a powerful moment was captured in a photograph as Harold Whittles, a young boy born deaf, heard sound for the very first time. Fitted with a hearing aid, Harold’s expression was one of pure amazement and surprise as he experienced the world of sound unfolding around him.

In ancient Greece, Olympic athletes competed completely nude, a tradition believed to have begun in the 8th century BCE. According to historical accounts, the practice may have started after a runner named Orsippus of Megara won a race in 720 BCE while his loincloth accidentally fell off. Realizing that running unencumbered was an advantage, other athletes adopted the practice.

In the early 1960s, Alfred Heineken, while visiting the Caribbean islands, noticed two major problems: the beaches were littered with empty beer bottles, and the local communities lacked adequate building materials. To tackle both issues, he came up with a revolutionary idea: the World Bottle, or WOBO, which could be used both as a beer container and as a brick for building.

The Basilica Cistern, or Yerebatan Sarnıcı in Turkish, is an underground water reservoir built in the 6th century during the reign of Byzantine Emperor Justinian I. Located in Istanbul, Turkey, it was constructed to supply water to the Great Palace and surrounding buildings. The cistern measures about 453 feet long and 213 feet wide, capable of holding nearly 21 million gallons of water.

Despite the absence of modern performance-enhancing drugs, athletes in ancient Greece still sought to gain an edge. Some competitors would attempt to jinx their opponents through curse tablets, which were inscribed and buried in critical parts of the athletic facility.

Contrary to popular belief, gladiators in ancient Rome were predominantly vegetarians. Nicknamed hordearii, or “barley men,” they primarily consumed a plant-based diet rich in grains like barley, wheat, and oats. This diet provided them with the necessary carbohydrates for endurance during intense combat.

Dimitry Droujinsky, a seasoned FBI agent, was facing one of his toughest cases. In 1993, 28 years after a National Security Agency (NSA) clerk named Robert Lipka sold secrets to the KGB, Droujinsky was tasked with reeling him in.

Hans and Margret Rey, both German Jews, fled Paris just days before the Nazis took the city in June 1940. As the couple escaped on handmade bicycles, they carried with them the manuscript that would become Curious George. After weeks of perilous travel, they reached safety in Lisbon and eventually sailed to New York.

In 1939, during the height of the Great Depression, a movement arose in parts of Wyoming, Montana, and South Dakota. Frustrated by the federal government’s response to the economic crisis, some residents proposed creating a new state called Absaroka, named after the Absaroka Range of the Rocky Mountains.

On the night of December 24, 1945, a fire broke out in the Sodder family home in Fayetteville, West Virginia. George and Jennie Sodder, along with four of their children, escaped the blaze. However, five of the Sodder siblings—Maurice (14), Martha (12), Louis (9), Jennie (8), and Betty (5)—were never seen again. Despite the intense fire, no remains of the children were found in the ashes, leaving their fate a mystery.