Stories

In 1935, Union Pacific Railroad’s president, Averell Harriman, envisioned a ski resort that could attract affluent travelers. To make skiing accessible, he challenged the railroad’s engineers to create a device that could lift skiers up a mountain with ease. James Curran, a 33-year-old engineer, took on the task.

On October 4, 2020, three scientists—Dr. Martin Kulldorff from Harvard, Dr. Sunetra Gupta from Oxford, and Dr. Jay Bhattacharya from Stanford—issued the Great Barrington Declaration. They advocated for an alternative COVID-19 strategy, challenging prevailing public health policies.

In February 2015, a photo of a dress ignited a global debate about color perception. Posted on Tumblr by Scottish musician Caitlin McNeill, the image asked: “What color is this dress?” Some saw black and blue, while others were convinced it was white and gold. The viral debate puzzled millions, even dividing households and friendships.

As head of the NSA’s Cuba desk during the Cuban Missile Crisis, Juanita Moody uncovered alarming intelligence. Her team intercepted Soviet communications revealing military shipments and suspicious activities in Cuba. In early 1962, she urged her superiors to distribute a detailed report on the buildup, warning it was far from defensive.

In the summer of 1959, Québec faced a severe polio epidemic with over a thousand cases. As vaccine supplies dwindled, panic gripped Montréal, and residents waited in mile-long lines for protection. Amid this, vaccine worker Jean Paul Robinson saw an opportunity.

Thames Town, located in the Songjiang District of Shanghai, is a replica of a traditional English village. Completed in 2006, it was part of a larger plan to create themed towns around Shanghai to manage urban expansion and attract residents to the suburbs.

Drake has had some wild fan interactions during his concerts. In one instance, a fan threw a book at him on stage, which he caught mid-air. Drake joked about the incident, saying the fan was lucky it didn’t hit him. The moment showcased his quick reflexes and calm response.

In the 1960s, Marie Van Brittan Brown, a nurse in Queens, New York, grew concerned about safety due to rising crime and slow police response times. Working with her husband, Albert, she designed a system to make her home more secure.

Around the year 1000, Gudrid Thorbjarnardóttir embarked on an extraordinary voyage with her husband, Thorfinn Karlsefni, and a small crew. Their destination was Vinland, the Viking name for a part of North America now believed to be Newfoundland, Canada. Gudrid spent three years there, exploring and living in the New World, and gave birth to her son, Snorri—the first known European child born in the Americas.

In 1910, Ida Holdgreve, a seamstress from Dayton, Ohio, answered an ad for “plain sewing.” Instead, she became part of the Wright brothers’ pioneering aviation efforts. Hired to sew fabric components for airplanes at the Wright Company factory, she worked on wings, fins, and rudders, making her one of the first female aerospace workers.