Nestled in the hills of Rustic Canyon in Pacific Palisades lies the haunting remains of Murphy Ranch, a failed 1930s pro-Nazi compound. This hidden site was built by Winona and Norman Stephens, a wealthy couple influenced by a shadowy figure known as “Herr Schmidt.” He convinced them to construct a self-sustaining base in anticipation of a Nazi takeover in the United States.

The Camp Fire, which began on November 8, 2018, in Butte County, became California’s deadliest and most destructive wildfire. Fueled by strong winds and dry conditions, it rapidly destroyed the town of Paradise, leaving a staggering 85 dead and over 18,800 structures in ruins.

In 1893, Thaddeus Cahill envisioned a machine that could generate perfect musical tones using electric dynamos. Influenced by Hermann von Helmholtz’s studies of tone and harmonics, Cahill set out to create the Telharmonium, an instrument capable of replicating orchestral sounds and broadcasting music over telephone lines. The instrument’s final design weighed 200 tons and was a marvel of early engineering.

Action Park, opened in 1978 in Vernon Township, New Jersey, was the brainchild of Gene Mulvihill. Designed to combine the thrill of skiing with self-controlled rides, the park became known for its unconventional attractions, such as the Alpine Slide and Motorworld, and for its lack of safety measures.

The Gulf of Mexico got its name from early Spanish explorers in the 16th century, who referred to it as Seno Mexicano (Mexican Gulf), tying it to New Spain (modern-day Mexico). Other historic names included Golfo de Nueva España and Mar Di Florida, reflecting its contested colonial history.

On September 19, 1910, Clarence Hiller confronted a man breaking into his Chicago home. After a struggle, Hiller was shot and killed. The assailant, Thomas Jennings, was caught nearby with a torn coat and bloodied revolver, but it was what he left behind—a fingerprint—that made history.

On December 9, 1868, London unveiled its first traffic light near Parliament. The towering 20-foot structure featured semaphore arms for daytime and red and green gas lamps at night, operated by a police officer. It aimed to tackle the city’s growing congestion and pedestrian dangers.

In January 1992, 28,800 plastic bath toys, including ducks, turtles, and frogs, were lost at sea when a storm toppled cargo from a ship near the International Date Line. This unexpected spill turned into a global experiment, tracking their movement across the world’s oceans.

During World War II, Greenland played an unexpected but crucial role in the Allied effort to secure the North Atlantic. As Nazi Germany occupied Denmark in 1940, Greenland, a Danish colony, was left vulnerable. Without direct governance, Greenland’s administrators turned to the United States for protection, marking a turning point in the island’s history.

Born in 1611 in Danzig (modern Gdańsk, Poland), Johannes Hevelius inherited his family’s brewing business but devoted his wealth to astronomy. In 1641, he built a rooftop observatory in his home, which became one of Europe’s finest centers for celestial observation.