Wikimedia Commons/RMSB-E460 The Georgia Guidestones Bombing The Georgia Guidestones started with ten commandments carved in granite: maintain humanity under 500 million, guide reproduction wisely, unite humanity with a living new language. An anonymous man paid Elberton Granite $100,000 in 1980 to build this monument to his vision of post-apocalyptic society. He used the alias R.C. … Read more

Wikimedia Commons/Andrew Filer from Seattle The Kensington Runestone In 1898, Swedish farmer Olof Öhman claimed he found a carved stone tablet under a tree on his Minnesota farm. The stone bore runic inscriptions telling of Vikings who reached America in 1362, centuries before Columbus. Scholars quickly called it a fake, but the debate raged for … Read more

Shutterstock The Discovery of Oil in Pennsylvania Edwin Drake drilled the first successful oil well in the United States on August 27, 1859, in Titusville, Pennsylvania. His drill hit oil at 69.5 feet deep, producing 25 barrels daily. Drake worked for the Seneca Oil Company, which hired him to find oil they could turn into … Read more

Shutterstock The Birth of Jazz in Storyville New Orleans created a legal red-light district in 1897 through a law written by Alderman Sidney Story. People named the area “Storyville” after him as a joke, which he didn’t appreciate. This 38-block zone sat behind the French Quarter between North Robertson, Iberville, Basin, and St. Louis Streets. … Read more

Shutterstock The Siege of Boonesborough of 1778 Shawnee Chief Blackfish had a clever plan in September 1778. He would trick Daniel Boone into surrendering his Kentucky fort without a fight. For two weeks, Blackfish used fake peace talks and psychological warfare to break the settlers’ will. When that failed, he laid siege to Boonesborough with … Read more

Wikimedia Commons/public library of Utica, New York The Battle of Oriskany The American Revolution tore apart the mighty Iroquois confederacy on August 6, 1777, during a savage ambush near Fort Stanwix. British forces and Mohawk warriors trapped General Herkimer’s militia in a deadly ravine. Oneida fighters chose the American side, creating the bizarre scene of … Read more

Wikimedia Commons/Daderot Lava Beds National Monument, California The Modoc War began on November 29, 1872, and ended June 1, 1873. It was the only major Native American war fought in California. Captain Jack, also called Kintpuash, led 53 warriors and about 160 women and children. The Modocs left the Klamath Reservation in Oregon because they … Read more

Wikimedia Commons/Ben Wittick The Lincoln County War Lawrence Murphy and James Dolan controlled every dollar that flowed through Lincoln County, Well, until English lawyer Alexander McSween and rancher John Tunstall decided to break their iron grip in 1878. At the time, the Murphy-Dolan faction owned the only general store, charged outrageous prices, and had the … Read more

Wikimedia Commons/Internet Archive Book Images The Great Locomotive Chase On April 12, 1862, twenty Union soldiers dressed as civilians walked into a Georgia train station with a wild plan. Led by spy James Andrews, they would steal a locomotive called The General and race north to Chattanooga, ripping up railroad tracks behind them. The mission … Read more

Wikimedia Commons/Walter William May The Gaspee Affair of 1772 The Gaspee was supposed to stop smuggling in Rhode Island waters. Instead, it became the first British ship Americans burned in anger. On June 10, 1772, the revenue cutter ran aground while chasing a suspected smuggler near Providence. Local colonists saw their chance. They attacked the … Read more