Amazing Tales About History

Who Put the Ivory in Ivoryton?

Ivory. It meant quality, class, and refinement. And, it put the town of Ivorytown on the map. That's where 90% of the material was imported into the U.S. and manufactured into piano keys, combs and buttons, taking advantage of huge demand for its smooth, glassy touch.

A Top-Secret World War II Project: "PO Box 1142"

American soldiers held in German during WW II made many prison escapes largely thanks to a top-secret project: Post Office Box 1142. Coded info and hidden devices were mailed to prisoners in ingenious ways that got past prison guards.

Who Really Killed Seymour's First Selectman?

About 100 years ago, a town's top leader was shot to death in his Town Hall office. Ray Gilliard telephoned the operator, said he had been shot, described his assailants, and asked for police and a doctor to be dispatched. Then, the line went dead. The investigation's outcome shocked everyone.

The Very First Robot

The "father of robotics," Joseph Engelberger, created the very first industrial robot in the 1980s. It was installed on a car manufacturing production line. His ingenuity led to other advances, including a robot that delivered food trays from a hospital kitchen to a patient's bedside.

One of the Biggest Construction Disasters - the L'Ambiance Collapse

In 1987, a novel construction technique failed, causing a multi-story concrete structure to collapse onto and kill 28 workers. Each floor fell, pancake style, on top of the one below it until the tons of concrete from the L'Ambiance apartment building project trapped the crew. Thomas Bucci was the Mayor who had to manage the disaster.

Benedict Arnold's Most Grizzly Attack

It was a complete mismatch that ended in a Revolutionary War slaughter. 1,600 British soldiers attacked Fort Griswold, where just 165 Patriot defenders gave fight. They surrendered, but the British killed them anyway in a battle directed by Benedict Arnold.

He Murdered for Love - and Hate

It was a difficult murder to solve. The victim's body was not in his house, which had been burned to the ground. The suspect was especially adept at deflecting attention. While he didn't like the victim, he did love a woman - and the two emotions were connected to the crime.

The Draft-Dodging Civil War Doctor

If you were a candidate for military service in the Civil War, and you saw Dr. Josiah Beckwith, odds are you would get a medical exemption. Why did more than 90% of Beckwith's patients end up ducking the draft?

Preserving Open Space is Getting More Difficult

Just because land is forested or undeveloped doesn't mean it's set-aside "open space." Many landowners are just waiting for the right time to sell to developers. The battle to commit enough open space land for future generations to enjoy is behind schedule.

Noah Webster - Our Forgotten Founding Father

Noah Webster doesn't command much attention as a founding father. Yet, he created the first American dictionary and made contributions to education that remain to this day. He's the father of U.S. copyright law and founder of New York’s first daily newspaper.