During World War II, Roza Shanina was a Soviet sniper who killed fifty-nine people, including twelve soldiers during the Battle of Vilnius. Shanina joined the army after her brother died in 1941 and opted to be a marksman on the front line. Praised for her shooting accuracy, Shanina was capable of precisely hitting enemy personnel and making doublets (two target…
Vintage Wonders
Terry Fox was a Canadian athlete, philanthropist, and cancer research champion whose incredible willpower turned a personal tragedy into a national cause. Fox lost his right leg to cancer in 1980 and then set out on a long marathon across the country to raise money and awareness for cancer research. Even though his voyage was cut short, his legacy lives…
Michael Rockefeller, a promising young ethnographer, went missing in the southern coast of New Guinea in November 1961. People were very interested in his disappearance, not just because he was the great-grandson of John D. Rockefeller, one of the richest men in history, but also because of the alarming rumors that came after. He was officially reported dead by drowning,…
There are so many fast-food signage that you can’t ignore them as you drive through any big American metropolis. But these drive-thrus weren’t always a frequent sight at every highway stop. They began off like your neighborhood pizza business, with small beginnings. The early fast-food places were very different from what you see now. A lot of the time, the…
Ann-Margret Olsson, better known as Ann-Margret, became a huge movie star with a unique mix of ability, charm, and beauty. She was born in Sweden and grew up in the US, and her magnetic presence in the entertainment world drew many in. But it wasn’t just her acting skills that made her a legend; it was her many talents as…
Juliane Koepcke, who was only 17 years old at the time, was the only person to survive LANSA Flight 508 on Christmas Eve 1971. The flight was going from Lima, Peru’s capital, to Panguana. After a lightning strike forced the plane to break apart in the air, Juliane fell 3,000 meters (10,000 feet) into the Peruvian Amazon Rainforest while still…
She was more than simply a star on television; she was a strong person off screen.Belinda Emmett stood out in a world of short-lived fame and loud headlines for something much deeper: her quiet strength, her kind heart, and her unbreakable grace in the face of life’s hardest difficulties. She got Australia’s notice as an actress and singer. But as…
You know you’re famous when just saying your name brings to mind a classic haircut, the world’s most famous mocktail, and (most crucially) an unstoppable kid star. Shirley Temple’s mother started curling her hair and bringing her to singing and dance lessons when she was just three. It didn’t take long for her to become Hollywood’s biggest box office draw—how’s…
For over a century, Aunt Jemima was one of America’s most recognizable brands, associated with pancake mixes and syrups. However, behind the smiling face on the packaging lay a history deeply intertwined with racial stereotypes and evolving conversations about race, representation, and marketing. Origins of Aunt Jemima The character of Aunt Jemima was born out of minstrel shows in the…
Jennifer Lynn Connelly was born on December 12, 1970, and has had a wide range of experiences in the entertainment world. She originally became famous as a model, and then she made her acting debut in the 1984 crime movie “Once Upon a Time in America.” Connelly slowly moved away from modeling and toward acting, showing off her talent and…