In 1928, 199 runners set out on a perilous footrace across America, from Los Angeles to Chicago and on to New York. The winner would receive $25,000 — if anyone… Read the rest of the article: In 1928, 199 men set out to run 3,400 miles across the United States.

In 1863 the residents of Nova Scotia discovered a legless man on the shore of St. Mary's Bay. He spoke no English and couldn't tell them who he was or… Read the rest of the article: Who was the legless man discovered on a Nova Scotia beach in 1863?

Here are five new lateral thinking puzzles to test your wits and stump your friends — play along with us as we try to untangle some perplexing situations using yes-or-no… Read the rest of the article: Five lateral thinking puzzles

Seemingly safe in northern New England, the residents of St. Albans, Vermont, were astonished in October 1864 when a group of Confederate soldiers appeared in their midst, terrorizing residents, robbing… Read the rest of the article: In 1864, a band of Confederate soldiers raided a very surprised town in northern Vermont.

Early one morning in 1912, the residents of Villisca, Iowa, discovered a horrible scene: An entire family had been brutally murdered in their sleep. In this week's episode of the… Read the rest of the article: The baffling case of the Villisca ax murders

In the early days of English aviation, journalist C.C. Turner seemed to be everywhere, witnessing bold new feats and going on some harrowing adventures of his own. In this week's… Read the rest of the article: Experience the early days of flight in Edwardian England.

For a government class in 1982, college sophomore Gregory Watson argued that a long-forgotten constitutional amendment could still be ratified. His instructor found this implausible and gave him a C… Read the rest of the article: The 27th amendment was ratified largely because a college student got a C on a term paper

In the 1920s Bata Kindai Amgoza ibn LoBagola toured the United States and Europe to share the culture of his African homeland with fascinated audiences. The reality was actually much… Read the rest of the article: The curious story of an "African" from Baltimore

The lyrebirds of Australia were highly mysterious and rarely seen until one fell in love with an elderly widow in 1930. In this episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll… Read the rest of the article: An amazing tale of interspecies friendship

In the 1860s Chicago underwent an amazing transformation in which dozens of buildings were moved around the city and gangs of men raised giant hotels and banks on jackscrews. In… Read the rest of the article: How Chicago jacked itself up in the 1860s