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Los Angeles Policeman Robbed a Wells Fargo Wagon
A Los Angeles robbery that seemed daring enough on its own became even stranger when the culprit turned out to be one of the city’s…
The Hobgoblins of Harmony, Maine
In the summer of 1908, the quiet town of Harmony, Maine, found itself troubled by something no one could quite explain. At the home of…
The Night Raiders Who Gassed Chickens and Hogs
There are ordinary farm thefts, and then there are crimes so strange they sound as though they were lifted from the pages of a wartime…
Minnesota Farmer Cuts His Own Hand Free from Corn Picker
In the early days of mechanized farming, corn pickers made harvest work faster, but they also brought terrible new dangers into the fields. Moving rollers,…
Luray Farmer Wakes to Find a Rat Gnawed Off His Hair
Some old newspaper stories are strange because they involve crime, scandal, or disaster. Others are strange because they leave us with one unforgettable image: a…
New Jersey Woman Faces Husband Who Came Back from the Grave
In 1921, a strange domestic drama unfolded in Orange, New Jersey, when a woman answered her door and found herself face-to-face with the husband she…
The Barn in Salisbury, Massachusetts That Welcomed Hoboes
In the early 1900s, the word “hobo” carried a whole world of meaning. It could suggest poverty, wandering, hard luck, railroad travel, or simply a…
Hoosier Man Burned by X-Ray May Lose His Leg
When X-rays were first announced to the world in late 1895, they seemed almost miraculous. For the first time, doctors and experimenters could look beneath…
Fined $5 for Getting the Fish Drunk
There are plenty of strange old newspaper stories involving drunken men, but this 1917 report adds a far more unusual twist: drunken fish. Originally published…
416,389 Hides a Year: The Shocking Scale of a 1906 Shoe Factory
In 1906, the scale of American manufacturing could be measured in hides, railcars, and miles. This short article offers a striking look at the Mayer…
