History vs. Myth

Thousands of pages related to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy are now public information. Will they finally dispel years of conspiracies?

By Diana Brown

Did British Navy diver Lionel Crabb conspire with the Soviets or did they kill him for spying?

By Diana Brown

The Bermuda Triangle's Eastern counterpoint — the Dragon's Triangle — is located in the Philippine Sea and has supposedly been swallowing up ships for centuries.

By Diana Brown

There's no question the Titanic sank, but could it have been intentional? Some conspiracy theorists think so.

By Diana Brown

Scientists and treasure hunters have searched for the fabled Nazi Gold Train for decades, but efforts have stepped up recently, thanks to new technology. A new group of searchers think they have a unique angle.

By Dave Roos

A small area of West Yellowstone National Park has no residents, which opens it up to a strange loophole: lawlessness.

By Diana Brown

End-of-days predictions have come and gone for, well, centuries. So, will the Sept. 23, 2017 prophecy be the first to come true?

By Sarah Gleim

Were Japanese fishermen visited by a beautiful Russian spy in 1803 — or was it an alien?

By Diana Brown

Why do we call it a grandfather clock — instead of maybe grandmother clock?

By Mark Mancini

His mysterious vanishing sparked tons of speculation and one of the biggest missing person cases in U.S. history.

By Kate Kershner

The biblical flood myth has captivated millions, some so much that they go out looking to prove it actually happened, or build their own replica arks.

By Laurie L. Dove

What's the relationship between Guinness beer and the Guinness Book of World Records? How did it start?

By Laurie L. Dove

A crumbling brick fortress in New York state proves that it's not so easy to keep up with the Joneses after all.

By Laurie L. Dove

Bathrooms have been a social battleground in the U.S., from the civil rights' movement of the 1960s to the contemporary struggles for equality. What's the big deal?

By Laurie L. Dove

Some stories are easy to spot as fakes: "Lindsay Lohan Gives Birth to Two-headed Monster!" Others are harder: "The President Suffered a Heart Attack!" So how can you tell the fake news from the real?

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

The ballad and folktale of John Henry, the tireless railroad worker, is the stuff of American legend. An amazing story of the human spirit and work ethic, yes, but was John Henry a real person?

By Debra Ronca

The story of Paul Bunyan, the giant lumberjack, is one of the most enduring tall tales in North America. Most of us assume that the character is a fictional creation, but was he actually based on a real person?

By Debra Ronca & Melanie Radzicki McManus

You can immediately recognize Viking warriors by their helmets, with impressive horns protruding from either side. Doesn't seem very practical, though.

By Laurie L. Dove

William Tell is associated with the Lone Ranger thanks to the music of Rossini's opera, but he's also a legendary figure in Swiss history.

By Laurie L. Dove

The women's liberation movement conjures up an image that endures today: angry women burning their bras. So how often did undergarments get set aflame?

By Laurie L. Dove

The iconic Greek temple known as the Parthenon was thought to have been built following a mathematical concept called the golden ratio. Did it really?

By Laurie L. Dove

The story of Newton discovering gravity by getting hit in the head with an apple is a classic. Is there any truth to it?

By Laurie L. Dove

If someone of small stature exhibits bullying behavior, that person is sometimes said to have a Napoleon complex. Did Napoleon himself have one, though?

By Laurie L. Dove

Imagine that one vital piece of equipment could've saved the Titanic ... if only one person hadn't forgotten to pass along the key to where it was stored.

By Laurie L. Dove

The infamous Salem witch trials show what mass hysteria can do. But were those falsely accused witches really burned at the stake?

By Laurie L. Dove