The Peculiar Truth about the Golden Girl Marine
February 13, 1943: Two years and two months after the United States entered World War II, women were given the opportunity to join the US Marine Corps. The official announcement was made on a Thursday. By the following Tuesday, a 20-year-old woman got the blessings of her parents and enlisted in the Marines. Two days after that, having filled out the necessary paperwork, she entered the ranks. Her name was Bernice Frankel. Later in life, she became known by her stage name - B
Jul 73 min read
The Peculiar Truth about Animals in US Politics
American humorist H.L. Mencken wrote, “Democracy is the art and science of running the circus from the monkey cage.” In the spirit of that satirical quote, several animal candidates have been elected to office in the United States over the years, albeit almost exclusively honorary titles. They include: Stubbs the Cat. For a twenty year period between July 1997 and July 2017, the ginger-colored Manx house cat was named mayor of Talkeetna, Alaska. The small town of roughly 1,00
Jun 303 min read
The Peculiar Truth about the Pop Psychology Pioneer
1955: A game show on CBS, The $64,000 Question , became popular after only six months on the air. Think of it as a forerunner to Jeopardy. Part of the show’s appeal was matching contestants with topics that seemed odd for their stereotype. For instance, Marine Corps Captain Richard McCutcheon was the first contestant to win the top prize. His category was cooking. One contestant was a 28-year-old housewife and mother with a degree in psychology. She had to answer questions a
Jun 233 min read
The Peculiar Truth about Alfalfa’s Murder
Carl Switzer had several careers in his brief life. He’s best remembered as a child actor, most notably in the Our Gang movies. In 24 short films throughout the 1930s, he appeared as the memorable character Alfalfa. Although he achieved fame, fortune didn’t follow. And tragedy would eventually befall him. In the Forties, Switzer found work in movies such as It’s a Wonderful Life, Pat and Mike , and other films. Throughout his adulthood, however, he acted in such minor suppor
Jun 163 min read