A successful revolution hinges on not just how you wage war, but how you wield words. Fidel Castro — whose rhetoric helped turn the island of Cuba against its democratically-elected government — is a living testament to that. Castro, who held control over Cuba for half a century, is not known for his pithiness. Indeed, over the course of his life he has often given three-hour speeches, and will answer a simple “yes” or “no” question with an entire defense of the impoverished and a searing indictment of capitalism. Read More...
Ernst Kaltenbrunner was instrumental in executing the Holocaust and so fanatical that he was even feared by other Nazis. So why haven't most people heard of him?During the Nuremberg trials, one high-ranking Nazi official evaded public recognition. The trial’s prosecution scoured the sea of documents that bore evidence of the men’s atrocities for which they were being tried, but they couldn’t find much on commander Ernst Kaltenbrunner. Although he was largely ignored by the public and press at the time, Kaltenbrunner was, in fact, the highest-ranking SS commander in that courtroom, not to mention the most fearsome with a battle-scarred face. Read More...
The discovery of gold at Sutter's Mill in January 1848 sparked a mass migration to California — but not everyone was lucky enough to strike it rich. An advertisement for a steam ship company during the California gold rush.Wikimedia Commons Male and female prospectors at Auburn Ravine in Placer County, California, 1852. The vast majority of prospectors were men, but women went west during the California gold rush as well. Read More...
