Understanding Backwards: Coming to Terms with the Past in Oxford, Mississippi

October 16, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

“Life can only be understood backwards; but it must be lived forwards.” That quote by the 19th century philosopher Kierkegaard lies at the heart of the novels written by William Faulkner, one of the giants of American literature. Faulkner believed the reality of one’s life experience almost invariably falls short…

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Kentucky, The South

Justice and Revenge: The Narrative Defying Murder of Katie Autry in Bowling Green, KY

October 2, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

Depending on who you talk to, Katie Autry was either a sweet, innocent young woman who was out of her depth at Western Kentucky University in Bowling Green in 2003 or a wild party girl who drank too much, engaged in risky sex and flirted with trouble. Of course, to…

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Illinois, The Midwest

Toxic Hysteria: The Strange but True Tale of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon

September 25, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

Even before the newspaper story, even before anyone reported it, a man named Urban Raef awoke in the middle of the night with a foul odor in his nostrils. It was so awful it made him sick. He stumbled into the bathroom and vomited until he was weak. His wife,…

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Illinois, The Midwest

The Beaches of Chicago: The Miraculous Making of the Riviera of the Midwest

September 18, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

Without doubt, one of the biggest surprises for first time visitors to Chicago is the extent and quality of its lakefront beaches. Many don’t even realize that Chicago has a developed waterfront, much less that it boasts twenty-six miles of some of the finest urban beaches in the United States….

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The Midwest, Wisconsin

Hell on Earth: The Forgotten Firestorm of Peshtigo, Wisconsin

September 11, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

On the night of October 9th, 1871 sailors on the deck of the schooner C.I. Hutchison two miles off the coast of Wisconsin in Lake Michigan saw something incredible. Wind driven cinders fell from the sky, setting the boat’s rigging on fire. Five miles further out, flaming roof shingles landed…

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Michigan, The Midwest

The Remarkable Johnston Women of Sault Ste Marie

September 4, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

Early 19th century history is filled with men of consequence. But in an era when most women were expected to remain at home and focus on domestic chores, few females made their marks, especially in the areas of trade, diplomacy and the arts. Exceptions can be found in the remarkable…

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Michigan, The Midwest

Labyrinth: The Perplexing Maze of the Robison Family Murders in Good Hart, Michigan

August 28, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

The smell was something awful. It wafted in on the breeze, making the members of Mrs. Moore’s bridge party curl up their lips and comment on it. Mrs. Moore phoned Monnie Bliss, the owner of Blisswood Cabins and asked him to check into it. Monnie tracked down the smell. It…

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Michigan, The Midwest

Corrosive: Flushing Out the Truth about the Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan

August 21, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

The Law of Unintended Consequences says that intervening in complex systems tends to create unanticipated and often undesirable outcomes. To those of a conservative mindset this argues in favor of leaving well enough alone. But to liberals and progressives, deteriorating social and economic conditions are a call to action that…

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Ohio, The Midwest

Tallest, Steepest, Fastest: The Roller Coaster Capital of the World at Cedar Point, OH

August 14, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

A roller coaster is a funny thing. It seems dangerous, but it’s actually quite safe. On average, only four deaths occur annually in the United States out of more than a hundred million rides. That makes riding a roller coaster safer than driving a car or crossing a street in…

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New York, The East

Sam Patch, the Tragic True Story of America’s First National Celebrity

August 7, 2021 / by Malcolm Logan

On November 6th, 1829 a man dressed in a white shirt and spinner pants stepped to the edge of a stone precipice ninety-four feet above the High Falls of the Genesee River in downtown Rochester, New York. Below him, some 8,000 spectators lined the banks. He bowed to the crowd…

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USA travel

Understanding Backwards: Coming to Terms with the Past in Oxford, Mississippi

Justice and Revenge: The Narrative Defying Murder of Katie Autry in Bowling Green, KY

Toxic Hysteria: The Strange but True Tale of the Mad Gasser of Mattoon

The Beaches of Chicago: The Miraculous Making of the Riviera of the Midwest

Hell on Earth: The Forgotten Firestorm of Peshtigo, Wisconsin

The Remarkable Johnston Women of Sault Ste Marie

Labyrinth: The Perplexing Maze of the Robison Family Murders in Good Hart, Michigan

Corrosive: Flushing Out the Truth about the Water Crisis in Flint, Michigan

Tallest, Steepest, Fastest: The Roller Coaster Capital of the World at Cedar Point, OH

Sam Patch, the Tragic True Story of America’s First National Celebrity

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