Dentophobia—the fear of going to the dentist. Studies indicate that as many as one in five people suffer from the malady. Because sufferers experience anything from slight anxiety to full-blown panic attacks, many forgo their dental care rather than visit their dentist. The phobia is irrational, as most are. After all, there’s nothing sinister about…
The name “Brach” conjures up thoughts of candy corn, caramels, chocolate nougats, and various other delicious bagged confections. However, in the annals of crime, the name conjures up Helen Brach, the wealthiest woman in the United States ever to disappear and presumed to be murdered. Started in 1904, the E. J. Brach & Sons candy…
The Cold War had grown hot. Soviet leader Nikita Khrushchev considered the young U.S. president John F. Kennedy to be weak and fearful of war. Consequently, the Eastern Bloc constructed an 87-mile wall of concrete and barbed wire that divided Berlin, Germany, into eastern and western sections in 1961. The Soviets believed that Kennedy and…
It was 1955. McDonald’s franchised its hamburger joints, Disneyland opened its doors to a magical world, and Elvis Presley commenced gyrating to screaming crowds. Times were changing. And United Air Lines Flight 629 exploded in the air killing everyone onboard to become the first bombing of a domestic aircraft and the worst act of mass…
Georgia Tann left a dark legacy throughout the country, sewing tears among children and their birth parents for decades. Wearing gray hair, spectacles, a floral dress, and a sweet Southern smile, Tann looked like any caring grandmother—but most who encountered her learned that it was all a vile mask of horror and deceit. In 1924,…
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, contains the genetic instructions for the development and function of all cellular life, much like a construction blueprint, with individual matching probabilities surpassing that of a human fingerprint. Its uses, once futuristic, now seem as commonplace as satellite radio and K-Cups. DNA’s most renowned use has its 30th anniversary this year.…
Like a Norman Rockwell painting hanging prominently inside our heads, many of us cherish memories of Thanksgiving gatherings with loved ones complemented by honey-glazed turkey and succulent desserts. A heartwarming tradition believed to have originated in 1621 by the Pilgrims, now celebrated every fourth Thursday of November since Abraham Lincoln proclaimed Thanksgiving Day a national…
