History Dispatches

Gargoyles are creepy. They are twisted, leering, tortured looking statues. Their mouths are often wide open - and serve as the exit of a water spout. So what is the story behind this unnerving bit of architecture? Was the gargoyle a ward against evil? Or was it something more sinister? This is the story of the gargoyle.

Sources

https://mymodernmet.com/what-is-a-gargoyle/

https://www.ancient-origins.net/artifacts-other-artifacts/gargoyles-0012253

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gargoyle

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In September of 1987 two looters in Goiânia, Brazil, stole an unattended device carrying the highly radioactive Cesium 137. After breaking open the device, the radioactive material spread throughout the city, causing massive panic and taking four lives.

Sources

https://www-pub.iaea.org/MTCD/Publications/PDF/Pub815_web.pdf

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Goi%C3%A2nia_accident

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Owney the Postal Dog was a stray terrier mix adopted as a mascot by the Albany, New York, post office around 1887. Owney loved to ride on the mail trains - and went on to travel over 140,000 miles throughout the United States - and even around the world.

Sources

https://americacomesalive.com/owney-the-post-office-dog/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Owney_(dog)

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Illustration_of_Owney_on_Mail_Sack.jpg

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Running a marathon is extremely impressive feat, but still fully attainable by most people with some grit and dedication. But its distance - at 26.22 miles or 42.195 km - is a little bit odd. So, why is the marathon as long as it is? That history goes back to a battle fought in ancient Greece, an army running a long distance, and some British royalty wanting to see the start of the race in 1908. This is the history of the marathon.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marathon

https://web.archive.org/web/20080924220856/http://www.european-athletics.org/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=6235&Itemid=2

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Phidippides.jpg

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In the 1920s and 1930s, Anna May Wong, an American actress of Chinese descent, rose to international fame while starring in films such as the Thief of Baghdad and Shanghai Express. Her career spanned vaudeville, film, television, stage, and radio. This is the story of Anna May Wong - Hollywood’s first star of Chinese descent.

Sources

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anna_May_Wong

https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/anna-may-wong

Image: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Anna_May_Wong_-_portrait.jpg

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