They Were Ready to Make Him a Mafia Member. They Didn’t Know He Was FBI
The FBI sent Joe Pistone into the Mafia pretending to be a jewel thief. He was supposed to stay undercover for six months, but the operation lasted…
Four Minutes Before Disaster: What Really Happened on the Deepwater Horizon
At 9:45 p.m. on April 20, 2010, the crew of the Deepwater Horizon was dealing with a well that had already begun to behave abnormally. Four minutes…
He Was the Face of France’s Greatest Heist. Another Man Said He Was Only an Informer
For 34 years, Albert Spaggiari was known as the mastermind behind France’s most audacious bank robbery. In 1976, thieves tunneled into a Nice bank vault and escaped…
One Man Studied 20,000-Year-Old Cave Marks—and Found a Hidden Pattern
Some of the oldest cave paintings in Europe may contain more than pictures of animals. They may contain information. Ben Bacon, a furniture conservator from London, noticed…
Alexander Couldn’t Reach Tyre by Land. So He Built a Road Across the Sea
In 332 BC, Alexander arrived at Tyre expecting the city to submit. Instead, its people refused to let him enter—and forced the young conqueror into one of…
This Car Was Only 84 Centimeters Tall. And It Actually Worked
It was only 84 centimeters tall—so low that getting inside required lifting the windshield. Yet this wasn’t a model built simply to sit under an auto-show spotlight….
He Escaped Prison and Hid Inside a Toys “R” Us. The True Story Behind Roofman
A convicted robber escaped prison—and instead of disappearing into a remote hideout, he chose a place where thousands of people came and went every day: a Toys…
Brian Shaffer Entered a Columbus Bar. The Camera Never Showed Him Leave
Brian Shaffer was caught on camera at a Columbus bar in the early hours of April 1, 2006. Then the footage simply stops. The 27-year-old medical student…
He Reached North Sentinel Island. The Next Day, He Was Dead
What would make someone knowingly enter an island that the outside world has been ordered to leave alone? In November 2018, 26-year-old American missionary John Allen Chau…
795 HP, No Roof: How Ford Made This Mustang Work
Ford just took a nearly 800-hp Mustang and cut the roof off. That sounds like a terrible idea for a car built around serious performance—but the engineering…