The “Titanic Magnet Idea”: A Bizarre 1914 Proposal
The sinking of the RMS Titanic in April 1912 left an indelible mark on the world. Beyond the immense loss of life, it sparked a wave of fascination, speculation, and…
The Glass Delusion: When Humans Thought They Were Shattered
In the late Middle Ages and early modern Europe, a bizarre psychological phenomenon emerged among some members of the elite: the Glass Delusion. Those afflicted believed their bodies were made…
Jacquard looms – ancestors of modern computation
Long before electronic computers, logic circuits, or software languages, one of the earliest steps toward programmable machines unfolded quietly in the workshops of early nineteenth-century France. Joseph Marie Jacquard, a…
Köpenickiade
In the early 20th century, the town of Köpenick, near Berlin, became the stage for one of Germany’s most infamous and audacious acts of deception. The central figure, Wilhelm Voigt,…