The Kitchen Table Historian
The world was breathing a little easier at the end of 1945. For the past several years, the Second World War had raged across the globe. Towns and cities had been razed throughout the Pacific and across Europe. Millions had lost their lives during the course of the conflict. Now, the war was finally over.... Continue Reading →
We love getting presents in the mail. But what happens when something so ordinary turns deadly? One unfortunate farm family in 1922 Wisconsin found out first hand when they received a deadly delivery. Sources Mystery Still Shrouds Chilton Death. The Sheboygan Press, 11/25/1922 Poison Candy is Blamed For Woman's Death. The Daily News and The... Continue Reading →
Getting mail is a strange thing. On one hand, we hate it. We hate getting junk mail, and who looks forward to getting bills every month? There's the electric bill, the water bill, the rent payment, medical expenses, and on, and on, and on. The mail seems to bring us a never-ending torrent of credit... Continue Reading →
Lt. Naomi Kathleen Cheney looked at the solider standing guard at Gate No. 3 of the Technical School, AAF (Army Air Forces) Training Command. She had just transferred to Sioux Falls, South Dakota after receiving her officer's commission a few months earlier. It was early October 1943, and World War II was raging across Europe... Continue Reading →
John F. Dillon stood, inspecting the monument in front of him. Fall had already taken a firm hold on the region, the kaleidoscope of orange and red leaves providing a beautiful backdrop for the granite obelisk. Forty feet from base to tip, it was exactly what Dillon had paid for. Now, looking at it again,... Continue Reading →
For centuries, people have been fascinated by the idea of buried treasure. Stories of pirate gold on the east coast of the United States and the Caribbean have been passed down through the years, sowing the seeds of new interest in young minds as they're told and retold throughout the generations. Of course, some of... Continue Reading →
The day had started out normally for 18-year-old Walter Garenz. He woke up that morning, got dressed, and had breakfast with his employer, Christian Schindledecker. Shindledecker was a butcher, and Garenz worked for him at his shop, doing chores and making deliveries. He was a good boy and worked hard, so Christian didn't mind renting... Continue Reading →
Thomas Clark was hungry. A lot of people think they’ve been hungry because they skipped lunch one afternoon, but that’s not hunger. Hunger is not remembering when you last ate, and not knowing when you’re going to eat again. True hunger is like an animal, clawing and barking and snapping, demanding to be fed. The... Continue Reading →
It was the Spring of 1972, and a group of young men in Davenport, Iowa were hosting a very unusual woman as their guest. This isn't to say that she was rude and untoward; quite the contrary. A southern-born woman who had called Chicago her home for several years, their guest was very polite and... Continue Reading →