Author: Ms. R.

In 1450, Eustacchio Licini, a non-ordained friar also known as Cacciaguerra, ordered the construction of the Church of San Bernardino of Siena in Lallio. He envisioned the countless frescoes decorating the interior as the centerpiece of the church. Around the mid-16th century, Cristoforo Baschenis the Elder, a renowned painter from Bergamo, was called upon to create a set of frescoes depicting the life of San Bernardino on the walls of the third section of the church. The imagery and accompanying……

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This aluminum airplane is reminiscent of the World War II-era Flying Tigers of the 1st American Volunteer Group (AVG).  The shark mouth was based on an original painting on a Luftwaffe’s ZG heavy fighter wing, which was part of the Messerschmitt Bf 110s. Later, this design was used by the Allied fighter squads, such as the Flying Tigers. Allegedly, the squadrons saw a picture of the No. 112 Squadron’s P-40s, which flew for the Royal Air Force, and adopted their logo.  This plane……

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No, there is no gas here. But back in 1927, E.F. Boydston built it as a gas station. Later, he decided to cover its exterior with chunks of petrified wood, perhaps inspired by a similar gas station in Colorado, or by Petrified Wood Park in South Dakota. Boydston covered the walls of his next-door cafe and tourist cabins as well. (One of the motor court cabins was supposedly rented by Bonnie and Clyde a couple of weeks before they……

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Diners were lining up to try Lawrence West’s Indian tacos for more than a year before the chef opened up his restaurant on West Madison Street in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Watecha Bowl started out as a roving food truck serving the kind of comfort food that West grew up eating as a member of the Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe. Watecha means “leftovers,” but is often used colloquially to simply refer to food. In an interview with SiouxFalls Business, West……

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This story is excerpted and adapted from Bill Schutt’s PUMP: A Natural History of the Heart, published in September 2021 by Algonquin Books of Chapel Hill. All rights reserved. Winter is coming, and when it arrives, most organisms can’t simply throw down the snow shovel and head for their warm homes. Many have evolved unique mechanisms to deal with exposure to cold temperatures and the stresses that accompany them. For warm-blooded species, including those that do wield snow shovels,……

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Dublin, 1907. Arthur Vicars was 45 years old in July 1907, just a few weeks from his birthday. His entire life at the time was wrapped up in his job as Ulster King of Arms. This put him in charge of the rules and regulations regarding heraldry and family trees—a very important position in early-20th-century Ireland: He was the arbiter of inheritance. “Most land, power, and wealth were vested in the hands of the aristocracy,” says William Derham, a……

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On the verdant green machair, beside the golden sands of Scarista Beach, sits a decaying old bus with a rather unusual tale to tell. For those who investigate, it quickly becomes apparent that this is no ordinary abandoned hulk. It was once a home from home, a place of adventure where memories were made and stories told. This particular story starts in January 2005, when a ferocious storm battered the coastline. The hurricane-force winds destroyed a caravan used by……

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Dating from 1680, this late 17th-century dwelling is known as the Giant’s Cottage. The name for this quirky cottage isn’t linked to its size, as the thatched cottage is not giant itself, but for the large rock face that peers out from the front wall. With large flint eyes, the giant watches passersby as it has for centuries since it was added onto the cottage. It’s unknown if the giant’s face was simply the creative expression of an eccentric……

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