Tobacco brides or wives is a descriptive name for young, single English women whom the Virginia Company of London recruited in the early 1600s. They would emigrate to Colonial Virginia to marry a settler, where a significant gender imbalance existed between men and women. The expense to find the perfect companion fell upon the men…
The 1896 “Wreck Tech” Incident
In 1896, Auburn University students were hyped up for a big game against rival Georgia Tech. The night before, Auburn students decided to grease the railroad tracks with layers of pig grease and soap. The greased tracks caused the Georgia Tech train to slide for 5 miles past its intended stop. Georgia Tech players were…
May Day! May Day! The Crash of United Air Flight 823
On Thursday, July 9, 1964, United Air Flight 823 departed from Philadelphia with 39 people on board. The plane was scheduled to land at Huntsville International Airport in Alabama, with scheduled route stops in Washington, D.C., and Knoxville, but it never arrived in Knoxville. Around 6:15 p.m., the plane was reportedly seen flying low, trailing…