Peter Carlson

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Articles

This Showman's Publicity Stunts Launched a New American Artform

Feb 13, 2024 | historynet.com | Jon Bock |Peter Carlson

Florenz Ziegfeld—the most famous showman of his time, and a genius of that great American art form, the publicity stunt—began his career with an animal act: “The Dancing Ducks of Denmark.” Actually, the ducks, like Ziegfeld, were Illinois natives, and they danced because Ziegfeld heated their feet with a hidden flame. Outraged, Chicago’s Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals shut down the show.
Sugar, a Mild Laxative, and a Dollop of Alcohol

Nov 21, 2023 | historynet.com | Peter Carlson

“Texas Charlie” Bigelow, a U.S. Army scout, was patrolling Indian Territory when he contracted a fever that left him so weak he could barely open his eyelids. An Indian chief took pity on Bigelow and nursed him back to health using a mysterious medicine he called sagwa.
Although As Crooked As They Come, This Boston Politician Was Beloved

Aug 29, 2023 | historynet.com | Peter Carlson

James Michael Curley’s first arrest came in 1903, when he was a 28-year-old Massachusetts state legislator. He was charged with conspiring to “defraud the United States” for taking the federal Civil Service exam while pretending to be one of his constituents, an Irish immigrant who hoped to become a mailman.
From Embezzling Millions to Milking Cows, the Rise and Fall of a Wall Street Swindler

May 23, 2023 | historynet.com | Peter Carlson

The stock market had been falling for a month, slowly at first, then faster. On Friday, October 18, 1929, the decline hastened in heavy trading. On Monday, prices fell again. On Tuesday, they rose a bit, only to plummet on Wednesday. On the morning of Thursday, October 24—the day dubbed “Black Thursday”—prices tumbled so fast that spectators in the gallery began to weep.
Was Money This Schemer’s True God?

Feb 28, 2023 | historynet.com | Peter Carlson

“Say this after me,” Reverend Ike urged his flock: “I have no fear of money.”“I have no fear of money,” the congregation repeated. “Money is not against my religion,” Reverend Ike said.“Money is not against my religion,” the crowd echoed. Money certainly didn’t violate the gospel of Reverend Ike. He loved money with a religious zeal, and he urged his followers to love lucre, too. “If thy religion cannot stand money, thy religion is bad, not money,” he said.