A time capsule sealed inside an Illinois Masonic temple more than a century ago was pried open Saturday in downtown Aurora, revealing blueprints, lodge documents, and artifacts that narrowly escaped a three-alarm fire and demolition. Nearly 100 residents packed the plaza outside the Grand Army of the Republic Military Museum before 5 p.m., watching as […] The post Aurora's mayor found a century-old Masonic time capsule in a closet — and what was inside survived fire, demolition, and a hundred years of silence appeared first on American Almanac .
A time capsule sealed inside an Illinois Masonic temple more than a century ago was pried open Saturday in downtown Aurora, revealing blueprints, lodge documents, and artifacts that narrowly escaped a three-alarm fire and demolition. Nearly 100 residents packed the plaza outside the Grand Army of the Republic Military Museum before 5 p.m., watching as three people took turns with a hammer and chisel. It took at least ten minutes to crack the lid. What came out was a collection that Aurora Historical Society Executive Director John Jaros, a man with more than 40 years working in the city, called "exceptionally rare." The capsule's journey to that moment was almost as unlikely as its contents. Aurora Mayor John Laesch discovered it tucked…Open
A 101-year-old great-grandmother in Nigeria was arrested for allegedly dealing cannabis out of retail sachets, and officials say her own daughter kept her supplied every four days. Esther Ogunmabo was taken into custody on Saturday in the southwestern state of Ogun after agents from Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency found her carrying what they […] The post Nigerian authorities arrest 101-year-old woman for allegedly selling cannabis appeared first on American Almanac .
A 101-year-old great-grandmother in Nigeria was arrested for allegedly dealing cannabis out of retail sachets, and officials say her own daughter kept her supplied every four days. Esther Ogunmabo was taken into custody on Saturday in the southwestern state of Ogun after agents from Nigeria's National Drug Law Enforcement Agency found her carrying what they described as pre-packaged marijuana for street sale. Femi Babafemi, the NDLEA's director, said officers recovered 90 grams of cannabis divided into small retail portions. Babafemi told reporters that Ogunmabo was carrying: "Retail sachets of skunk, a strain of cannabis weighing 90 grams, which she claims she sells to locals." The agency said it bailed the centenarian shortly after…Open
Leah Stewart, a 35-year-old Sydney mother and school administrator, broke down in tears during her first television interview about the great white shark attack that nearly took her life at Coogee Beach, a harrowing account of fighting off an 11-foot predator with her daughter's face in her mind. Stewart was swimming at the popular Sydney […] The post Australian mother recalls shark attack that cost her an arm and left her in a coma for weeks appeared first on American Almanac .
Leah Stewart, a 35-year-old Sydney mother and school administrator, broke down in tears during her first television interview about the great white shark attack that nearly took her life at Coogee Beach, a harrowing account of fighting off an 11-foot predator with her daughter's face in her mind. Stewart was swimming at the popular Sydney beach on June 13 when a suspected great white shark seized her leg. She suffered severe bites to both arms and legs, lacerations, fractures, and extreme blood loss before beachgoers and off-duty medics pulled her from the water and applied tourniquets that likely saved her life. The beach was described as "drenched in blood" after the attack. Doctors placed Stewart in a medically induced coma that…Open
Oscar winner Jamie Foxx revealed he personally asked director Quentin Tarantino to cut rape scenes from the original "Django Unchained" script, a move he says was meant to protect co-star Kerry Washington's career and image. Foxx, 58, made the disclosure during an appearance on Keke Palmer's podcast, "Baby, This Is Keke Palmer," describing how the […] The post Jamie Foxx says he convinced Tarantino to drop rape scenes from 'Django Unchained' script to shield Kerry Washington appeared first on American Almanac .
Oscar winner Jamie Foxx revealed he personally asked director Quentin Tarantino to cut rape scenes from the original "Django Unchained" script, a move he says was meant to protect co-star Kerry Washington's career and image. Foxx, 58, made the disclosure during an appearance on Keke Palmer's podcast, "Baby, This Is Keke Palmer," describing how the original screenplay included sexual assault scenes involving both his character, Django, and Washington's character, Broomhilda von Shaft. Foxx said he sat down with Tarantino and Washington before production and pushed to have the scenes removed. Page Six reported Foxx's account in detail. The actor told Palmer plainly what the script originally contained: "If you read the script, Broomhilda…Open
A mass brawl erupted among fans at a Chicago White Sox game on Sunday, the second such incident in less than a week, as video showed one man leaping down rows of seats to stomp on another fan while security guards scrambled to intervene. Footage captured from multiple angles showed dozens of fans throwing punches […] The post Chicago White Sox fans brawl in the stands for second time in days as security struggles to restore order appeared first on American Almanac .
A mass brawl erupted among fans at a Chicago White Sox game on Sunday, the second such incident in less than a week, as video showed one man leaping down rows of seats to stomp on another fan while security guards scrambled to intervene. Footage captured from multiple angles showed dozens of fans throwing punches in the stands during the White Sox's 2-1 win over the New York Mets. One man was thrown to the ground, then jumped down two rows and landed feet-first on the stomach of a fan sitting below him. That fan fought back, flinging his attacker down yet another row of seats. A separate man wearing a red baseball cap appeared to prowl through the section, picking fights with multiple people. Another fan ended up shirtless by the time…Open
Tim Curry, the British-born actor whose flamboyant villainy defined a generation of film and stage, died at his Los Angeles home late Tuesday night, leaving behind a body of work no one in Hollywood has come close to matching. The Los Angeles Fire Department dispatched crews to Curry's home at 10:42 p.m. local time after […] The post Tim Curry, iconic star of 'Rocky Horror' and 'It,' dies at 80 appeared first on American Almanac .
Tim Curry, the British-born actor whose flamboyant villainy defined a generation of film and stage, died at his Los Angeles home late Tuesday night, leaving behind a body of work no one in Hollywood has come close to matching. The Los Angeles Fire Department dispatched crews to Curry's home at 10:42 p.m. local time after a call for a medical event, an LAFD spokesperson told the New York Post . Crews found a deceased male on the scene. The LAPD arrived at 11:23 p.m. and completed a death investigation report. No foul play is suspected. Curry's representative, Sean Katz, told USA Today that the actor "passed away peacefully." His cause of death has not been revealed. Curry was 80. He never married and had no children. He spent the last…Open
Josh Smith, the pardoned former drug offender who served as the No. 2 official at the federal Bureau of Prisons, left the agency without explanation, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions about contracts, a reality TV star's prison access, and staff morale. Smith announced his departure Monday on his personal X account, thanking President […] The post Bureau of Prisons deputy director departs abruptly after controversy over criminal past and contracting questions appeared first on American Almanac .
Josh Smith, the pardoned former drug offender who served as the No. 2 official at the federal Bureau of Prisons, left the agency without explanation, leaving behind a trail of unanswered questions about contracts, a reality TV star's prison access, and staff morale. Smith announced his departure Monday on his personal X account, thanking President Trump for the opportunity to serve. BOP Director William Marshall followed up Tuesday morning with a short note to agency staff confirming Smith was gone. A BOP spokesperson offered no additional details about why Smith left or whether the departure was voluntary. The move ends one of the most unusual tenures in the agency's history. Smith pleaded guilty in 1998 to conspiring to possess and…Open
A glacier avalanche triggered catastrophic flash flooding along the Nepal-China border, killing at least 98 people and leaving more than 600 others, including dozens of American citizens, unaccounted for in one of the Himalayas' deadliest disasters in recent memory. The wall of water hit Wednesday morning after an ice-rock avalanche from a glacier on the […] The post Flash floods along Nepal-China border kill at least 98, leave hundreds missing — including dozens of Americans appeared first on American Almanac .
A glacier avalanche triggered catastrophic flash flooding along the Nepal-China border, killing at least 98 people and leaving more than 600 others, including dozens of American citizens, unaccounted for in one of the Himalayas' deadliest disasters in recent memory. The wall of water hit Wednesday morning after an ice-rock avalanche from a glacier on the Nepali side collapsed into the Lhende Khola River, blocking its flow and then releasing a massive surge downstream. The Bhotekoshi River flooded around 9 a.m., the Associated Press reported , destroying villages, roads, and hydropower projects across Nepal's Nuwakot and Rasuwa districts. Drone footage showed buildings buried in mud and critical infrastructure wiped out along the border…Open