Old-timey Photograph of the Day

Will the person who invented photography take one step forward, please? Not so fast, Henry Fox Talbot. Cool story about an early photograph, from yesterday's NYT.

I'm an Ape Man, I'm an Ape Ape Man, I'm an Ape Man

Monster Quest, a fun cryptozoology show on The History Channel, is running an episode this week focused on an alleged plan of Stalin's to create an army of ape men, which it turns out didn't really happen. However, the show is absolutely fascinating anyway, especially if you're not in the habit of keeping up with all the COMPLETELY INSANE things scientists have tried to do over the past century or so.

Here is the article that kick-started the "Stalin tried to create an army of ape-men" story, which was published in The New York Times and got picked up with some distortions by The Scotsman.

Here is a site devoted to ape-like cryptids, including the Alma, which are also discussed in this show.

The Monster Quest episode also covers other crazy stuff I wasn't aware of, including the doctor who semi-successfully performed a head transplant (the show includes very disturbing footage of this) and of course the Soviet scientist who really did try to cross-breed chimps and humans.

Anyway, this show is awesome. Watch it.

ABC Links (mostly Wikipedia, mostly awesome)

A. Recently, a parachute possibly belonging to the infamous D.B. Cooper was found up in Washington State. (On a side note, while I've grown very tired of the increasingly ridiculous show Prison Break over the last two seasons, the first season was kinda good, largely because it featured D.B. Cooper as a character).

B. Also got this today. Now he would have been an interesting Vice President.

C. Speaking of Vice Presidents, my brother sent me this a while back. Richard Mentor Johnson had the best/worst campaign slogan ever: "Rumpsey Dumpsey, Colonel Johnson killed Tecumseh." I guess it's not as bad as "Whip Inflation Now."

Beards Again

This list of bearded vice-presidents is somewhat amusing . . . and informative. I was not aware that the United States had ever had a Native American VP. I suppose I could be a typically dumb product of our nation's education system, but I prefer to think of myself as vice-presidentially challenged. Did you know that?