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Category / People / Icons / Muses

How Did Einstein’s Brain go Missing for 23 Years in Some Guy’s Basement?

Albert Einstein’s family didn’t think he had a future. He was born in 1879 “with a head shaped like a lopsided medicine ball,” explained journalist Michael Paterniti to Harper’s Magazine over 20 years ago. As we all know, that head became one of the 21st century’s most genius devices. Lesser-known is the fact that it was stolen…

For Sale: Spacious Hand-Carved Cave Cathedral

Here’s something you won’t find on Craigslist. Hidden beneath the desert of Northern New Mexico, hand-sculpted from the sandstone cliffs, an etherial cave network built by a single man, is up for sale. Armed with not much more than a pick axe and a wheelbarrow, a sixty seven year-old sculptor and off-the-grid visionary artist, Ra…

The Forgotten Brazilian Aviator That Came Before the Wright Brothers

On a clear day in 1901, at the height of Paris’ most whimsical era of innovation, a curious one-man vessel in the sky could frequently be spotted flying along Parisian boulevards at rooftop level, circumnavigating the Eiffel Tower and sometimes landing at a café for lunch, much to the delight of hat-waving Parisians. The pilot’s full…

That Time Marlon Brando Refused to Accept His Academy Award for the Godfather

On March 27th, 1973, actor Marlon Brando refused to accept his Academy Award for Best Actor for The Godfather. In protest of the treatment of Native Americans in film, Native American actress, Sacheen Littlefeather appeared on the podium in his place and refused to accept the golden statue. See the gripping moment in entertainment history…

Like Picasso, But on Acid

Picasso, is that you? You have to admit, Jean Lurçat (above) is almost a dead ringer for Pablo. Same stocky build, same receding hairline. Just swap the cable-knit sweater for a Breton-striped shirt, and boom. We did a bit of digging to find out who this mysterious dopplegänger was, and realised that Lurçat and Picasso…

Her Biggest Secret Made Her One of a Kind

The world almost never knew the real Merle Oberon. For the old Hollywood set she circled in, the actress was just another leading lady, a go-to choice for directors of big-budget flicks like The Private Life of Don Juan (1934) and The Dark Angel (1935), for which she received an Oscar nomination. Her charisma was infectious, and she…

Let’s Snoop Around the Former French Riviera Home of Coco Chanel

Today I thought we could make a quick stop at Villa Pausa on the French Riviera, the former residence of none other than Coco Chanel, between 1929 to 1953. In recent years, it was on and off the market for upwards of $50 million and in 2015, it was bought by none other than the House of Chanel. I…

How Navajo Code Talkers of World War II Saved the Day

When it came to winning WWII, there was one particularly powerful tool used by the USA. Their secret weapon? The rich, complex language of the Navajo people, which became an invaluable code used by soldiers to puzzle even the cleverest of enemy minds… The first 29 Code Talkers were sworn in at Fort Wingate, New…

Old Hollywood’s Playground Island

Ah, the joys of an island vacation. Feet in the sand, a piña colada in hand and…a herd of buffalo by the palms? On a small island off the coast of L.A., a curious population of non-native buffalo has been thriving since 1924, when they were brought over for a silent Hollywood film– and left there to save…

They Built a Life-Sized Stunt Double of Paris

Remember when French authorities built a miniature version of Paris to save the city from Nazi bomb-fire? Well, it wouldn’t be the last time the City of Lights required a stunt double. The second time, however, was under much cheerier circumstances: the filming of the Leos Carax’s cult ’90s French film, Les Amants du Pont-Neuf. Initially, Carax…

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