World Columbian Exposition (1893)

Book review: 'The Last Greatest Magician in the World' by Jim Steinmeyer

2011-04-10 00:00:00

The Last Greatest Magician in the World Howard Thurston Versus Houdini & the Battles of the American Wizards Jim Steinmeyer Tarcher/Penguin: 377 pp., $26.95 It takes some courage to write the biography of a man the reading public has mostly forgotten....

Meinhardt Raabe dies at 94; one of the Munchkins in 'The Wizard of Oz'

2010-04-11 00:00:00

Meinhardt Raabe, who played the Munchkin coroner in "The Wizard of Oz" and proclaimed that the Wicked Witch of the East was "really most sincerely dead," has died. He was 94. Raabe died Friday morning at a hospital in Orange Park, Fla., after an apparent...

'The Real Wizard of Oz' by Rebecca Loncraine

2009-08-23 00:00:00

The Real Wizard of Oz The Life and Times of L. Frank Baum Rebecca Loncraine Gotham Books: 416 pp., $28 In contrast to the rambling text that follows, the title of this biography couldn't be more cogent. L. Frank Baum, inventor of the magical Land of...

Worshiping at the auto shrine

2006-06-21 00:00:00

In L.A., not all the stars are on the big screen, or bumping around Montana Avenue boutiques. Some of our finest performers are in the museums and private collections put together by Southern California's biggest car enthusiasts. Whether you're interested...

New in paper: Stefan Zweig rediscovered

2008-12-07 00:00:00

"Lost Paradise" by Cees Nooteboom (Grove) Nooteboom's latest novel has two protagonists. One, a young and wealthy Brazilian woman, travels to Australia, hoping to recover her life after she has been raped and left for dead in a Sao Paolo favela. There...

Torture devices seeking righteous buyer

2009-05-16 00:00:00

It slices! It dices! It pierces and pokes! It pulls stubborn flesh from bone with the flick of a wrist! And if that doesn't get your prisoner talking, perhaps the ornate chair with its spiked seat, back and arm rests will do the trick. The ghoulish...

Ripley's to mark World Sword Swallowers Day

2013-02-13 09:13:00

Several Ripley Entertainment attractions, including the Odditorium on Orlando's International Drive, will mark World Sword Swallowers Day with activities on Feb. 23.� More than 20 sword swallowers will put on free shows. In Orlando, Chris Steele will be...

A brief history of PBR's real blue ribbon

2013-02-26 11:17:00

Pabst Blue Ribbon is most associated with its birthplace in Milwaukee, but it’s the city of Chicago where the beer made its name—literally. Not to be confused with the television channel that airs "Sesame Street," PBR was originally known as...

Dunes Country choo-choo

2012-07-08 14:42:00

MICHIGAN CITY, Ind. — To the uninitiated, driving along 11th Street through the downtown of this northern Indiana community can be an unnerving experience. While most motorists are accustomed to sharing the road with bicycles, few have ever had the...

'Weasel' of nursery rhyme referred to yarn winder

2011-08-21 01:05:39

What's a weasel? It's an animal, of course, but in some parts of Montana you might put weasels on your ice cream - because some Montanans used to call M&Ms "weasels." And in the 1700s, when the nursery rhyme "Pop Goes the Weasel" was composed,...

'Weasel' winds through history

2011-08-21 01:05:43

What's a weasel? It's an animal, of course, but in some parts of Montana you might put weasels on your ice cream - because some Montanans call M&Ms �weasels.� And in the 1700s, when the nursery rhyme �Pop Goes the Weasel� was composed, everyone knew the...

Old School frozen custard

2011-07-27 07:27:00

Old School has been proudly serving up delicious frozen custard in the Puget Sound area since 2007.� It is a smoother, creamier, and more flavorful than any super premium ice cream.� And it contains fewer calories, too! At Old School frozen custard...

Megan Walburn, 26, skipped the flip-flops to bid summer a fashionable farewell. The WJZ-TV news executive producer showed a talent for finding � and creatively using � less expensive ways to produce a sleek, high-end look.

2012-09-21 00:00:00

The Cypress Log Cabin, one of five "Century of Progress" homes, is located on Lake Front Drive in Beverly Shores, Ind.

2012-06-29 00:00:00

"I am obsessed with 'Downton Abbey.' Totally, manically obsessed ... I can't really be on the show, I'm American, I'm very contemporary. So I've figured out a way to be on the show. I'm going to be on the show in photograph only. I'm going to be on a mantel, with a storyline ...

2012-03-23 00:00:00