Here are five new lateral thinking puzzles to test your wits and stump your friends -- play along with us as we try to untangle some perplexing situations using yes-or-no questions.
Five lateral thinking puzzles
A spectacularly disaster-prone oil tanker and other curiosities
In 1864, a band of Confederate soldiers raided a very surprised town in northern Vermont.
Seemingly safe in northern New England, the residents of St. Albans, Vermont, were astonished in October 1864 when a group of Confederate soldiers appeared in their midst, terrorizing residents, robbing banks, and stealing horses. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the story of the St. Albans raid, the northernmost land action of the Civil War.
We'll also learn about Charles Darwin's misadventures at the equator and puzzle over a groundskeeper's strange method of tending grass.
The baffling case of the Villisca ax murders
Early one morning in 1912, the residents of Villisca, Iowa, discovered a horrible scene: An entire family had been brutally murdered in their sleep. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll describe the gruesome crime, which has baffled investigators for a hundred years.
We'll also follow the further adventures of German sea ace Felix von Luckner and puzzle over some fickle bodyguards.
In 1858 the Catholic Church seized a 6-year-old boy from his Jewish family.
In 1862, a South Carolina slave stole a Confederate ship and sailed it to the Union navy.
In 1918, a soldier with no ID and no memory appeared on a French railway platform.
Experience the early days of flight in Edwardian England.
In the early days of English aviation, journalist C.C. Turner seemed to be everywhere, witnessing bold new feats and going on some harrowing adventures of his own. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll sample Turner's record of those exciting times, including his own clumsy first attempt to fly an airplane and a record-setting balloon voyage to Sweden.
We'll also ponder the nuances of attempted murder and puzzle over a motel guest's noisemaking.
The 27th amendment was ratified largely because a college student got a C on a term paper
For a government class in 1982, college sophomore Gregory Watson argued that a long-forgotten constitutional amendment could still be ratified. His instructor found this implausible and gave him a C on the assignment. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll follow Watson's 10-year mission to prove his professor wrong -- and ultimately get the amendment added to the Constitution.
We'll also learn an underhanded way to win a poetry contest and puzzle over how someone can murder a corpse.
Voyage of the Damned: In 1939, the U.S. turned back a ship carrying refugees from Nazi Germany.
In 1947, Canadian kids went on "strike" to protest candy-bar prices.
The curious story of an "African" from Baltimore
In the 1920s Bata Kindai Amgoza ibn LoBagola toured the United States and Europe to share the culture of his African homeland with fascinated audiences. The reality was actually much more mundane: His name was Joseph Lee and he was from Baltimore. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll tell the curious story of this self-described "savage" and trace the unraveling of his imaginative career.
We'll also dump a bucket of sarcasm on Duluth, Minnesota, and puzzle over why an acclaimed actor loses a role.
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An amazing tale of interspecies friendship
The lyrebirds of Australia were highly mysterious and rarely seen until one fell in love with an elderly widow in 1930. In this episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll trace the development of their surprising friendship and how it led to an explosion of knowledge about this extraordinary species.
We'll also learn how Seattle literally remade itself in the early 20th century and puzzle over why a prolific actress was never paid for her work.
Aesop's fables as written by a computer
Six new lateral thinking puzzles to test your wits and stump your friends
How Chicago jacked itself up in the 1860s
In the 1860s Chicago underwent an amazing transformation in which dozens of buildings were moved around the city and gangs of men raised giant hotels and banks on jackscrews. In this week's episode of the Futility Closet podcast we'll follow the city's astounding 20-effort to rid itself of sewage and disease.
We'll also hear about how dangerously close the U.S. and the Soviet Union came to nuking each other, and puzzle over the importance of a ringing phone.
How the Allies fooled the Nazis using a person who never existed
