SS Commodore: The Doomed Steamboat That Inspired Stephen Crane’s Haunting Tale
The SS Commodore’s mysterious 1897 wreck off Florida spawned sabotage theories and Stephen Crane’s eerie masterpiece “The Open Boat.”
1890s
USS Ericsson (TB-2): The Cursed Torpedo Boat That Saved Its Enemies
USS Ericsson (TB-2) faced mysterious mechanical failures and a deadly lawsuit that nearly destroyed its builder before heroic wartime rescues.
Hodag: Wisconsin’s Terrifying Hoax That Fooled Thousands and Sparked a Legend
The Hodag terrorized Wisconsin in 1893 when Eugene Shepard claimed to capture this fearsome beast. His elaborate hoax fooled thousands before scientists exposed the truth.