On the Lam: Breakout Night at the Museum
Tracing the origin of the phrase ‘on the lam’ is tricky. But we get a sense of it’s roots via Babylon, Victorian children and Prohibition era gangsters.
Pelorus Jack: Covert Operative or Cuddly Compass?
Pelorus Jack was a dolphin who guided ships in colonial New Zealand. The Māori believed that he was a taniwha named Tuhirangi in the guise of a dolphin.
Don’t be Singing the GI Blues: How US Troops Got Their Name
Militaries have many nicknames for their troops, but none are as pervasive as G.I. in the United States. How did US troops get their name?
Camazotz: Bat to the Bone, Arbiter of Justice or Pure Myth?
Everyone’s heard of Batman. How about a bat god? Camazotz was a Mayan deity associated with death and sacrifice whose name translates as “death bat.”
