Southern Air Transport was an airline based in Miami, Florida from 1947 to 1998. But it wasn’t an ordinary airline… It was a front company for the CIA. At one point, the airline was the largest business owned by the CIA, with assets of more than $50 million and over 8,000 employees worldwide. The CIA …
Oleg Smolenkov is a former employee of Russia’s Foreign Policy Directorate. He worked in the Russian Embassy in Washington, D.C. until 2008. Then he worked on the staff of President Putin. In 2017, Oleg and his family went on vacation to Tivat, a resort in Montenegro that’s a favorite destination for Russians. But Oleg and …
Three mariners from the Micronesian island of Pulap were traveling on a small boat that ran out of fuel and drifted off course near the islands of Micronesia. When the three men were reported missing, the American military dispatched aircraft from Guam to search. Australian authorities also assisted in the search. One of the U.S. …
Sukarno was a revolutionary who became the first President of Indonesia. He served from 1945 to 1967. The country regarded him as a national hero because he proved his love for his country… But he was also known to love women. And this love of women gained interest among intelligence agencies from around the world. …
Tom D. is in his 80’s. He’s a farmer in rural Ohio, but he owns rental property in Cleveland that he regularly visits. One evening, Tom was fixing up the rental home to list it for sale, and fell asleep on the couch. He heard a person trying to break in and saw a beam …
Justin S. lives in Pennsylvania. One evening, he was walking home from a friend’s house in sub-zero temperatures when he fell and blacked out. The college student lay in the snow for hours as temperatures neared 0 degrees. He was found the following day unconscious, with no pulse. According to Justin’s dad, “He was blue, …
Crypto.com is one of the biggest and most well-known cryptocurrency exchange websites. They are backed by celebrities such as Matt Damon. The company has been making a name for itself the past few years. They purchased the naming rights to the Staples Center in Los Angeles. Earlier this year, the company admitted that 483 of …
Over the past few years, carjackings have risen dramatically in America’s biggest cities. Last year in Chicago more than 1,800 carjackings were reported. In 2020, there were 1,400. In Philadelphia, there were 757 reported carjackings in 2021. This is an increase of 34% from the year before. Of those, police arrested 150 people and solved …
The FBI recently warned that a European cybercriminal group has tried to hack U.S. companies. The targets have included transportation, defense, and insurance companies. But the method of the attempted attacks is a different one. The hackers mailed all these companies USB drives infected with malware. The companies received a series of fake letters via …
During World War II, the U.S. government created the Office of Strategic Services (OSS), a paramilitary intelligence unit that conducted missions across Europe. The OSS was the precursor to the CIA, and the first director of the OSS was William Donovan. Donovan became a legend as a war hero during World War I, and he …
In 2021, New York City’s law department was hit by a cyberattack. The hack forced officials to take the 1,000 lawyer agency offline to protect data. City officials disconnected the law department’s computers after learning of the cyberattack. New York City’s Law Department holds some of the city’s most sensitive data. This includes criminal evidence, …
While it’s bitter cold in many parts of the country, it’s a good time to start thinking about spring and your survival garden. In 2020, during the pandemic, it’s estimated that at least 20 million first-time gardeners picked up the hobby. One person that is known for his garden is Ron F. Ron lives in …
In May of 1898, Theodore Roosevelt resigned as Assistant Secretary of the Navy to join the war effort. During the Spanish-American War, he led the volunteer Cavalry known as the Rough Riders. While preparing for the Battle of San Juan Heights he was trying to decide which firearms to carry. He was a firearms enthusiast …
On June 2nd, 1995, U.S. Air Force F-16 pilot Scott O’Grady was flying a peacekeeping mission over Bosnia as part of the 555th Fighter Squadron from Aviano Air Base in Italy. It was a routine combat air patrol over northwest Bosnia, but it quickly turned into anything but routine. O’Grady was alerted to a threat …
Kim C. is an experienced snowshoer who lives in Tacoma, WA. One winter, he went on a snowshoeing trip to Washington’s Mount Rainier and during the trip he became lost. Kim was leading 16 members of a hiking and climbing club when he slid down a slope and became separated. He tried to meet up …
Google’s productivity tools such as Google Docs have over 2 billion active monthly users. This means they are also a big target for hackers. Cyber security experts recently revealed a massive increase in hackers targeting Google Docs. But it’s not only Google Docs… Hackers are also going after other Google applications including Google Slides and …
One morning, airmen from the 83rd Expeditionary Rescue Squadron received a report of a Fallen Angel. The term for a downed aircraft. An Army helicopter had crashed into a mountainside and it was in a hostile Afghan area. Within ten minutes of being notified, two Pave Hawk helicopters were en route to the crash site. …
It’s human nature to exaggerate a little now and then… But Ferdinand Demara took his lies to a whole other level, becoming one of America’s biggest imposters. Ferdinand was born in 1921 in Massachusetts. At the age of 16, he joined a Trappist monastery. But after a few years, he was asked to leave the …
In the Old West, people who wanted to transport money or valuables often used Wells Fargo & Co. The company had a reputation for making security a priority, and their stagecoaches carried silver, gold, and other valuables from one location to another. The valuables were secured inside an iron safe in the stagecoach. But despite …
In early 2019, Douglas County, Oregon was hit by a massive snowstorm that dumped eight inches of snow overnight and brought down trees and power lines. Power was out for tens of thousands of people in rural areas. But the next night another six inches of snow fell, hampering efforts to get the power back …
If there is anything that we have learned from the pandemic, it’s the fragility of our healthcare system. It’s now crystal clear how crucial our healthcare workers are, as shortages of doctors and nurses cause backups and bottle-necks at hospitals. And it’s preventing much needed treatments for some people. For example, it’s estimated that the …
One evening, a husband and wife were walking in their Palmdale, California neighborhood. Around 6 p.m. the couple was attacked by a man they didn’t know. He hit them with a metal pipe and fled after attacking the couple. The male victim flagged down a passing Los Angeles County Sheriff’s deputy. He explained what happened …
Yolo County, California is part of the Greater Sacramento Region. The majority of the county is made up of rural agriculture. One evening, the sheriff’s department responded to a residence after the homeowner reported a shooting. When deputies arrived, they found two people had been shot. A man and a woman. Deputies performed CPR on …
Everyone loses things… Whether it’s your wallet or your keys, chances are you’ve lost or misplaced something. This is why small tracking devices such as Apple’s AirTags have become so popular. These little devices connect to Bluetooth to let the owner know their location. But these devices also create a new weapon for criminals. In …