Leucichthyops vagans was a species of prehistoric salmonid fish which lived in what’s now western North America during the middle of the Cretaceous Period approximately 100 million years ago. The species was named in 1919 by Theodore D. A. Cockerell,… Read More ›
America
Erythrinolepis
Erythrinolepis was a prehistoric freshwater fish which lived in western North America during the middle to late Cretaceous Period approximately 100-66 million years ago. The name Erythrinolepis was coined by the paleontologist Theodore D. A. Cockerell in 1919. The name… Read More ›
The Jamaica Draft Riot of 1863
Depiction of rioters and police during the New York City draft riots of 1863. Harper’s Weekly (August 1, 1863). Public domain image, Wikimedia Commons.https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:New_York_Draft_Riots_-_Harpers_-_beating.jpg. Anyone who has basic knowledge of the American Civil War or who has seen the Martin… Read More ›
Slavery in Flushing, New York
It’s well known, or at least it should be, that New York, and New York City specifically, were actively involved in the bartering of human chattel for two hundred years. It began with the first bold yet tremulous ventures of… Read More ›
Kepodactylus
NOTE: This article was originally published on August 3, 2023. It was substantially revised on February 3, 2026. Kepodactylus was a pterosaur which lived in western North America during the late Jurassic Period 155-152 million years ago. In 1992, a nearly-complete Stegosaurus skeleton… Read More ›
New York City’s War against Dogs, 1811-1894
“Broadway, New York. From the Western Union Telegraph Building, looking North”. Hand-colored lithograph, published by Currier & Ives (1875). The New-York Historical Society. People have a certain conception of what the past was like. They like to think that things… Read More ›
Gigantoraptor
Gigantoraptor was a massive 25-30 foot long oviraptorosaurian theropod dinosaur which lived in eastern Asia (and possibly in North America) during the middle of the Cretaceous Period. The fossils of this enormous bird-like dinosaur, consisting of a partial skeleton, were… Read More ›
Toxolophosaurus
Introduction Allow me to introduce you to Toxolophosaurus, “the bow-crested lizard”, which lived in Montana during the early to middle Cretaceous Period approximately 135-115 million years ago. Despite its name, Toxolophosaurus wasn’t either a dinosaur or a lizard. Instead it… Read More ›
Martello Towers within the United States of America
Martello Tower #74, located in Seaford, England. Public domain image, Wikimedia Commons. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Martello_Tower,_Seaford.JPG. Introduction General George S. Patton once said “Fixed fortifications are monuments to man’s stupidity”. That was certainly true in the 1940s with aerial bombardment and long-range heavy… Read More ›
Cifelliodon
Cifelliodon was a prehistoric mammal which lived in Utah during the early Cretaceous Period approximately 135 million years ago. The only specimen which we have of this animal is a single upper jaw measuring 2.75 inches (7 cm) long which… Read More ›
DINOSAURS AND BARBARIANS 
