Black Tom Island Explosion: WWI Sabotage in NYC
In 1916, German agents detonated Black Tom Island, an act of sabotage that shook NYC with a 5.5 magnitude blast, damagin
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Scandal
Real scandals, hearings, and cover-ups from U.S. history. We stick to what records support and name our sources. This hub currently includes 10 documented stories, including Watergate: From a ‘Third-Rate Burglary’ to a Presidential Resignation; Iran-Contra: Secret Arms Deals, Hostages, and a Covert War Congress Had Banned; Love Canal: When a Suburb Was Built on 20,000 Tons of Toxic Waste.
Readers search for: American political scandals history · forgotten U.S. political controversies.
10 stories with citations. All stories · Watch videos · Shorts
Watergate: From a ‘Third-Rate Burglary’ to a Presidential Resignation
A bungled break-in at Democratic headquarters unraveled into wiretaps, hush money, and the only U.S. presidential resignation. (Watergate scandal)
Iran-Contra: Secret Arms Deals, Hostages, and a Covert War Congress Had Banned
Officials sold arms to Iran and funneled profits to Nicaraguan rebels — then shredded documents when the story broke. (Iran-Contra affair)
Love Canal: When a Suburb Was Built on 20,000 Tons of Toxic Waste
Families reported burns and birth defects; President Carter ordered an emergency evacuation.
Hanford: The Secret Plutonium Plant That Poisoned the Pacific Northwest
Downwinders later learned the government knew about radioactive releases — and said little for decades.
The Business Plot: Did Wall Street Try to Install a Fascist Dictator in 1934?
A retired general told Congress that financiers asked him to lead 500,000 veterans against FDR.
The Tuskegee Study: When the U.S. Government Lied to Black Men for 40 Years
Researchers watched syphilis progress without treatment — long after penicillin existed.
Teapot Dome: When Cabinet Secretaries Sold Navy Oil Reserves
Secret leases, private yachts, and the bribery scandal that defined 1920s Washington corruption.
The Black Sox Scandal: Eight Players Accused of Throwing the 1919 World Series
Gamblers met star pitchers, and America’s pastime faced its greatest corruption crisis.
The Great Moon Hoax: When a New York Newspaper Convinced America the Moon Had Bat-People
In 1835, the New York Sun published a series claiming astronomers had found winged humanoids on the Moon. Thousands believed it — including scientists.
Operation Midnight Climax: The CIA Brothels Where Agents Drugged Unwitting Americans with LSD
From 1954 to 1963, the CIA ran a network of safe houses in San Francisco and New York where prostitutes lured men — and agents dosed them with LSD through one-way mirrors.
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Boston's Great Molasses Flood Disaster of 1919
In 1919, Boston's North End was devastated by a 2.3 million-gallon molasses tank burst. A 25-foot wave, traveling at 35
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Black Tom Explosion: Forgotten Attack That Damaged Statue of Liberty
Before Pearl Harbor, a massive explosion rocked New York Harbor. German sabotage on Black Tom Island in 1916 unleashed c
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The Great Moon Hoax: America's First Fake News Scandal
In 1835, a New York newspaper tricked readers with fabricated moon discoveries. The Great Moon Hoax reveals forgotten de
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Operation Paul Bunyan: The Tree That Sparked a Showdown
In 1976, a routine tree-trimming operation in the Korean Demilitarized Zone escalated into a tense military showdown. Di
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