Jordan Friedman
@jordanfriedman8.bsky.social
Freelance journalist covering history and true crime 👉 A&E, History Channel, National Geographic, Smithsonian Mag, and more | Content marketer | Storyteller | Chicago 🏙️
An interesting read via @nytimes.com: "Multiple theories have surfaced over the years, feeding the aura of suspicion around Houdini’s death." www.nytimes.com/2026/10/20/a...
Houdini Died on Halloween 100 Years Ago. Some Still Question How.
A urologist’s inquiry into the magician’s final days is the latest effort to grapple with outstanding questions about his demise.
nytimes.com
'Autumn' entered English in the 1300s. "The fall of the leaves" was shortened to 'fall' in the 1600s.
My latest: In April 1952, Pan Am Flight 526A made an emergency landing at sea in a tragedy that resulted in 52 fatalities. It helped pave the way for safety briefings and other measures passengers know today. www.history.com/articles/195...
How a 1952 Plane Crash Changed Airline Safety | HISTORY
The tragedy of Pan Am Flight 526A helped pave the way for safety briefings and other measures passengers know today.
history.com
Today's #history article pick from Damn History, my free newsletter for readers/writers of #popularhistory. Congrats to @jordanfriedman8.bsky.social & @smithsonianmag.bsky.social! Read/subscribe to Damn History: damn-history-16d93f.beehiiv.com/subscribe www.smithsonianmag.com/history/this...
This Social Worker Was Supposed to Help Orphans Find Homes. Instead, She Abducted Children Who Already Had Families and Sold Them for Profit
Between 1924 and 1950, Georgia Tann placed more than 5,000 children—many of them seized from their parents without permission—with wealthy families across the U.S
smithsonianmag.com
The fall equinox, also known as the autumnal equinox, will occur today, marking the first day of the new season.
Is today the first day of fall? What the fall equinox means
The fall equinox, also known as the autumnal equinox, will occur today, marking the first day of the new season.
bit.ly
An interesting read: How did the nation get its name? According to @smithsonianmag.bsky.social, "September 9, 1776, is generally recognized as the date that the country formally adopted the name the 'United States.'" www.smithsonianmag.com/history/how-...
How Did the Nation Get Its Name? Other Suggestions Included the United Colonies, Columbia and the United States of Alleghania
The nascent country adopted its name 250 years ago, on September 9, 1776. Americans have debated the moniker ever since. One congressman even proposed the "United States of the Earth"
smithsonianmag.com
On HISTORY.com, 9/11 survivors "share their harrowing accounts of escaping the towers and how their lives were reshaped by the tragedy of 9/11. For some, it is the first time they’ve spoken publicly about the events." history.com/articles/9-1... #911Remembrance #NeverForget
Stories of Survival From Inside the Twin Towers on 9/11 | HISTORY
Stories from ‘102 Minutes Inside the Towers’ reveal what people in the World Trade Center saw and experienced on Sept...
history.com
The contiguous U.S. just experienced its warmest summer on record, according to new data, with sweltering conditions driven by nights — particularly in the West — that would not cool. Here’s where nighttime temperatures remained particularly warm:
The U.S. just saw its warmest summer on record. See where extreme heat dominated.
A Washington Post analysis found that 133 million people live in counties where a quarter of nights were extremely warm.
washingtonpost.com
ICYMI
Jordan Friedman@jordanfriedman8.bsky.social · 2mo agoMy latest in #TrueCrime: Linda Hazzard was a so-called "fasting specialist" who ran a sanitarium in Olalla, Wash., in the early 1900s. At least a dozen people died in her care, but it wasn't until the death of a British heiress in 1911 that she faced justice. www.aetv.com/articles/lin...
euphemism = polite term for an impolite thing dysphemism = impolite term for a polite thing
My latest in #TrueCrime: Linda Hazzard was a so-called "fasting specialist" who ran a sanitarium in Olalla, Wash., in the early 1900s. At least a dozen people died in her care, but it wasn't until the death of a British heiress in 1911 that she faced justice. www.aetv.com/articles/lin...
After Starving Patients, a Fake Doctor Faced Justice | A&E
Linda Hazzard was initially charged with murder.
aetv.com
Five nights a week, from 11 p.m. to 6 a.m., Jim Maroon cleans the reflecting pools at the 9/11 Memorial. He is one of the legion of workers who make New York New York.
Who Cleans the 9/11 Memorial Pools?
Jim Maroon has been doing his job for 14 years. He knows it’s a big responsibility.
nyti.ms
In #history: How did #protein become a multibillion-dollar industry in the U.S.? Enthusiasm for the macronutrient dates further back than you might think, to the mid-19th century. www.history.com/articles/pro...
How America Became Hooked on Protein | HISTORY
A 19th-century meat 'extract' was marketed for muscle building.
history.com
The New York City Council took a major step to try to increase local students’ knowledge of the September 11, 2001, attacks by giving 60,000 eighth-graders free visits to the 9/11 Memorial & Museum in Lower Manhattan.
NYC approves $1 million to send eighth-graders to 9/11 memorial
City lawmakers want to make sure students know about the terrorist attacks.
washingtonpost.com
The "summer surge," as some have come to call it, has seen COVID-19 activity increasing across most states.
COVID-19 cases are on the rise in these 48 states. See map
The "summer surge," as some have come to call it, has seen COVID-19 activity increasing across most states.
bit.ly
Breaking News: Jurors are deadlocked on the fourth day of deliberations in Lindsay Clancy’s murder trial, after 18 hours of discussing the case. The judge told them to keep trying.
Lindsay Clancy Murder Trial: Jury Struggling to Reach a Verdict
Jurors sent a note after about 18 hours of deliberations saying they were deadlocked. The judge sent them back to keep deliberating.
nyti.ms
Five out the 10 warmest summers on record in the contiguous U.S. have occurred in the past decade, pushed along by the tailwind of climate change. Average temperatures this summer are on track to surpass the notoriously hot Dust Bowl summer of 1936.
Summer a ‘near lock’ to become warmest and most humid across U.S.
Summer 2026 is on track to break the average temperature record in the United States, set during the notoriously hot Dust Bowl summer of 1936.
washingtonpost.com
