Cautionary Tales
In fourteen-hundred-and-ninety-two, Columbus sailed the ocean blue… …more than six years after he first pitched the idea to Spain’s Queen Isabella. It was this day (May 1) in 1486 when Columbus made the pitch: “Gimme some boats, sailors, and supplies, and I’ll find a western ocean route to Asia.” It was a great pitch: Spain…
Yesterday was a lost day. I spent most of it staring at the TV, watching the KSDK “5 on Your Side” Weather Team point at maps and tell me when and where the tornadoes would hit. For those of you who missed the news last year, an EF3 (160+ mph) tornado direct-hit my house in…
Here’s a cautionary tale about AI gone haywire… I host a podcast called The Story Power Marketing Show, and I get mountains of emails pitching prospective guests. Over the last few months, more and more of those pitches have been AI-generated. They’re simple to spot. They always open with some generic praise about the podcast…
In 1774, King Frederick II of Prussia was ruling over a land ravaged by famine. He urged farmers to plant potatoes to end the famine. But back then, potatoes were considered livestock feed in Eastern Europe, not suitable for human consumption. So farmers defied the king and didnāt plant themā¦ ā¦until King Frederick changed marketing…
Good morning, sunshine. I rolled out of bed to the news U.S. skier Mikaela Shiffrin is in first place after the first run of the women’s slalom finals at the Olympics. The second run started at (6:30 a.m. CT). I’m tuned in, and I’m rooting for Mikaela. When it comes to alpine skiing, she’s the…
It’s February 3. “The day the music died.” In 1959, Buddy Holly and his band had been touring the Midwest — 24 shows in 24 nights. Also on the bill: 17-year-old Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper (J.P. Richardson), and Dion and the Belmonts. They traveled from town to town in beat up school buses which…
Here’s the story of how Paul Hartunian became the first person to “sell” the Brooklyn Bridge — for real. For years, scammers and hoodlums “sold” the bridge to gullible dupes. But Hartunian’s offer was the real deal. It was 1983. Hartunian was living in New Jersey, across the Hudson from New York City. He was…
True story: Once upon a time, a dumb dude in Michigan smelled gas coming from his newly installed water heater. He checked for the leak by lighting a match. He shoulda died, but he got off easyā¦ ā¦with singed eyebrows. Mixing fire and gas leak ā that wasnāt his first mistake. Installing the gas heater…
Today is Henry Ford’s birthday — which seems like as good a day as any to bash Henry Ford. Let’s start with that quote about a horse. Ford allegedly said: “If I’d asked customers what they wanted, they would have told me, ‘A faster horse!’” Dumb quote. (Disclaimer: There’s no concrete proof he actually said…
This happened in Florida… In January, cops pulled over a car in Brevard County and asked to search it after their drug-sniffing dog detected something. The driver allowed the cops to search the car. “Nothing illegal…” inside, he insisted. The woman in the passenger seat kept quiet. Her canvas tote bag spoke for her. On…