Finally, here's a story about a house in Wisconsin built at the bottom of a hill with large boulders on top. On April 24, 1995, a 55-ton boulder fell and bounced nearly 500 feet, crashing through the roof and landing in the master bedroom of this house. Thankfully, the lady of the house had just left the room after taking pictures of the recent remodeling. Funny enough, in 1901 there was another house on the same property - all that was left in 1995 was a garage built on the spot. Evidently a boulder fell on that house in the middle of the night and landed on the couple sleeping in the bed. The wife was killed instantly, but her blind husband fell into the cellar and only had a small bump on his forehead. Does the land these homes were built on have some kind of boulder-attracting property I wonder?
The book is full of weird little facts like these. And each is kept to a single page, with the story told on the left and a full page illustration on the right. So these are perfect for digesting a few at a time if you don't have time to read. The illustrations are amusing and very detailed to go along with the stories themselves.
For more information, check out the Strange But True America web page. There are some samples from the book as well as a list of educator resources if you're looking at using these tales in a classroom. As a former history teacher himself, Hafnor knows the power of a good tale to intrigue students and keep them interested!
If you're a history fan and love weird but true tales, I'd urge you to find and pick up a copy of Strange But True America at your favorite online or brick-and-mortar bookseller. Hafnor and Crawford have put together an amazing array of stories to keep you entertained from cover to cover.
Article comments
1 - David
I actually saw this book just a while ago. I was going to buy it as a gift, but ended up getting myself a copy! Sometimes in social situations (in college, one sometimes can't avoid a "social situation"), I have trouble coming up with things to talk about, so instead of just standing there smiling, I can actually *start* conversations! I would think students would love hearing about boulders bouncing nearly a half a block back up!
2 - Fitz
@David - You have no idea how many times I've ended up purchasing multiple copies of "gift" books that I end up keeping. :) And yes, this would be a heck of a conversation starter or a way to keep students interested in history! Thanks for the comment!
3 - kevin
I love those stories, that is a great book to have, I wonder if what the insurance company had to say about the house that was smashed by a boulder in 95, did the owner have bounder insurance? I will have buy this book thanks for the article.
4 - Fitz
@kevin - Boulder insurance would probably be a must living at the bottom of that hill. :)
@Bruce Point - Awesome! It's always fun to find these little gems as gifts. :)
5 - Clarissa
lol, same with me, very often you buy an interesting book for someone and end up keeping it yourself!