Great and Telling Tales

Raconteur, bon-vivant, advice-giver, expert conversationalist and first-rate storyteller, Timothy Dickinson is a man of many talents. In the HISTORY original web series Great and Telling Tales, Dickinson takes us on a tour of his favorite subject: the twists and turns of human events. From the many deaths of Rasputin to President Ford hugging a chicken, Dickinson serves up entertaining anecdotes not found in the history books. 

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Dinosaurs

Were dinosaurs the pets of giants? Find out what people used to think about dinosaur bones.
Watch the video.

Rasputin

The notorious Russian monk was famously hard to kill—he was poisoned, shot and drowned before finally being declared dead.
Watch the video.

The Kennedy-Nixon Debate

Discover how a car door played a part in the outcome of the 1960 U.S. presidential election.
Watch the video.

The Origins of Halloween

It's long been believed that as the days get shorter and the growing season comes to an end, spirits have their chance to cross over into the material world.
Watch the video.

Jimmy Carter vs. "Killer Rabbit"

While fishing one day, Jimmy Carter had a strange encounter with a menacing rabbit. Get the story behind this unique presidential moment.
Watch the video.

Drugs

Timothy Dickinson explains how drugs have long played a role in human history.
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Gerald Ford Embraces Chicken

Timothy Dickinson recounts the tale of Gerald Ford hugging a 10-foot-tall chicken, and wonders what Soviet Premier Brezhnev must have thought about the incident.
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A Golden Age

Although we often look back on the past as a golden age, Timothy Dickinson sets the record straight and declares, “History: an endless parade of miseries.”
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The Death of President Garfield

President James Garfield was shot after only four months in office, but it took him 79 days to die from the injury. Find out what his last days were like, and how he ultimately died.
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The Moon Hoax

Get the story of the newspaperman who reported that the moon was inhabited by winged human beings and other strange creatures.
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Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin's writings on the origin of species changed the world, but what did they do to his health?
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The Brain

How did a 19th century railroad accident reveal insights into the human brain?
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This Day in History

May 20

Lead Story

Levi Strauss and Jacob Davis receive patent for blue jeans, 1873

On this day in 1873, San Francisco businessman Levi Strauss and Reno, Nevada, tailor Jacob Davis are given a patent to create work pants reinforced with…

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