Peter Carlson, Author at HistoryNet

Photo of a Kickapoo Indian Salve ad.

Sugar, a Mild Laxative, and a Dollop of Alcohol

by Peter Carlson11/21/202311/21/2023

Two Scam Artists Raked in Ungodly Profits in the 19th Century with a Purported “Magic” Indian Elixir.

Photo of Mayor James Michael Curley, dressed in his raccoon coat, hands out flowers during South Boston's traditional Evacuation Day parade on March 17, 1947. Mayor Curley's wife, Gertrude, in a smart green hat with a pink ribbon is sitting to his left and Edward J. "Knocko" McCormack in his Yankee Division uniform is in front. The parade originally commemorated the day the British left Boston on March 17, 1776 and now it also honors St. Patrick, the patron saint of Ireland.

Although As Crooked As They Come, This Boston Politician Was Beloved

by Peter Carlson8/29/20238/1/2023

Photo of American financier and president of the New York Stock Exchange Richard Whitney poses with his wife Gertrude (nee Sheldon Sands) and his daughter Nancy at an unidentified event, 1934.

From Embezzling Millions to Milking Cows, the Rise and Fall of a Wall Street Swindler

by Peter Carlson5/23/20235/23/2023

Photo of Rev. Ike during a pre-prayer service interview in Rev. Ike's office in New York. Reverend Ike, who preached the gospel of material prosperity to millions nationwide, has died. He was 74.

Was Money This Schemer’s True God?

by Peter Carlson2/28/20232/17/2023

Photo of a flag outside the NAACP office with "A Man Was Lynched Yesterday" on it.

This Journalist Risked His Life to Reveal the Horrors of Lynching in the South

by Peter Carlson1/31/20232/26/2024

Bernstein, seated, in a New York court in 1938 with lawyer Greg Bautzer to answer charges of kiting checks.

He Was a Lifelong Con Man. His Biggest Mark: Adolf Hitler

by Peter Carlson12/6/202212/13/2022

Polly Adler with friends at lake Opatcong in New Jersey, 1923.

Who Was Polly Adler, the Celebrity Madame of the Roaring Twenties?

by Peter Carlson8/23/20222/27/2023

Counterculture San Francisco Found Sympathy for the Devil in Occultist Anton Szandor LaVey

by Peter Carlson2/20/202110/29/2021

H.L. Mencken’s Cynical Commentary Made Americans Laugh—Little Did They Know

by Peter Carlson11/23/202012/2/2020

Benny and the Bets

by Peter Carlson9/15/20204/29/2024