What do washed up rock stars do when they are out of fresh ideas and short on cash? The same thing that amateur historians do when they are short on time to send out a newsletter - they put together a "Best of" album.  Below are four of our most popular stories from the last two years. 

September 17, 1859 - Joshua Norton, an eccentric and mentally-unhinged businessman in San Francisco, declared himself to be Norton I, Emperor of the United States. Norton, who was born in London and raised in South Africa, moved to San Francisco in 1849. After losing his fortune investing in Peruvian Rice, Norton declared bankruptcy and left San Francisco for a short time. In 1859 he returned and sent a proclamation to various newspapers in the city declaring himself to be Emperor of the United States. During his "reign" as emperor, Norton issued numerous decrees that were published in local papers including an order that the U.S. Congress be dissolved by force, and that the Republican and Democratic parties be disbanded. He further declared it a misdemeanor to refer to San Francisco as "Frisco" and would issue a $25 citation to anyone he heard using the term. Norton was much loved and revered by the citizens of San Francisco. Although penniless, he regularly ate at the finest restaurants in the city and would often attend the openings of plays in specially reserved balcony seating. Norton spent his days as emperor inspecting the streets of San Francisco in an elaborate blue uniform with gold-plated epaulets, which had been given to him by officers of the U.S. Army. He would examine the condition of sidewalks and cable cars and the appearance of police officers, who regularly saluted him as he passed. Norton even issued currency in his name, which was honored by the local establishments he frequented. When he died in 1880 the San Francisco Chronicle printed his obituary on the front page under the headline "Le Roi est Mort" (The King is Dead). As many as 30,000 San Franciscans turned out to pay homage to the United States' only emperor. Norton was the inspiration for the character King in Mark Twain's book Huckleberry Finn.  

OCTOBER 15, 1860 - Eleven-year-old Grace Bedell of Westfield, New York, sent presidential candidate Abraham Lincoln a letter urging him to grow a beard to improve his appearance. In expressing her support Bedell wrote: "If you let your whiskers grow... you would look a great deal better for your face is so thin." Lincoln responded in a letter on October 19, 1860: "As to the whiskers, having never worn any, do you not think people would call it a piece of silly affectation if I were to begin it now?" Nevertheless, Lincoln took her advice and within a month he grew a full beard. Whether or not it helped him win the election, the beard certainly became part of his distinctive look.  

NOVEMBER 12, 1970 - In what has come to be known as the Exploding Whale Incident, engineers from the Oregon Highway Division detonated a half-ton of dynamite in an attempt to remove a 45-foot dead sperm whale from a beach near Florence, Oregon. The engineers thought simply burying the rotting carcass would be ineffective, as it would soon be uncovered. The theory was that the explosion would disintegrate most of the whale, leaving only small chunks that would be eaten by seagulls and other scavengers. However, instead of disintegrating the whale, the explosion left a substantial portion of it intact, while launching many countless chunks of blubber everywhere. One sizeable piece crushed a car parked more than a quarter of a mile away. Video footage of the explosion can be found here and will no doubt be one of the most enjoyable 3-½ minutes of your life.  

April 25, 1976 - During a Major League baseball game at Dodger Stadium two protesters rushed into the outfield and attempted to set fire to an American flag they had brought with them. Rick Monday, who was an outfielder for the Chicago Cubs, noticed the men fumbling with matches and lighter fluid. Before the protesters could ignite the flag, Monday rushed over and snatched it off the ground. When he came up to bat in the next half-inning, he got a standing ovation from the crowd and the big message board behind the left-field bleachers flashed the message, "RICK MONDAY... YOU MADE A GREAT PLAY..." You can watch Monday's rescue here. 

-- Paul Linnman, KATU news reporter describing the exploding whale incident. 

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