The Verified Post — investigative long-form journalism on history, public health, human rights, and culture
FEATURED STORYNEW8 MIN READVerdict: Missing context
Penny Auctions: How Depression Farmers Saved Neighbors' Farms
In the Great Depression, Midwest farmers packed foreclosure sales, bid pennies, hung nooses as warnings and handed everything back. The story is mostly true.
The Lead
VIRAL RESEARCH · INSIGHTS
“Leonardo's 1502 map of Imola looks like a satellite image. It's a landmark, but it wasn't the first of its kind, and he didn't measure every building'…”
Latest Stories
AllHistoryHuman RightsScienceHuman InterestTechnologyCurrent AffairsPublic HealthSportsCultureEntertainment
History·11 MIN READVerdict: True
Insulin's 'Case VI': The Girl in the 1922 Before-and-After Photos
The viral before-and-after insulin photos are real. Case VI was a New York girl who weighed 44 pounds when doctors started her on insulin in November 1922.
History·7 MIN READVerdict: Partly true
Cheddar Man and the History Teacher: Is the DNA Match Real?
In 1997, DNA from 10,000-year-old Cheddar Man was matched to a teacher living half a mile away. Then the 2018 genome told a more complicated story.
History·7 MIN READVerdict: True
The 'Elephant Man' Skull Photo: Joseph Merrick's Real Story
A viral post says Joseph Merrick's heavy head forced him to sleep sitting up, and that lying down killed him at 27. Here's what the record shows about his life.
Science·7 MIN READVerdict: Partly true
Rete Ovarii: The 'New Organ' That's Been Known Since 1870
Viral posts say scientists just found a new organ in the female body. The rete ovarii was described in 1870. What's new is what mouse studies suggest it does.
Science·9 MIN READVerdict: True
Whooping Cranes Learned to Migrate by Following Costumed Pilots
To bring whooping cranes back to the eastern US, pilots in crane costumes led chicks south in ultralight aircraft for 15 years. What worked, and what didn't.
History·11 MIN READVerdict: Missing context
Ea-nasir and the Oldest Customer Complaint: What Really Happened
The world's oldest known customer complaint is a clay tablet from Ur, not an engraved rock, and Nanni was Ea-nasir's investor rather than a cheated shopper.
History
Human Interest
One Story. Your Inbox.
One Unforgettable Story,
Every Week
The kind of deeply-researched, impossible-to-ignore story you just read — delivered to your inbox every week. Free, and you can unsubscribe anytime.