Stories — People

New Year’s Dive

Nieuwjaarsduik (pronounced nyu-yars-dowk) literally translates to "New Year’s Dive". It is the annual Dutch tradition (since 1965) of running into the freezing winter waters of the North Sea to celebrate the beginning of a new year.

In more recent years the Nieuwjaarsduik has done some travelling. The most famous dive outside of The Netherlands happens at Bondi Beach.

The Hangman of Ben Buckler

After an unfortunate accident involving a horse Robert “Nosey Bob” decided to move on from his floundering hansom cab business to accept the unwanted post of New South Wales State hangman. He lived at Bondi Beach.

Look Again

Love a good optical illusion, don’t you?

The image looks like a spiral, but it's actually a series of concentric circles. Try counting them without touching the screen.

All-American Feel-Good Recliner

With its slanted back and wide-paddled arm rests, the Adirondack chair is the North American symbol for the long dog days of a summer spent relaxing lakeside. But who would believe that behind these sturdy recliners lurks a sickly history of design theft and disease!

The Man Who Knows

Between 1915 and 1924, stage mentalist Claude Alexander (“The Man Who Knows”) Conlin, astounded theatre audiences throughout North America with feats of mind-reading and psychic prediction that defied explanation. This guy knew everything! But, he had a dark side as well.