Journal
The Record
Long-form editorial on the moments each Lost Axis edition draws from — the pivots, the fractures, the near-misses history let slip through the cracks.
13 August 2026
Laika the Space Dog: The One-Way Sputnik 2 Mission
Laika became the first animal to orbit Earth in 1957. The Soviet spacecraft had no way to bring her home.
Read →
13 August 2026
Wojtek the Bear: The Polish Army's Unlikely WWII Soldier
A Syrian brown bear joined Polish troops in World War II and became famous for helping move ammunition at Monte Cassino.
Read →
13 August 2026
Onion Futures Act: How Two Traders Crashed the Market
Two traders took control of almost all of Chicago's stored onion supply, helped crash the price, and sparked a federal ban that still exists today.
Read →
13 August 2026
Victor Lustig: The Man Who Sold the Eiffel Tower
In 1925, con man Victor Lustig posed as a French official and tricked a scrap dealer into paying for the Eiffel Tower.
Read →
13 August 2026
Kokura: The City That Escaped the Second Atomic Bomb
The second atomic bomb was meant for Kokura. The target could not be seen, so the B-29 bomber flew to Nagasaki instead.
Read →
24 July 2026
The Guano Islands Act: America’s Bid for Bird-Poop Islands
An obscure 1856 law let Americans claim islands buried in bird droppings — and quietly became the legal seed of the U.S. overseas empire.
Read →
