Search results for

His name was Alvin Thomas. But nobody dared call him that. "Titanic" Thompson earned his nickname from a life spent gambling -- because Titanic could sink anybody.

A federal jury in Virginia has convicted Somali pirates in connection with an attack this year on the USS Nicholas. It's the first time in nearly 200 years that American prosecutors have convicted international pirates. The case is being closely followed for what it says about the law of the seas -- and the rising piracy problem off the coast of Eastern Africa.

Owners of aging dogs often struggle with their pets' dementia and incontinence — as well as navigating through end-of-life decisions. Veterinary behaviorist Nicholas Dodman talks about the best ways to care for your aging dog.

The Justice Department has recovered a record $2.5 billion in health care fraud over the past year — mostly with the help of drug company employees who blow the whistle to the federal government.

This year, cooks poured their hearts into these carefully crafted, kitchen how-tos. T. Susan Chang says these cookbooks are like a properly seasoned skillet — heavy-duty, battle-tested and much to be prized.

Everyone says it dozens of times a day, from its Boston birthplace to the far reaches of the Earth. It's the word "OK" — the subject of the book "OK: The Improbable Story of America's Greatest Word."

It may not be in your history books. But it ended with scores of sunken ships, hundreds of missing soldiers and Revolutionary War hero Paul Revere facing charges of cowardice and incompetence. What went so wrong on the New England coast back in 1779?

This week saw two big music releases: a new album from pop baritone Josh Groban and the new download from mash-up genius Girl Talk. Music critic Tom Moon offers his thoughts on two very different albums.

Hamburg-born Astrid Kirchherr met the Beatles in 1960, before they were famous. She took some of the earliest photographs of the group and was engaged to Stuart Sutcliffe, the Beatles' original bassist, before he died of a brain hemorrhage in 1962.

Songwriter Hugh Martin co-wrote the Christmas tune that Judy Garland made famous in the 1944 classic Meet Me in St. Louis. Martin, who recently released a memoir, explains how he came up with his famous lyrics.