RETROBITUARIES

Benjamin Banneker: Almanac publisher and surveyor of our nation's capital.

Benjamin Banneker, the Black Mathematician Who May Have Saved Washington, D.C.

The U.S. capital might have been a very different place if not for the surveying work of Benjamin Banneker.

Rediscovering Edmonia Lewis, Pioneering Sculptor of Cleopatra and Christ

Edmonia Lewis shaped her own identity in clay and marble, becoming one of the most renowned sculptors of the 19th century.

A smattering of Mary Renault's bestsellers

Mary Renault, the Bestselling Gay Novelist in the Age of McCarthyism

In 1953, Renault penned the UK's "first openly homosexual novel by a serious writer"—and that was just the beginning of her groundbreaking career.

Grimm Prospects: Jack Grimm, the Eccentric Billionaire Hell-Bent On Finding the 'Titanic,' Bigfoot, and Noah's Ark

The oil tycoon tried to use a monkey named Titan to help find the sunken ship.

Stephanie St. Clair ran Harlem's numbers game for years.

Stephanie St. Clair, Harlem's Queen of the Underworld

In early 20th-century Harlem, gambling belonged to “Madame Queen.”

Georgia Gilmore's food helped feed the civil rights movement.

Georgia Gilmore, the Alabama Cook Who Fueled the Civil Rights Movement With Food

Georgia Gilmore played a pivotal role in the civil rights movement—one of feeding and funding those at the frontlines. A marvelous cook, she took it upon herself to bring together a secret society-esque group of women who used food to fuel the movement.

Without Ed Lowe, we might not be so friendly with cats.

Ed Lowe, the Inventor Behind Kitty Litter

With kitty litter, Ed Lowe changed how cats and humans bonded. But not everyone understood the idea: One woman tried feeding it to her cat.