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Few Rhode Islanders remember the day a German submarine suddenly surfaced in Newport Harbor, or the escape of a bear, tiger and panther from a circus train on the Stonington Railroad. Still fewer may have heard about the World War II fighter plane that crash-landed in the middle of a secret listening post for intercepting enemy radio signals, tucked away on a farm in Scituate. Forgotten Tales digs deep into Rhode Island's history and unearths little-known stories and folklore that span three centuries. Read about the undertaker who dug his own grave, midnight gold diggers using magical diagrams, Smithfield's 'suicide bridge' and a pet elephant with a unique Achilles heel. Jim Ignasher delivers a strong dose of local color in this fascinating anecdotal history of the Ocean State.

W hen the first Pilgrims arrived on the shores of Massachusetts, they set foot in a world full of promise and new beginnings. Colonists witnessed the births of new children, governments and traditions, but even the Puritans could not wholly escape the Old World's basest human instincts. In Plymouth, John Billington committed the nation's first murder, and in Boston, the Mass Bay Madam Alice Thomas opened the first brothel. A Charlestown midwife and healer was hanged for witchcraft. Yet Massachusetts also produced William Phips, America's first undersea treasure hunter; Peter Salem, the first black war hero; Ann Bradstreet, pioneer poetess; and William Ives, printer of the first board game. In these dramatic and vividly imaginative tales, Peter Stevens narrates fascinating episodes from Massachusetts history, piecing together forgotten yet essential aspects of American identity.