Astounding Stories #13

In "Da Vinci's Wig!", an insecure engineer dons a mysterious wig said to have belonged to Leonardo Da Vinci—only to awaken a brilliant, inventive genius within. As his mind races with impossible ideas, he begins to suspect he's not just inspired by history, but something far more extraordinary.

In "Escape to Nowhere," a man who’s spent his life avoiding effort finds himself in a bizarre world where even the slightest labor is met with fatal consequences. After a sudden climb up a rope leads him into this harsh, silent realm, he makes a desperate escape—and returns to his own world with a newfound determination to change.

In "The 13th Juror!" from Astounding Stories #13 (1967), a man stands trial for murdering Sir Alfred Haines, a wealthy benefactor whose will implicates him. When the jury is certain of guilt, a shadowy stranger steps in, hypnotizing them into a not guilty verdict—leaving the judge furious but powerless. As the jurors slowly regain their senses and describe the man to an artist, the judge makes a chilling realization: the mysterious figure bears the unmistakable face of the very man they believed dead.