True Comics #14

Edgar Bergen's path to fame began with a farm boy's wild inventions and a passion for ventriloquism—but his real breakthrough came when he carved out a wooden dummy named Charlie McCarthy and took his act professional. This True Comics biography follows Bergen's journey from Michigan farm to Northwestern University to the stages of vaudeville, radio, and Hollywood, showing how a young performer and his smartmouthed dummy became inseparable partners in show business. By 1942, Bergen and McCarthy are living legends in Hollywood, proving that sometimes the best act is the one nobody quite saw coming.

Richard Tewkesbury, a 5-foot-3-inch teacher from North Carolina, undertakes what highway experts deemed impossible: blazing a passage through the uncharted jungle between Panama and Colombia to gather data for the Pan American Highway Commission. Armed with little more than determination and his wits, he navigates treacherous swamps, head-hunter territory, crocodile-infested rivers, and his own broken compass to reach the Caribbean coast. His summer expedition gathers the crucial maps and notes that prove the ambitious highway project can actually be completed.

When Canadian smugglers operating off the coast of Newfoundland grow too bold, the Royal Canadian Mounted Police answer the call—trading their horses for a speedboat and modern radio equipment to pursue the outlaws across dangerous seas. After a daring boarding action and a foggy escape, the Mounties prove that whether on land or water, they always bring their quarry to justice.

During the Nazi retreat from Moscow, Russian soldiers discover that German forces are using a simple musical signal—a flute tune—to coordinate their scattered units in the field. When the Russians realize what they're hearing, they turn the tables by mimicking the same melody to lure unsuspecting Nazi soldiers into a trap. It's a clever bit of wartime ingenuity that shows how quick thinking can outmaneuver even a retreating enemy.

This illustrated history explores Australia's transformation into a vital Pacific stronghold during World War II. From its unique wildlife and vast natural resources to its role as a strategic base for Allied operations, the story charts how this distant continent became essential to the war effort in the Far East. Learn how Australia's sheep ranches, mining industries, and innovative spirit—including its famous flying doctors—support the joint mission against the Axis powers.

Guy Shultz, a championship bronco buster and trick roper, takes his bulldogging skills to an unexpected challenge in 1917 Ponca City, Oklahoma—bringing down a 1,200-pound buffalo in front of a crowd of amazed spectators. His daring stunt becomes a sensation across rodeos and stages, eventually earning him a command performance before the Prince of Wales, though not without drawing the scrutiny of British authorities who question his methods. When a spinal injury ends his riding career in 1924, Shultz shifts his talents to training racehorses, proving that a true showman adapts.

When the tyrannical Sir Edmund Andros arrives in Connecticut to seize the colonial charter that grants self-government, Captain Wadsworth devises a bold plan to keep it out of the new governor's hands. During a tense confrontation in the Hartford courthouse, the charter slips through an open window into the darkness—and into a hollow tree where it remains hidden throughout Andros's rule. This true story reveals how Connecticut's people protected their liberty through quick thinking and an unlikely ally in nature.

Lieutenant William L. Kabler commands the U.S.S. Heron, a seaplane-tender caught in the crosshairs when fifteen Japanese planes descend on the ship's secret harbor anchorage at dawn. Through two hours of relentless bombing and torpedo runs, Kabler executes a series of sharp rudder maneuvers to keep his vessel dancing through the assault, all while his crew battles back from their gun stations. When the attack finally breaks off and the Heron limps safely into port, the extraordinary seamanship earns Kabler recognition from Admiral Thomas A. Hart himself.

Michelangelo rises from a nobleman's son sketching in secret to become Renaissance Italy's greatest artist, guided by mentors and nearly destroyed by rivalry. When a powerful patron discovers his talent and shields him from enemies, the young sculptor finds his path—first carving the famous David from marble that stumped artists for a century, then taking on the seemingly impossible task of painting the Sistine Chapel ceiling. Watching him transform from an outcast into a master of both stone and paint, you'll see how raw talent, stubborn determination, and a little well-timed luck can reshape not just a life, but the entire course of art history.

Lady Hester Stanhope, granddaughter of one British Prime Minister and niece of another, abandons London society for adventure across the Mediterranean and beyond, determined to see the world on her own terms. Shipwrecked off Rhodes and stripped of her possessions, she presses on through Turkey and Egypt, eventually crossing the desert to meet the tribal leader Mahanna, convinced that he alone can help her achieve an extraordinary ambition. This is the true story of how a willful Englishwoman came to rule an ancient desert city.