Cabinet of Curiosities Summary, Characters and Themes
Cabinet of Curiosities by Aaron Mahnke is an anthology of real-life oddities, mysterious incidents, and eerie coincidences, all rooted in history and legend. It doesn’t follow a traditional narrative arc or character development, but instead presents readers with a series of thematic mini-stories organized into sections like Curious Americana, Wild Coincidences, and Fantastic Beasts.
Each tale is a compact exploration of historical anomalies, forgotten episodes, and peculiar truths that often feel stranger than fiction. Mahnke uses his signature tone—a blend of curiosity, dry wit, and reverence for the unexplained—to draw attention to the astonishing and often unsettling margins of history.
Summary
Cabinet of Curiosities is structured around three main thematic sections, each offering a collection of brief but compelling stories that highlight the strange, improbable, and haunting aspects of history. The first section, Curious Americana, introduces readers to moments in American history that sit just outside the boundaries of mainstream narratives.
It opens with the forgotten tale of the State of Franklin, a region that sought statehood after the American Revolution but failed to gain official recognition. Its fate, merging back into North Carolina and eventually becoming Tennessee, speaks to the fragmented and experimental nature of early American governance.
One story recounts the remarkable resilience of Theodore Roosevelt, who survived an assassination attempt during a campaign speech and still insisted on speaking for 90 minutes with a bullet lodged in his chest. There’s also the legendary ride of Pony Bob Haslam, who carried Lincoln’s inaugural address across hostile territory as part of the Pony Express—an enterprise that lasted less than two years but became a symbol of American grit.
The section explores small, curious stories of personal mementos like George Washington’s hair-bound brooch given to his friend, and moments of surreal irony, such as Edwin Booth saving Abraham Lincoln’s son despite his brother killing the President. The lives of Sylvester Magee, a man who claimed to live through both slavery and civil rights, and Robert Heft, a teenager who designed the current 50-star American flag, emphasize personal tenacity and unexpected legacy.
The discovery of cadavers in Benjamin Franklin’s former residence reveals his connection to early medical science, while Dan Rice’s transformation from circus clown to political influencer underscores the fluidity of American celebrity and patriotism.
The second section, Wild Coincidences, dives into stories that boggle the mind due to their improbability. The tale of the Inverted Jenny—an upside-down airplane stamp that gained immense value—is intensified by the actual crash of the pilot featured on the stamp the day after its release.
In the world of espionage, Peter Karpin becomes an accidental double agent manipulated by the French and later dies from a vehicle ironically funded by the German government for his missions. The matchbox saga involving Edward Sothern’s family illustrates a multigenerational game of chance, while Carole Lombard’s fatal plane crash, determined by a coin flip, adds a tragic dimension to her legend.
There are tales of prophetic doom, such as King Louis XVI’s unease with the 21st day of each month—his avoidance rendered moot when significant events of his downfall occurred exactly on that day. Serendipity is represented by Anthony Hopkins finding a rare book in a subway that turns out to belong to the author he had been trying to contact.
Violet Jessop’s survival of three major ship disasters makes her a living emblem of improbability, while the cursed ring of Rudolph Valentino supposedly brings death to those who possess it, turning a Hollywood memento into a harbinger of doom. Even more surreal is the case of the Hoover Dam’s first and last fatalities being a father and son who died on the same date, 14 years apart.
In Hollywood, a prop coat worn by actor Frank Morgan in The Wizard of Oz turns out to have belonged to the author L. Frank Baum—a baffling bit of costume coincidence.
And the story of the Ebbin brothers, killed under identical circumstances one year apart, is almost too strange to believe, yet is recorded fact.
The final section, Fantastic Beasts, explores creatures from mythology and legend through the lens of historical accounts, hoaxes, and mistaken identity. Christopher Columbus’s encounter with what he believed were mermaids—likely manatees—underscores how old myths often stemmed from genuine sightings filtered through unfamiliar eyes.
The narrative of a 19th-century Kansas farmer’s claim that a UFO crashed into his windmill predates the Roswell incident, reminding readers that UFO lore is older than many assume. The legend of Bloody Mary reflects humanity’s enduring fascination with ghosts and mirrors, while the Sasquatch myth connects indigenous traditions to 20th-century popular culture through grainy footage and alleged sightings.
P. T. Barnum’s Fiji Mermaid—an amalgamated taxidermy hoax—shows how audiences willingly suspend disbelief in pursuit of wonder. Reports of sea serpents, particularly from the crew of HMS Daedalus, test the boundaries between skepticism and seafaring superstition.
The Yeti legend from the Himalayas captures Western imagination, though it may have mundane origins in bear tracks. Werewolves and the condition of lycanthropy are addressed both as supernatural and psychological phenomena, suggesting that folklore can serve as a mirror to human fears and behaviors.
Even the unicorn myth is examined, revealing how narwhal tusks became proof of a creature that never was. The section concludes with a tale from rural Kentucky where a family claimed to be besieged by extraterrestrial goblins in what became the infamous Kelly-Hopkinsville encounter—an event that still resonates in pop culture.
Across these stories, Cabinet of Curiosities showcases Aaron Mahnke’s knack for uncovering the obscure and the uncanny. The collection doesn’t merely aim to shock or amuse, but rather encourages readers to consider how often the extraordinary lurks beneath the surface of the familiar.
From near-mystical animals to eerie historical echoes, each narrative reveals something essential about how human beings seek meaning in mystery, and how history is often far stranger than we dare to remember.
Characters
Christopher Columbus
In Cabinet of Curiosities, Christopher Columbus is presented not as the mythic, heroic explorer often depicted in traditional narratives, but as a historical figure whose encounters are subject to the blurred lines between reality and legend. In the story “A New World,” he appears as a man shaped as much by his era’s ignorance as by ambition.
His description of mermaids, now believed to be manatees, showcases both the limitations of Renaissance-era knowledge and the human tendency to mythologize the unknown. Columbus’s inclusion in the narrative emphasizes how even key historical figures are susceptible to illusion, feeding into the broader theme of how myth can easily masquerade as truth when framed by belief and expectation.
Alexander Hamilton (Kansas Farmer)
Not to be confused with the Founding Father, this Alexander Hamilton is a rural American who becomes unexpectedly legendary for his supposed UFO encounter in the late 19th century. His story in “Flight of Fancy” is a prime example of how folklore can emerge from everyday lives, where the ordinary becomes extraordinary through a lens of curiosity and credulity.
This character is portrayed as sincere, if perhaps gullible, and his claims of a spacecraft crash lend credence to the idea that belief in the extraordinary often grows in fertile ground where isolation and imagination collide. He functions less as a man and more as a vessel for the community’s longing for cosmic contact, which mirrors the American appetite for wonder.
Edward Sothern
In the tale “The Gift,” Edward Sothern emerges as a figure of dramatic flair and emotional sensitivity. A stage actor who treasured a gift from royalty, he represents the 19th-century ethos of sentimentality and theatricality.
His story, especially the eventual rediscovery of the lost matchbox by his sons, presents him as someone whose personal history became stitched into a broader tapestry of coincidence and memory. The portrayal offers insight into a man for whom objects held emotional gravity, and whose connection to the Prince of Wales elevated his self-perception, illustrating how identity can be reinforced through symbols and serendipitous returns.
Violet Jessop
Violet Jessop, the indomitable nurse and ocean liner stewardess, is a standout character from the story “Luck of the Irish. ” Her biography reads like a string of impossibilities: she survived the collisions or sinkings of the Olympic, Titanic, and Britannic.
In Cabinet of Curiosities, she is more than a survivor—she is a symbol of human endurance and perhaps supernatural luck. Her calm persistence in the face of repeated disaster turns her into a living myth.
Rather than being portrayed as passive or merely lucky, Violet is cast as resilient and composed, a real-life heroine navigating the treacherous currents of fate with fortitude and grace.
Frank Morgan
Frank Morgan, best known for portraying the Wizard in The Wizard of Oz, becomes a fascinating study in synchronicity in the story “Wizard’s Coat. ” When the coat he wore on set turned out to have belonged to L. Frank Baum, the original author of the Oz books, Morgan transforms from actor to symbol—a bridge between creator and creation. This character represents the curious ways in which objects, history, and people can intersect, creating moments that feel magically preordained.
Morgan’s role in the story reflects the book’s thematic concern with destiny, randomness, and the poetry that sometimes erupts from coincidence.
Sylvester Magee
Sylvester Magee, profiled in “Time Traveler,” is portrayed as a living monument to American history. Claiming to have lived for 124 years, his lifetime spans from slavery through the Civil Rights Movement.
In Cabinet of Curiosities, he stands as a figure of historical continuity, embodying the resilience of Black Americans who endured and outlasted systemic injustice. Magee is less about the precise truth of his age and more about what he represents: a bridge between centuries, a human vessel of endurance and memory.
He offers readers a living testimony, a reminder that the past is not so distant when it walks beside us.
Edwin Booth
In “Acting Out,” Edwin Booth is a study in irony, redemption, and the complex interplay of fate. As the brother of John Wilkes Booth—the man who assassinated Abraham Lincoln—Edwin might be forever tethered to a legacy of infamy.
However, his own legacy gains redemption when he unknowingly saves Lincoln’s son, Robert Todd Lincoln, from a train accident. Edwin is presented as a tragic yet redemptive character, someone whose identity is split between familial guilt and personal heroism.
His actions invite reflection on fate’s strange symmetry and the unpredictable paths to personal absolution.
Rudolph Valentino
Valentino, the silver-screen icon at the heart of “Put a Ring On It,” becomes a figure of glamor and mystery. His story is steeped in the folklore of cursed objects—the silver ring he possessed allegedly brought doom to several of its owners.
Valentino is rendered not just as a charismatic celebrity but as a symbol of early Hollywood’s infatuation with mysticism and the occult. Through his story, the book examines how fame can turn people into mythic figures, and how the objects they touch—imbued with their aura—become vessels for both adoration and dread.
Dan Rice
Dan Rice, the eccentric circus performer from “Clowning Around,” represents the chaotic and unfiltered energy of 19th-century Americana. His larger-than-life persona—equal parts satirist, patriot, and potential political candidate—mirrors the evolving American identity during that era.
His transformation into the visual inspiration for Uncle Sam adds a layer of unexpected legacy to his colorful life. Rice is characterized as both absurd and iconic, a man whose flamboyance made him unforgettable but whose unpredictability kept him from lasting influence in politics.
His inclusion in the book underscores how cultural archetypes can emerge from even the most unlikely figures.
These characters, drawn from different eras and backgrounds, collectively demonstrate the central message of Cabinet of Curiosities: that history is stranger than fiction, and that the people who inhabit its margins—be they nearly forgotten, mythologized, or misunderstood—are often the most fascinating of all.
Themes
Historical Absurdity and Forgotten Narratives
The stories in Cabinet of Curiosities under “Curious Americana” challenge the notion of history as a clean and linear progression. These accounts underscore how easily significant or bizarre events can be lost to time, misremembered, or distorted.
The failed state of Franklin, Roosevelt’s bulletproof speech, and the brief life of the Pony Express highlight episodes that are pivotal yet barely remembered by the broader public. They reflect how history often hinges on improbable circumstances, fleeting ideas, and overlooked figures.
The fact that something as monumental as an entire state could vanish from public memory speaks to the instability and improvisation involved in nation-building. Meanwhile, the Pony Express, despite its mythic stature in American lore, lasted just over a year—another reminder that longevity is not necessary for cultural impact.
These stories act as a quiet rebuke to the idea that only the grand and enduring are worthy of remembrance. Instead, they elevate the peculiar, the peripheral, and the personal.
Through a focus on eccentric individuals and unusual events, the section invites readers to reconsider what counts as important history. It suggests that often, the fabric of the past is held together by accidental acts and unintentional legacies.
These forgotten narratives force us to acknowledge that the world has always been messier and more unpredictable than traditional history books allow, and that the absurd is often more revealing than the conventional.
The Role of Coincidence in Human Destiny
In “Wild Coincidences,” Cabinet of Curiosities explores how seemingly unrelated events can converge in ways that feel both uncanny and profound. These stories emphasize that life frequently defies logic and that destiny may be shaped more by randomness than intention.
From Carole Lombard’s fatal coin flip to Violet Jessop’s improbable survival of three maritime disasters, the narrative thread suggests that coincidence can act as a hidden force in human affairs. Rather than presenting these events as merely statistical anomalies, the book invites readers to interpret them through a lens of meaning—whether that be fate, karma, or poetic irony.
The Ebbin brothers’ identical deaths a year apart, involving the same taxi driver and passenger, read like the plot of a surrealist novel, but they are offered as fact, blurring the line between reality and fiction. These examples suggest that the world operates with a logic that humans may never fully comprehend.
Coincidence here becomes not just a plot device but a philosophical question—are these events truly random, or do they reflect a deeper, invisible order? The stories compel readers to confront the limitations of rationality and statistical explanation.
They also reflect an enduring human impulse to search for patterns, to find comfort or warning in the odd intersections of time, place, and action. In the end, the section suggests that coincidence is not the enemy of meaning, but perhaps its most mysterious ally.
Mythmaking and the Blurring of Truth
The “Fantastic Beasts” section in Cabinet of Curiosities addresses how humans have historically created, believed in, and propagated myths to explain the unexplainable. These stories center on creatures that never quite existed but were believed in with fervor: sea serpents, Yetis, Bigfoot, and even mermaids seen by explorers.
The power of belief—not evidence—forms the spine of this section. These tales examine the cultural need to assign names and narratives to anomalies.
Whether through folklore, eyewitness accounts, or outright hoaxes like the Fiji Mermaid, the stories underscore how quickly myth can outpace fact. They also demonstrate the role of authority and spectacle in legitimizing belief.
The HMS Daedalus sea serpent sighting carried weight not because it was well-documented but because it came from a respected naval crew. Similarly, the Wizard of Oz costume story involving Frank Morgan and L.
Frank Baum’s coat gains traction because of its emotional and artistic resonance, even if it seems too perfect to be true. The myths in this section aren’t dismissed as mere fabrications but are treated as reflections of the cultural moment that birthed them.
They capture collective hopes, fears, and desires—whether it’s the longing for mysterious wilderness (Bigfoot), spiritual power (unicorns), or divine justice (werewolves). In the process, these stories remind readers that myths are not obstacles to truth but expressions of it.
They reveal the emotional and psychological contours of the societies that generated them, and in doing so, illuminate how truth and fiction have always coexisted in the human imagination.