Weekend Link Dump, Annual Kentucky Derby Edition

Because behind every great horse is a great cat.

Needles, 1956 Derby winner, and best friend Boots.

Let's go race around some links:

Who the hell was Mrs. S***k*n*us?

What the hell happened to Anna Schrader?

What the hell are these prehistoric lines?

What the hell is hovering over New York?

Watch out for the Wild Man of Illinois!

Watch out for those Goth Pirate Princesses!

Watch out for those steamboat fire birds!

Watch out for Toodles!

Matthew Lewis takes an eternal sea cruise.

Finally burying the gruesome legend of Edward Mordake.

This is fun:  Watch Zahi Hawass react to Robert Bauval's name the way a vampire reacts to garlic.

An Indian soldier writes home, 1915.

A fitting post for this weekend: a guide to Regency horse terminology.

How a court sorcerer kicked off a witch hunt.

Catharine Macaulay, early English female historian.

May Day in the Georgian Era.

Celebrating Walpurgisnacht.

Empress Zewditu of Ethiopia.

The German suicide wave of 1945.

I've got 99 problems, but living in the 17th century ain't one.

A forgotten Ambrose Bierce hoax?

The bed you'll sleep in forever.

"Ash magic."

Mars is just one big zoo.

See what I mean?

The strangely fiery death of Grace Pett.

Stunning views of historical sites as seen by a drone.

I love this:  The Order of the Pug!

Meet the Chinese woman who was the most successful pirate in history.

Memorializing a gruesome early 19th century murder.

Makes sense to me.

More puzzling ancient mercury.

Medieval robots!

And, finally, my annual Derby handicapping challenge.  Leave the name of your favorite contender in the comments, and I'll place a bet on him.  If he wins, I get a winning ticket, and you get...uh, bragging rights on this blog for the rest of the year?

This year, I have no particular leanings towards anyone.  At the moment, I'm vaguely opting for Dortmund, even though his trainer Bob Baffert isn't *cough* one of my very favorite people in the industry.  Beautiful, isn't he?  (Yes, I mean the horse, not Bob!)

@WhoDatDiva @KingsbarnsHorse @_Dortmund__ Dortmund do you have a feeling someone is watching u? pic.twitter.com/RRcqu7pJgN
— Marianne (@mardask33) April 29, 2015

Or, just for fun, I may bet Ocho Ocho Ocho or Mubtaahij and hope for one of those Mine That Bird years.  There's always the morning line pick--again Baffert, argh--but often, favorites at the Derby have been about as successful as the Edsel.

Well, that's a wrap, gang.  I'll see you on Monday, with a Lizzie Borden-like murder mystery from Canada.  In the meantime, here's the Scottish Fiddle Orchestra: