William Foege Epidemiologist

Mass vaccinations didn’t work to stop smallpox. Foege came up with the idea that did work.

From This is True for 1 February 2026

Robert Croft Freediver

Croft was the first human known to have dived to deeper than 200 ft …without the aid of air hoses or tanks.

From This is True for 11 January 2026

Dado Banatao Innovator

He didn’t merely escape poverty: he engineered paths for those who came up behind him.

From This is True for 27 December 2025

Betty Reid Soskin Ranger

“What gets remembered is a function of who’s in the room doing the remembering.”

From This is True for 21 December 2025

Stephen Downing Police writer

A retired Deputy Chief of LAPD, Downing came to completely oppose the War on Drugs as the cost, in money and lives, is worse than the drug problem.

From This is True for 23 November 2025