Larry Flynt — the notorious porn peddler who built a smut empire out of his “Hustler” magazine and fashioned himself into a champion of the First Amendment — died on Wednesday. He was 78. Flynt succumbed to heart failure at his Hollywood Hills home, his nephew, Jimmy Flynt Jr., confirmed to The Associated Press. Flynt, whose death was first reported by TMZ, had suffered from a slew of health problems since a 1978 murder attempt that left him paralyzed from the waist down. The controversial mogul and self-described First Amendment champion was known for challenging the establishment and his myriad legal battles involving free speech and pornography regulations. He often clashed with feminist groups and the religious right, and was once sued by televangelist the Rev. Jerry Falwell in a case that made it to the US Supreme Court. Flynt was portrayed by Woody Harrelson in the Oscar-nominated 1996 film, “The People vs. Larry Flynt,” which chronicled the pornographer’s life, including his court clash with Falwell… read more >
Moonshine: How Prohibition Gave Birth to NASCAR
It wasn’t gasoline—but moonshine—that fueled the growth of stock car racing in Appalachia and led to the rise of NASCAR. Even after Junior Johnson tore
