While these dictators might not have had the infamy or death count of some of the most notorious rulers, they have certainly left their cruel mark on the world.
Vladimir Putin of Russia and Kim Jong-Un of North Korea have some things in common: a shared border, a history with communism. Is there more to the story?
There was no clear successor to Mao Zedong in the period immediately following his death, and it seemed like power would be vested in the "Gang of Four."
Death of a national executive can create a leadership vacuum. Adolf Hitler committed suicide in April 1945 -- was there some kind of line of succession?
In 1959, the Cuban Revolution marked a seismic shift in the history of the 20th century and reshaped the world's geopolitical map for generations to come.
Efforts to reduce spaceflight cost have often been plagued by actually higher costs and substantial failure rates. One idea showed promise: the space gun.
Since Vladimir Putin became Russia's president, dozens of journalists have been murdered and many of his critics have ended up dead. Here are just a few.
Many might remember the news reporting on the capture, trial, and execution of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein. And he was even more evil than you think.
"Saddam Hussein is now a prisoner of the U.S. government." Those words, spoken by news anchor Dan Rather, were delivered to the public on December 13, 2003
The government of the United States ultimately took matters to an extreme when it tasked the CIA with assassinating the revolutionary Cuban leader Fidel Castro.
The story of the Nobel Peace Prize reads even more strangely when you take into account some of the figures who have previously been nominated for the award.
After 638 failures by the CIA, "If surviving assassination attempts were an Olympic event, I would win the gold medal," Castro liked to tell interviewers.
Many of those who study dictators as either political commentators or psychological investigators make the point that the reverse side of narcissism is paranoia. These two traits have emerged in an interweaved manner through the behavior of countless dictatorial figures throughout history.
The last days of Adolf Hitler were a mix of false hope and despair, planning for death while making gestures toward a life with his mistress, Eva Braun.