Maya Angelou has become one the most influential and popular authors in American history, and she overcame more than her fair share of hardship to do so. This is the tragic real-life story of Maya Angelou.
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When people die young, it's almost always a tragedy. It becomes even worse when they died of something that may have been prevented. He is perhaps unknown to many in the West -- less so by people not mathematically-inclined -- but Srinivasa Ramanujan died of something easily curable at a young age.
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1919's Red Summer race riots are a little-known fragment of America's bloody struggle with racism that portrays yet another link in the nation's chain of systemic ignorance, oppression, and violence.
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The tragic true story of the Tulsa Race Massacre is a dark spot in American history, and thanks to decades of silence, you've probably never heard of it.
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We have a creeping suspicion you'll know which song, but let's take a look at the Radiohead hit song that Thom Yorke hates.
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As an artist with a vast musical output in many styles, Madonna's back catalog is so impossibly robust and encompasses so many subgenres of pop that even the most hardcore Madonna fan would probably find it difficult to adore all her music equally. In fact, she outright hates one of her own songs.
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There was one particularly awful piece of paper that Hendrix was unfortunate enough to sign in 1965. What did this contract entail, and why did it have such a vast impact on the musician's life?
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NPR is usually seen as boring and nerdy, so it may be a surprise that even vanilla NPR is still frequently embroiled in scandal. Here are some of the biggest.
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Around this time, Butler described having experienced a late night, supernatural visitation in which a black silhouette stood at the foot of his bed. The harrowing tale became the basis for a new song, titled "Black Sabbath," named after a 1963 Boris Karloff film.
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On the night in question, Owen Hart was given a dramatically absurd entrance. The plan was that he'd be lowered by a cable, beginning his descent far up in the rafters of the packed Kemper Arena in Kansas City. Things didn't go as planned.
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Age is more than a number. It's a great basis of comparison, by which you can feel less accomplished than your favorite celebrities. Heck, you can even feel less accomplished than your favorite fictional characters, like the ones from Avengers: Endgame.
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As an entity that devotes itself wholly to news, CNN hasn't always gotten things quite right. In fact, over the years, they've been involved in a number of controversies, questionable practices, and even outright misconduct. Here are some of the biggest scandals to hit CNN.
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During its debut season, Animaniacs was one of the highly rated children's programs on television. So why were they canceled in the first place? Like the kid who plays gin with all the lunch ladies during recess, the problem wasn't the popularity, it was the age group they were popular with.
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Up to a point, they at least had music in common. Also, apparently, a deep dislike -- maybe even distaste -- for each other professionally. Justin Timberlake and Prince simply did not get along.
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Pearl Jam are one of the most dominant bands to emerge from the grunge scene, and certainly the most enduring one of the musical style's four greats. And their net worth reflects that.
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On the fateful night of May 20, 1966, the Who was playing a show at the Ricky-Tick Club in Berkshire, England. It ended... bloodily.
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R.E.M. is one of the most successful indie bands of all time, if not the most successful. Like every musician, Stipe prefers some songs in his band's back catalog over others ... and his least favorite is one you're very familiar with.
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As the biggest metal band out there, Metallica hasn't been short of petty cash in a while. However, everyone has to start somewhere. Sometimes that means living out of your rehearsal room.
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Carl Perkins wrote "Blue Suede Shoes," and Elvis covered it. But he had a good reason.
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Steve Miller and Jimi Hendrix are both iconic musicians and guitarists, though their approach to the artform is radically different.
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Being lead guitarist in The Beatles might seem like a pretty sweet gig, but Geirge Harrison almost missed his place among the gods of rock 'n' roll simply because John Lennon was heavily against him in the beginning. Why was Lennon so adamant about letting young Harrison in the band? Let's find out!
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Writing about 2500 years ago, the philosopher Heraclitus of Ephesus observed that the only constant in life is change -- "life is flux." Rarely has popular culture embraced that as thoroughly as the BBC's Doctor Who, a time travel/sci-fi series that ran from 1963-89 before relaunching in 2005.
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Many can agree that, like all things, VR is served best with a healthy dose of moderation. But what happens when you use it too much? Like every day?
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The most famous ghost of Latin America is undoubtedly La Llorona, the crying woman. Her eerie cries foretell death and danger for naughty children, or maybe unfaithful husbands. She's been in movies, but what do you really know about the wailing woman? This is the legend of La Llorona explained.
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At age 27, Willie Nelson moved to Nashville and got a job as an in-house songwriter, crafting songs like "Hello Walls," a hit for Faron Young, and "Crazy," a huge seller for Patsy Cline. And it almost wasn't.
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Styx is the river between the lands of the living and the dead in Greek mythology. Another, extremely different Styx makes music, and is quite good at it. But they wouldn't play Mr. Roboto for the longest time. Here's why.
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The very first Civil War ironclads and the first in the world to fight warships were armored gunboats built by Union Captain James Buchanan Eads, the cousin of future President James Buchanan. This led to some of the earliest Union victories of the entire conflict. But they were kind of cartoonish.
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