The Infamous Nickname Al Capone Hated
Some nicknames we outgrow; others we don't. And as proof that mobsters are just like the rest of us, Alphonse Gabriel Capone hated at least one of his nicknames: Scarface.
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The Messed Up Truth About Winston Churchill
Winston Churchill is known for WWII, his finest hour. But Churchill also had more than his share of less-than-fine hours. His life was stuffed to the brim with actions, views, and personal habits that were, to put it mildly, problematic. This is the messed up truth about Winston Churchill.
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How Much Radiation Still Exists In Hiroshima?
Contrary to what many expected, the city didn't become a permanent nuclear No Man's Land after the atomic bomb detonation. Here's why.
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The Real Reason Plague Doctors Wore Masks With Beaks
The plague doctors' robes and their masks with the long, birdlike beaks are among the most ominous outfits in history. Sure, they look kind of clumsy and goofy, and the wearer probably can't see very much out of the eye holes, but did they do anything?
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The Only Painting Vincent Van Gogh Sold While He Was Alive
If life imitates art, then Vincent Van Gogh was a portrait of tragedy. Almost all of his success came after his death. Except for this.
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The Real Reason Stephen Hawking Said That Black Holes 'Have No Hair'
Stephen Hawking said that black holes probably evaporate away and eventually vanish over unimaginably long timescales. Cool. But what does this have to do with hair, and whether or not black holes have any?
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What Life Was Really Like For Women In Nazi Germany
If you thought a genocidal regime premised on racial purity and superiority might seek to engender female empowerment, guess again. Racism and sexism go hand-in-hand, and Adolf Hitler was so outrageously racist that his views on women could be summed up as "KKK."
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The Truth About The Hatmaker Who Killed John Wilkes Booth
If John WIlkes Booth met his destiny in Port Royal Virginia, then that destiny was mad as a hatter, and his name was Boston Corbett.
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Unsealed Vatican Archives To Shed Light On 'Hitler's Pope'
Pope Pius XII, born Eugenio Pacelli, has drawn criticism for his routine failure to condemn the Nazi regime and their atrocities in all but the most roundabout of ways. This has caused many to think that he was a barely closeted Nazi sympathizer. Now, we're going to find out the truth.
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Was Abraham Lincoln Really A Champion Wrestler?
Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter can stake its heart out, because the real-life Lincoln kicked more butt than a bajillion brilliant fight scenes.
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The Awful Truth About Tainted Drinking Water In The U.S.
In 2014, Flint, Michigan became the poster city for water contamination. But it's not the only offender.
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The Real Reason Bobby Fischer Never Defended His World Title
Few moments in history are as indicative of how strange the Cold War years were as the saga of American chess grandmaster Bobby Fischer and his victory over Soviet grandmaster Boris Spassky in 1972. So why did he never defend his title?
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The Brutal Death Of Billy The Kid
Billy the Kid was described as slight, cheerful, funny, charming, and witty. He loved to dance and sing and enjoyed a good joke, while fluent in at least two languages. Oh, and he shot people. Shot them dead. Until the night he was shot dead himself. This is the brutal death of Billy the Kid.
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Secret 17th-Century Corridor Discovered In British House Of Commons
In February 2020, the British Parliament announced the discovery of a secret 17th-century corridor in the House of Commons, thought to have been sealed off during World War II. Here's everything you need to know about the secret 17th-century corridor discovered in British House of Commons.
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What Really Caused The Elephant Man's Disease?
His name was Joseph Merrick, and he had a terrible disease that left him horribly deformed. Nicknamed 'the Elephant Man,' Merrick worked as a sideshow freak, but what caused the disease that gave him so much pain and suffering?
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Was Aladdin Actually Based On A Real Person?
Like much of Disney's output in the '80s and '90s, the tale of a pauper whose fortunes change thanks to a chance encounter with a genie in a lamp was appropriated from a much older fairytale. In Aladdin's case it's a story that researchers think may have a real historical figure at its heart.
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Comparing The Richest People In The World
What do the richest people in the world have in common, aside from owning suits worth more than your life savings? Are all the richest people geniuses? Were they mostly born rich? Here are the stories of the richest people in the world.
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The Truth About Jimmy Hoffa Jr.
Born in Detroit, Michigan in 1941, James Phillip Hoffa has spent most of his life as labor union royalty. He joined the Teamsters on his 18th birthday, and studied law at the University of Michigan. From 1968 to 1993, he worked as a Teamster attorney. Where is he now?
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The Amazing True Story Of The Great Locomotive Chase
It's one of those moments in espionage history when someone probably said, "That plan is so crazy, it just might work." Which is fine for movies, but in real life, generally, if the plan is that crazy, it really won't work. Case in point: the incident now known as The Great Locomotive Chase.
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How To Prepare Yourself For A U.S. Coronavirus Outbreak
The mortality rate of the coronavirus is somewhere around two percent, and there's no telling just how contagious it is until more data trickles in. What's more, there's a chance that there'll be an outbreak in the U.S. as well. So, what should we do to protect ourselves?
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The Biggest Disasters In American History You Forgot About
All kinds of disasters, natural and otherwise, have rocked the American landscape through history. Many of them, like the Great Chicago Fire, are remembered by nearly everyone. Other disasters have faded into oblivion, forgotten by all those except the ones who lived them.
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Weird Things About Pocahontas You Didn't Know
Pretty much everyone who grew up in the '90s knows who Pocahontas is. Disney Princess, love interest of the great explorer John Smith, Native American nobility. Yes, Disney taught us many things about the Powhatan heroine, and they're all wrong. Mostly. Here's the truth about Pocahontas.
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What Really Happened To Michael Rockefeller, Heir To A Fortune?
Heir to the Rockefeller fortune, Michael Rockefeller decided to seek adventure in New Guinea ... but he never returned. So what actually happened to him?
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Ancient 'Lost' Civilization Discovered In Turkey
In the summer of 2019, archaeologists working at the ancient Turkish settlement of Türkmen-Karahöyük discovered a mysterious stone that might hold the secret of a lost civilization.
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The True Tale Of The Green Knight
When it comes to Camelot, King Arthur, Lancelot, and Guinevere are all familiar names, but the main character of The Green Knight is probably less familiar. It's Sir Gawain, and no, he's not the Green Knight. Confused? Read on to understand. This is the true tale of The Green Knight.
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The Tragic Truth Of Margaret Tudor's Marriage History
While King Henry VIII's infamous series of unhappy couplings often gets the lion's share of the spotlight, he wasn't the only Tudor who was getting into matrimonial trouble. His sister, Margaret Tudor, had quite the track record of her own when it came to scandal at the altar.
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The Weird Reason Queen Elizabeth Owns So Many Whales
Queen Elizabeth owns a great many things like jewelry, palaces, and works of art. And you'd think that would be enough, right? But no. Apparently, her majesty also needs to own all of the whales off the coast of Great Britain. Here's the weird reason Queen Elizabeth owns so many whales.
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