The Truth About Winston Churchill's Legendary Cigar Habit
It seems as if Winston Churchill wouldn't be caught dead without a cigar.
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The Legend Of The Mythical City Of Gold Explained
The legend of a mythical city of gold originated when 16th-century conquistadors first encountered Central and South America. Inspired by the gold-centered rituals of the Colombian Muisca people, Francisco Pizarro, Sir Walter Raleigh, and Lope de Aguirre all searched for El Dorado, the city of gold.
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What You Didn't Know About Che Guevara
Guerrilla leader Ernesto 'Che' Guevara has a remarkable legacy: many people look at his face and can remember who he was or simply celebrate his life with memorabilia or T-shirts that feature him. However, there are dark secrets about him that aren't as well-known or spoken about.
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The Adventures Of Dr. Livingstone Explained
Famed Scottish explorer David Livingstone a complex man who left an outsized mark on history. These are the adventures of Dr. Livingstone explained.
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Marriages That Changed The Course Of History
Marriages sometimes change more than lives. They change history. They might have started out as love affairs, political alliances, or arrangements, but they all had a major impact on the world. Here are some marriages that changed the course of history.
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The Truth About The Whirling Dervishes
The practice of spinning to reach Sufism was begun by the followers of the 13th-century poet and Sufi mystic Rumi, also known as Mevlana. Rumi met a traveling dervish, or holy man, named Shams al-Din in 1244 and believed him to be divine. Rumi began to devote more time to al-Din than his studies.
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The Real Reason So Many Victorian Men Had Beards
Thick beards, doctors believed, trap impurities from the air before they entered the body, much as nose hair does. Some doctors told their patients, especially those who often engaged in public speaking, like politicians, to grow full beards to prevent sore throats.
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The Magical Door You've Never Heard Of In Rome
Porta Alchemica is an actual door in modern-day Rome, in a park next to Piazza Vittorio Emanuele, practically smack dab in the center of the city. When we add the odd occult superstition into the mix, the reality of Porta Alchemica does indeed start to sound like something stranger than fiction.
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The True Story Of The Spanish Armada
The Spanish Armada is often the story of the underdog English, saved from certain destruction by guts and gusty providence. The true story of the Spanish Armada, as with any event from centuries past where thousands of people die, is far more complicated than you may think.
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The Ongoing Treasure Hunt That's Killed 4 People
Everyone probably wouldn't mind finding buried treasure, but not everyone would necessarily risk their lives to find it. One particular treasure known as Fenn's Gold was found in June, but not without people dying in their quest to retrieve it.
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The Unsolved Mystery Of The Lead Masks Case
A young man was flying a kite on Vintém Hill when he made a truly chilling discovery: Two bodies lying on the ground in some tall weeds. These weren't just any old mortal remains, either. The dead men were both dressed in suits and waterproof coats, and they had strange lead masks over their eyes.
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This Is What Happened After A Fighter Pilot Chased After A UFO
The orb accelerated faster and moved more sharply than any craft Gorman had ever seen in the air. At two points during the chase, the object and Gorman played a game of chicken, with Gorman pulling away at the last second during the first encounter and the orb doing the same during the second.
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What You Didn't Know About Cleopatra's Famous Eye Makeup
The eyeshadow protected the eye from the midday sun glinting off the Nile river, and the liner was to keep harmful bacteria and sand away. Before the invention of makeup, it was common for Egyptians to contract infections when dirt got in their eyes.
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Ancient Roman Curses You Should Know About
If you don't believe in curses, maybe you should think twice. Most spiritual traditions around the world believed in curses, and the ancient Romans seemed to have had one for every occasion.
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The Obscure Assassination That Led To WWII
Grynszpan shouted, "You are a dirty boche [slur for Germans] and in the name of 12,000 persecuted Jews, here is the document!" and shot vom Rath several times before being arrested by Parisian authorities.
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The Secret Purpose Of Covered Bridges
There's something about covered bridges. They add a more pastoral look to a scene, and a certain mystique.
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The Truth About Ancient Egypt's 'Festival Of Drunkenness'
Every year on the 20th of Thoth (sometime in mid-August), the annual Festival of Drunkenness was held -- a religious experience normally reserved for nightclubs and key parties.
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Messed Up Stories From The Book Of Enoch
The Book of Enoch is part of the Bible in some Christian churches. But that doesn't mean it's not still full of weird stuff, like strange primordial beings, talking babies, stars with human downstairs parts, a corpse giving birth, and way more. Here are some messed up stories from the Book of Enoch.
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Stories From Greek Mythology They Couldn't Teach You In School
When we learn about Greek mythology in school, we hear a lot about the heroes. But it turns out that there's a lot of little details — and entire stories — that are super dark, and slip through the cracks of higher learning. Here are stories from Greek mythology they couldn't teach you in school.
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These Facts About The Leaning Tower Of Pisa Will Surprise You
Construction began in 1173, and by 1178 it was obvious that the tower was not going to remain upright. The subsequent stories were built to compensate for the lean -- slightly taller on the leaning side of the tower to balance it out and try and keep the floors level -- but to no avail.
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The Terrifying Truth About Legendary Poisoner Giulia Tofana
It didn't matter if their husbands hit them, belittled them, or cheated on them; women during that time had no recourse to leave a terrible marriages and be free. Tofana offered them a solution.
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The Crazy True Story Of Bedlam: The Bethlem Royal Hospital
It may have started in a truly Christian way, as a haven for the downtrodden with nowhere to go, as described by the BBC, but it evolved into a medieval "healthcare facility," and eventually became one of the first institutions to focus on cordoning off the "mad" and "lunatic."
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The Crazy Adventures Of Henry Morton Stanley
Henry Morton Stanley, most famous for rescuing Dr. David Livingstone in present-day Tanzania in 1871, was a sailor, journalist, and colonial administrator who explored central Africa. Henry Morton Stanley also searched for the source of the Nile river and aided the Belgian occupation of the Congo.
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The Ridiculously True Story Of The Nazi Rally At Madison Square Garden
Kuhn's speech was a hit with the 22,000 American Nazis in attendance at New York's Madison Square Garden, all of whom had no obvious qualms with the swastikas flanking the two-story-tall image of George Washington behind the stage.
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The Legend Of Joyeuse, Sword Of Charlemagne
Legend says that Charlemagne's sword, which he named Joyeuse (French for joyful), had magical powers.
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The Mystery Of Freddie Mercury's Ashes
Most icons who died too soon -- Jim Morrison, Elvis Presley and Jimi Hendrix, have famous graves people can physically visit to pay their respects. Weirdly, that's not the case with Mr. Mercury. But where do the rock icon's remains rest? Let's take a look at the mystery of Freddie Mercury's ashes.
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The Shocking Crime Paris Bennett Committed When He Was 13
By most accounts, Texas-born Paris Bennett had a happy childhood. That is, until he hit 13 years old. It was in 2007 when the young teen committed a crime that would tear apart his family for years to come.
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