The Surprising Original Purpose Of Heroin
Heroin is now considered to be a dangerous drug that is extremely addictive. However, this wasn't always the case.
Read More-
-
The Truth About The Wild West Vigilantes Who Wore Horned Masks
Such was the case with the amazingly comically named Bald Knobbers, a band of vigilante costume-wearers who, as cited by Legends of America, prowled southwest Missouri in the years following the Civil War, taking the law into their own hands.
Read More -
Why Albert Einstein Turned Down The Presidency Of Israel
A country once wanted to make him its president, simply for being Albert Einstein. The country in question was the newly-founded Israel, and when their first president, Chaim Weizman, died in 1952, the country promptly reached out to the Jewish Einstein and offered him the presidency.
Read More -
The True Story Of The Norwegian King Who Stood Up To Hitler
King Haakon told his cabinet that, if they disagreed with his decision, he would not stand in their way. If they gave in to the Germans, however, he would have no choice but to abdicate the throne, according to the Royal House of Norway. The government unanimously took his side.
Read More -
The Secret Hiding Inside The Rock Of Gibraltar
This politically important island hides more than you can imagine. Inside the Rock of Gibraltar lies a maze of tunnels. Tunnels that became of great importance for the British during World War II and marked the Rock, as it's sometimes called, as a staging area for troops.
Read More -
The Real Reason They Stopped Putting Missing Kids On Milk Cartons
Patz's widely publicized disappearance made media headlines and grabbed the nation's attention. Concerned parents began pushing for a nationwide system to track missing kids, eventually forming the Missing Children Milk Carton Program in 1984. The program was soon adopted nationwide.
Read More -
What Life Was Like For Women In Ancient Mali
Regarding the role of women in ancient Mali, there is, unfortunately, very little firsthand information. Much can be inferred, and insight comes from Ibn Battuta, who, according to Britannica, was a traveler and author of the medieval Muslim world who traveled 120,000 kilometers during his life.
Read More -
The Weirdest Deaths From Ancient History
From domestic life to war, from private passions to public performance, the lives of ancient people have suddenly ended in the most unexpected ways. Here are some of the weirdest deaths from ancient history.
Read More -
The Crazy Real-Life Story Of History's Most Prolific Female Murderer
Countess Elizabeth Báthory was accused of murdering over 600 young women, which earned her the title of the most prolific female serial killer of all time.
Read More -
The Story Of The Bell That Was Rung At The End Of WW2
You could only imagine the excitement the people felt in 1945 when newspapers printed that fateful headline: "The War is Over." When the bell signaling the end of the war was rung, it was rung hard.
Read More -
This Is The Oldest Building In The US
According to Oldest.org, Taos Pueblo is the oldest still-standing structure in the United States, with an estimated build date of sometime within 1000 CE and 1450 CE. The Pueblo is made up of a series of homes and ceremonial buildings built from adobe, a material composed of earth, water, and straw.
Read More -
The Worst Thing FDR Ever Did As President
Despite his legacy for legislating the New Deal that enabled America's prosperity post the Second World War, Franklin Delano Roosevelt also signed the order that allowed for the internment of Japanese Americans, as well as German and Italian Americans, during the war.
Read More -
The Truth About Winston Churchill's Legendary Cigar Habit
It seems as if Winston Churchill wouldn't be caught dead without a cigar.
Read More -
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.
Read More -
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.
Read More -
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.
Read More -
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.
Read More -
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.
Read More -
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.
Read More -
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.
Read More -
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.
Read More -
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.
Read More -
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.
Read More -
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.
Read More -
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.
Read More -
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.
Read More -
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.
Read More
