In 1258, Baghdad, the seat of the Abbasid Caliphate and the heart of what was effectively the Arab empire fell to the besieging army of Ghengis Khan's grandson, Hulagu Khan. But things had been going downhill for a while.
Read MoreThe Talking Heads had a successful 16-year musical career, which ultimately ended when Byrne decided to leave the band in 1991. Here's why.
Read MoreGeorge Harrison is remember as the quiet Beatle, but he was much more than that. This is the untold truth of George Harrison.
Read MoreMaya 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.
Read MoreThere's no catch-all for psychiatric wellness. At times in history, the insane asylum was a catch-all, and not the kind of place you'd want to spend a moment.
Read MoreWhen 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.
Read More1919'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.
Read MoreThe 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.
Read MoreWe have a creeping suspicion you'll know which song, but let's take a look at the Radiohead hit song that Thom Yorke hates.
Read MoreYou don't really hear about Woolworth's anymore. It stands to reason, seeing as the company's mark on history largely comes down to "they sold ham sandwiches in a retail setting." But the store was the site of an important civil rights victory.
Read MoreIn America, we called them dime novels. The English called them penny dreadfuls.
Read MoreAs 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.
Read MoreThere 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?
Read MoreNPR 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.
Read MoreAfter Young Hannibal depicted Hannibal Lecter as a samurai-themed kid seeking revenge on his sister's killers, it was easy to think that Hollywood has said all it has to say about a certain cannibal murderer. NBC's Hannibal promptly proved everyone wrong by bringing Dr. Lecter on the small screen.
Read MoreJames Gunn, the writer and director of the first two movies in Marvel's Guardians of the Galaxy series — and, if nothing goes horribly wrong again, the planned third entry — loves his Easter eggs.
Read MoreIt took a couple of hundred years, but some members of what passed as the medical profession started to ask whether tobacco and cigarette smoking was really such a good idea after all.
Read MoreAround 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.
Read MoreOn 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.
Read MoreThe National Association for the Advancement of Colored People -- the NAACP -- was officially founded in 1909, but its roots stretched farther back into history -- from the time enslaving human beings was not only tolerated, but legally protected in this country.
Read MoreAge 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.
Read MoreAs 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.
Read MoreDuring 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.
Read MoreBack in the 2000s, streaming music was still in its infancy, so internet-savvy teenagers started using MP3 players that needed to be loaded with songs. This was the perfect moment for LimeWire — a peer-to-peer network where people shared files like music and movies — to be born.
Read MoreUp 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.
Read MorePearl 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.
Read MoreOn 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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