Every Roman emperor has a few crazy stories under his belt, but none of them compare to the tales of Caligula. He’s the one Roman emperor historians are fairly sure was certifiably insane. Six ancient Romans wrote about Caligula’s life, and every one of them agreed that he was completely off his rocker. They left

The Black Panther Party, originally the Black Panther Party for Self-Defense, was established in Oakland, California, in 1966 by Bobby Seale and Huey Newton. The party was set up to act as a defense against the corrupt police in African-American neighborhoods. By the end of 1968, the Black Panthers had established around 38 chapters across

It is a sad fact that most people live their lives unremarked by history. Though we hope to be remembered by our family and friends, our achievements are often of small note and soon forgotten. There are, of course, a few people whose names will live long after them. And then there are those anonymous

We talk about slavery almost as if it was something that only happened in the United States. Slavery is treated as a distinctly American legacy and American shame—but that couldn’t possibly be farther from the truth. Nearly every country in the world participated in the slave trade, and a lot of them took in far

The wheels of justice turn slowly but grind exceedingly fine. After years, even decades, of investigations with no results, it can seem pretty certain that some cold cases will remain a mystery forever. That’s not necessarily true, as we’ve recently seen with the Golden State Killer, now tentatively identified as Joseph DeAngelo. Perhaps it will

Life is a fragile gift that gives people the ability to reach out toward their dreams. Musicians dedicate their time to creating exceptional music. At times, the works they create are so profound that they can lead their listeners to places they never would have fathomed or expected. Unfortunately, there are many great musicians who

The Jewish people are history’s favorite scapegoats. Through every generation, they’ve been blamed for everything you can imagine—from killing Jesus to controlling the world. Most of it is infuriating, and we’ve all heard the worst stories about how anti-Semitism has brought on some of history’s worst tragedies. There are some lesser-known ones, though, that take

Also known as the “San Mateo Slasher,” the “Gypsy Hill Murderer” claimed at least four lives in 1976. Each killing occurred in the rural environs of Northern California’s San Mateo County not far from Gypsy Hill Road. All of the victims were stabbed to death. Even worse, all were sexually assaulted before they died. Despite

Sometimes, it’s better to be lucky than good. Other times, if it weren’t for bad luck, we’d have no luck at all. In both cases, the cosmic game of chance can twist and turn on a dime, shaping history for better or worse through sheer, often stunning coincidence. From the nation’s very existence to its

The International Space Station (ISS) is a multinational space station owned, built, and run by the United States, Canada, Japan, Russia, and several European countries operating under the European Space Agency (ESA). Its groundwork was laid in 1984, when President Reagan demanded that NASA build a space station in ten years. In 1998, Russia launched

China is determined to become the world’s next superpower. They already have plans in motion to make it happen, and Chinese president Xi Jinping has publicly declared that he wants China to be leading the world by 2050. If China gets their way, we’re going to see our world completely change—possibly even within our lifetimes.

We take inventions that were created years ago for granted. But we often forget about the people who devised them. Once you read about the ways in which these people created their life-changing inventions, you’ll appreciate even more what they had to go through to make it. There is so much we can learn from

Something true for almost everyone reading this is that our everyday lives as children were defined by going to school. We learned new things, manners, and how to live with other people, and we made new friends. Fun, right? However, nowadays, high school has taken on a whole new meaning for teenage students. There are

Recent history is filled with secrets. For example, it has often been necessary to build cities away from the view of the public for a variety of reasons. When a country needs to conduct secret tests or make sure that they have a secure base from which to conduct missions, they are more than able

Before Disney and Winnie-the-Pooh, there was a real Christopher Robin: a young boy with a teddy bear. He was author A.A. Milne’s son, and he and his stuffed bear “Winnie” would inspire one of the greatest children’s characters ever conceived. It sounds idyllic—a father turning his son into a character beloved by children around the

This year may be the year that several unsolved cases are finally put to rest. The most high-profile cold case to be solved in 2018 so far concerns the Golden State Killer (GSK), a serial killer and serial rapist who stalked California from 1974 until 1986. 72-year-old Joseph DeAngelo, a former police officer in Auburn,

Back in the days of old—before such trivial matters as health and safety regulations, child welfare, or human rights became things to worry about—a captain of one of His Majesty’s finest ships in the British Royal Navy could rule the poop deck (or any part of the ship) with an iron fist. In the 17th

The Nazis had a secret weapon that they thought was going to help them win World War II: They were using magic powers. Believe it or not, this is true. You’ve probably already heard some overblown stories about the Nazis dabbling in the occult and making secret zombie-demon armies—but it isn’t all just make-believe myths.

The history of alcohol is long, rich, and full of juicy stories. It has given rise to many legends, myths, and drunken boasts. Sure, it might have caused a few problems along the way, but today, we’re looking at it through rose-tinted beer goggles. The following items might amuse you, amaze you, or disgust you.

In light of such films as The Da Vinci Code and, to a lesser degree, National Treasure, the Knights Templar have enjoyed a revival of interest in their much-storied history. That history is one where the lines of legend and fact aren’t so much blurred as rubbed out altogether. As such, the group remains an

The United States recently observed National Police Week (May 13–May 19, 2018). The annual event represents an opportunity to commemorate police officers killed or injured in the line of duty. On May 13, thousands of spectators shuffled into Washington’s National Mall to hold a candlelight vigil. Tributes were paid to hundreds of fallen officers, including

Time is so ubiquitous that it covers absolutely everything we do, encapsulating our own existence and that of everything we know. It could be said that there is nothing that exists outside of time. Time is the flowing in a forward direction of all things that exist, an indefinite continued progress, every second absorbing the

“There’s panic on the streets of London,” sang the Smiths in 1986, but look at the news, and it feels like they could be talking about today. The Britain you see in the media is no longer a place of empire and progress but a wasteland of violence, ethnic tensions, Brexit-based confusion, and a health

There are many devastating natural disasters that will we see throughout our lifetimes. One of the worst are hurricanes. Hurricanes have been responsible for millions of deaths throughout history, and each year, we get to witness at least a few of these terrifying storms. Even though there have been so many deaths due to hurricanes,

Of the fundamental physiological needs of humans, clothing is interesting, as it bridges the gap between necessity and identity. On one hand, clothing provides a layer of protection from the immediate environment; it can keep you warm, shield you from the Sun, or camouflage you from predators. On the other hand, clothing can help form

Years ago, we were limited to visiting websites with just 22 top-level domains (TLDs) like .com, .net, and .org and country code TLDs like .co.uk and .us. This changed a few years ago when the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), which is in charge of creating TLDs, allowed businesses and organizations to

There is more strangeness and ability involved with that office window than most people give it credit for. But hand ordinary glass to Shaolin monks and scientists, and things get downright freaky. From puzzling performance feats to crazy alloys, glass is not as simple or weak as it seems. Research can now explain old mysteries

For many years, the public didn’t know where The Simpsons lived. Yeah, we knew the setting was Springfield. But in which state? Not only was the Springfield mystery location used for a number of jokes over the years, the show’s writers constantly flirted with the city’s exact location through conflicting descriptions, obscured map locations, and

Of all the uncertainties in life, death is one of the few things, if not the only one, that is certain. (Some people don’t pay taxes, after all.) Sooner or later, barring some wild advances in medical science, everyone reading this will die. We typically either cremate or bury the deceased, based on religious and

We all know World War II was complex; that’s part of what makes it a world war. But three quarters of a century on, it’s all too easy to forget some of the more complicated details of the conflict. People like a simple, black-and-white narrative—Allies vs. Axis, good vs. evil—but reality is rarely as straightforward