Utterly interesting

In 1900, the Chicago Tribune counted down the 20 household items most often used by women as weapons. Broom handles, hat pins, rolling pins, even soup tureens — a quirky list that reveals much about self-defence history.

In 1959, John Howard Griffin darkened his skin to live as a Black man in the segregated South. His book Black Like Me shocked America and remains a landmark in civil rights history.

The murder of 14-year-old Emmett Till in Mississippi shocked America in 1955. His story became a catalyst for the Civil Rights Movement, exposing the brutal realities of the Jim Crow South.

German anthropologist Egon von Eickstedt took thousands of portraits in Kerala during the 1920s. His photographs of Adivasi and Dalit communities document lives and traditions, but also reflect the colonial and racial science of their time.

When we talk about rich athletes today, the numbers can seem dizzying. Cristiano Ronaldo signs a contract for hundreds of millions. LeBron James earns more off endorsements than he does on the basketball court. Lionel Messi’s lifetime earnings top a billion dollars. Sports and money have never been more tightly intertwined.

Adopted from Hawaii as a child, Steve Carter grew up happy in New Jersey. But at 34, he uncovered a shocking truth: he was a missing baby named Marx Panama Moriarty Barnes.

Carl and Anne Braden risked everything in 1954 to help Andrew and Charlotte Wade buy a house in segregated Louisville. Their stand led to bombings, prison, and blacklisting – but also cemented their place as vital allies in the Civil Rights Movement.

Elmer Wayne Henley Jr. was only 17 when he shot Dean Corll, ending the Houston Mass Murders. But for two years, Henley had been Corll’s accomplice, luring boys to their deaths, even killing some himself. His story is one of abuse, manipulation, and murder.

Nicolae Minovici was the Romanian doctor who risked his own life by hanging himself to study death. But beyond his daring experiments, he also founded Romania’s first ambulance service and a folk art museum that still stands today.

In 1897, The Champion Text Book on Embalming blended science, ritual, and business. Its haunting photographs, echoing Old Master anatomy scenes, documented how embalmers removed fluids, battled disease, and shaped the modern funeral industry.

In 1980, Alain Mingam photographed the execution of a man accused of betraying Afghans to the Soviets. His haunting image symbolises the Soviet-Afghan War — a conflict that reshaped the Cold War and left the photographer questioning his own role as a witness.

In 1992, a remote cabin in Idaho became the centre of a bloody 11-day siege. The Ruby Ridge standoff left three dead, sparked congressional hearings, and inspired the militia movement that shaped America in the 1990s.

In the frozen skies above the Eastern Front, German soldiers feared many things: artillery bombardments, strafing runs, and advancing...

Few monarchs in history can claim to have drawn a pistol on their would-be assassins while leaving the opera in full evening dress. Yet...

Poisoned with cyanide, shot, beaten, and thrown into a river, yet still alive? The death of Rasputin is one of history’s strangest legends. Uncover the truth behind the Mad Monk’s murder, the myths spun by his killers, and the prophecy that doomed the Romanovs.

The Putumayo rubber boom promised fortune but delivered horror. Armando Normand’s reign in the Amazon was marked by cruelty, forced labour, and violence against Indigenous communities. This forgotten genocide exposes the dark side of progress and the human cost of greed.

Explore the harsh yet fascinating world of medieval executioners, from their meals and duties to the brotherhood they formed in a society that both needed and shunned them.

In 1987, scrap scavengers in Brazil found a glowing blue powder in an abandoned clinic. It was beautiful — and deadly. The Goiânia accident became one of the world’s worst radiological disasters, contaminating hundreds and leaving a lasting scar on the city.

In 1985, Tipper Gore’s Filthy 15 list sparked Senate hearings, rock star testimony, and the birth of the Parental Advisory sticker. Set against the backdrop of the Satanic Panic, it was a defining moment in music’s fight for free expression.

Collage of a woman in various roles, displaying emotions from pensive to intense. Includes a film poster with dramatic text. Black and white tones.

She fought for civil rights, mentored Muhammad Ali, and shattered racial barriers — but in 1965, Alberta Jones was murdered, her body thrown into the Ohio River. Decades later, her case remains unsolved.

In early 1900s New Orleans, E. J. Bellocq photographed Storyville’s madams and prostitutes – not as clichés, but as women in control of their world. His images reveal wealth, intimacy, and the strange beauty of a district built on vice.

In 1979, Thai prisoner Ginggaew Lorsoungnern faced the firing squad for her role in a child kidnapping. Her execution went horrifically wrong — her rare heart condition meant the first volley failed, forcing a second. This is the haunting story of her final day.

In August 1965, a traffic stop in Los Angeles’ Watts neighbourhood ignited six days of chaos. Behind the flames was decades of injustice. This is the story of the Watts Riots — and why the city burned.