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The Lovingly Mean Eulogy Bill Murray Wrote For John Belushi
How Bill Murray secretly honoured John Belushi in the 1984 film The Razor’s Edge. The story behind the unusual eulogy and the friendship forged on Saturday Night Live.


Mehmet Ali Ağca's Attempted Assassination of Pope John Paul II
Throughout history, certain events etch themselves into collective memory, leaving indelible marks upon the consciousness of societies...


Witold Pilecki, The Man Who Volunteered To Be Imprisoned In Auschwitz.
Witold Pilecki, renowned under various aliases including Roman Jezierski, Tomasz Serafiński, and Druh, distinguished himself as a luminary figure in the annals of the Secret Polish Army. His origins trace back to Olonets, situated in the province of Karelia within the confines of northwest Russia, where he hailed as a scion of Polish patriots. Immersed in an environment steeped in patriotic ethos, Pilecki's formative years were imbued with a fervent allegiance to his ancestra


The 1976 Chowchilla Kidnapping: When 26 Children And 1 Adult Were Buried Alive
In 1976, 26 schoolchildren and their bus driver were kidnapped in Chowchilla and buried alive in an underground van. Their escape became one of the most extraordinary survival stories in US history. Here is what really happened


'Who Killed Captain Alex: Uganda's First Action Movie' And The Story Of Wakaliwood
Every so often a film comes along that changes the way you look at cinema and shocks the very foundations of the film industry. 'Who Killed Captain Alex' is just one of those films. Produced by Wakaliwood studios it was filmed in Wakaliga, a slum in Uganda's capital of Kampala by Its founder and director Nabwana I.G.G., Uganda's Quentin Tarantino. Nabwana's formative years were spent amidst the tumultuous era of Idi Amin's rule in the 1970s Uganda. While the nation grappled


Portraits From The West Riding Pauper Lunatic Asylum, 1870s
While the Victorian Era didn't mark the inception of institutionalising individuals with mental health issues, it undeniably witnessed a significant surge in the establishment of asylums and the number of patients residing within them. The exact cause of this escalation remains ambiguous—whether it stemmed from a surge in psychotic illnesses or a decline in societal tolerance towards the mentally unwell is uncertain. Nonetheless, numerous patients found themselves admitted un


Richard Dadd: The Victorian Artist Who Painted Fairy Worlds while in an Asylum
Richard Dadd, a Victorian artist, crafted intricate and enchanting paintings adorned with fairies and fantastical beings. Among his most renowned works is "The Fairy Feller’s Master-Stroke" (circa 1855–64), where flowers, leaves, and blades of grass cascade across the canvas, revealing a whimsical realm populated by diminutive figures clad in elaborate attire and crowns. These magical beings congregate around a brown-suited gentleman poised to split an acorn in twain with an


The Vintage Erotic Photography ofJacques Biederer and Studio Biederer
Czech-born photographer Jacques Biederer captured the daring sensuality of 1920s Paris through artful erotic and fetish imagery. His studio, Atelier Biederer, blended beauty and taboo—until his life was cut short by the war.


The United States’ Exploding Population Growth Over 200 Years (1790 – 2010)
Compared to many other countries, the U.S. is relatively young. Despite this, it holds the third position in terms of population,...


Alessandro Moreschi And The Castrato Singers Of Rome
Alessandro Moreschi, the last castrato, sang for the Vatican in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. His haunting recordings reveal the legacy of castrato singers in Rome, whose voices defined an era of sacred music.


The Day R. Budd Dwyer Killed Himself On TV.
During a meeting held in his home on January 15, 1987, Dwyer, along with his press secretary James "Duke" Horshock and Deputy Treasurer Don Johnson, deliberated on the prospect of holding a press conference. At the gathering, Horshock and Johnson advised Dwyer against using the conference as a platform to criticise the governor or others linked to his criminal conviction. They also suggested hosting the conference at a venue other than his office. Despite their counsel, Dwyer


Brutal Vintage Crime Scene Photos from the Los Angeles Police Department Archives
In 2014, Merrick Morton, a photographer living in Los Angeles and a former LAPD reserve officer, came across a neglected collection of LAPD crime photographs dating from the 1920s to the 1970s. These images were captured on cellulose nitrate-based film and negatives, which had deteriorated and were considered a fire hazard. Through collaboration with the Fototeka photo digitisation service and the US National Film Archive, these photographs were restored to a renewed lease o


The Correspondence That Led To Charles M. Schulz Creating A Black Peanuts Character In 1968
The Correspondence That Led To Charles M. Schulz Creating A Black Peanuts Character In 1968


The 'Good Old Days' When Pretty Much Anything Could Be Cured By Using Dr Young's Rectal Dilators
Dr. Young's Ideal Rectal Dilators, marketed in the United States from the late 19th century through at least the 1940s, were part of the growing industry of patent and proprietary medicines and devices during that era. These dilators were sold in sets of four, resembling torpedoes, made of hard rubber initially, later transitioning to plastic. Ranging from 1⁄2 to 1 inch in diameter and 3 to 4 inches in length, they were detailed in a retrospective piece in The American Journa


Bo Diddley And His Tips On Surviving Life (Including Smelling Good, Guns, Drugs and Lawyers)
Below, Bo Diddley offers wisdom gleaned from a lifetime of navigating the complexities of the music industry and beyond, sharing his personal insights and tips for survival in an ever-changing world. Whether it's drugs, guns or women, Uncle Bo has got you covered! Alcohol and Drugs: Only drink Grand Marnier, and that’s to keep the throat from drying up in a place where there’s a lot of smoke. As for drugs: a big NO! Food : Eat anytime, anything you can get your hands on. I m


Padaung Women (Referred to as "Giraffe Women" Visit London In 1935
At a time when circuses and exhibitions reigned supreme, offering people a glimpse into the exotic and the unknown, London was visited by...


Taylor Camp: A Bohemian Oasis in Hawaii
Nestled amidst the lush forests and pristine beaches of Kauai, Hawaii, there exists a fascinating chapter in the annals of countercultural history – the legendary Taylor Camp. It began with thirteen hippies seeking refuge from the ongoing campus riots and police brutality in the United States. They were arrested for vagrancy but Howard Taylor, brother of movie star Elizabeth , bailed them out of jail and invited them to settle on a beachfront land he owned. Cherry with Mos


Frances Clalin Clayton: The Story of a Civil War Heroine
Frances Louisa Clayton, also known as Frances Clalin, emerges as a compelling figure in American history, though her narrative remains...


The Gorgeous Egyptian Photography Produced By The Zangaki Brothers In The Late 1800s
The Zangaki brothers were a pair of Greek photographers operating in Egypt during the late 1870s to the 1890s, crafting prints tailored for the burgeoning tourist market. Despite creating some of the era's most exquisite depictions of Victorian Egypt, scant details are available about their lives. While they are presumed to be Greek Cypriots, speculation exists that they hailed from Crete. Prior to the emergence of their photographic works in Egypt, little is documented about


The Busy Love Life of Charles II And His Many Mistresses
Charles II earned the nickname 'The Merry Monarch' not only for his love of wine, song, and music but also for his extensive womanising, surpassing any other British monarch in history in the number of mistresses he kept (that we know of). Despite being married to Catherine of Braganza, a reserved Queen, she chose to overlook her husband's extramarital affairs. Their marriage remained childless, yet Charles fathered more than 11 illegitimate children with 14 mistresses and br


Albert Einstein's Desk, Photographed A Day After His Death In 1955
Albert Einstein’s office – just as the Nobel Prize-winning physicist left it, taken mere hours after Einstein died, Princeton, New Jersey, April 1955. Albert Einstein, whose groundbreaking theories revolutionised our understanding of the universe, passed away on April 18, 1955, due to heart failure at the age of 76. His funeral and cremation were kept remarkably private, with only one photographer, Ralph Morse of Life Magazine, managing to document the events of that remarkab


Peter Rachman: The Notorious Slumlord of Notting Hill
Peter Rachman, a name that became synonymous with unscrupulous landlordism in mid-20th century London, built an infamous empire in the...


Chrese Evans: The Granddaughter of Stalin Who Lives a Quiet Life in America
(Left) Chrese Evans posing for the NY Post (Right) Her grandfather, Josef Stalin In the quiet corners of Portland, Oregon, you’ll find...
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