In September 1859, a bankrupt San Francisco businessman walked into the offices of a local newspaper and handed over a notice declaring himself Emperor of the United States. Most cities would have laughed him off the premises or had him committed. San Francisco printed the notice, and then kept humouring him for the next 21 years, right up until his funeral drew a bigger crowd than most sitting politicians could hope for. Quick Answers Who was Emperor Norton? Joshua Abraham N

The story of Ruairí McSorley, the frostbit lad from Northern Ireland

In the tapestry of history, there are threads so dark and disturbing that they leave an indelible mark on the collective consciousness of a society. The story of Blanche Monnier is one such thread, woven with elements of unimaginable cruelty and profound human suffering. Blanche's ordeal, hidden away from the world for a quarter of a century, shocked France to its core when it was finally revealed. This is a tale of familial betrayal, societal neglect, and the enduring human

Harvey Milk, an iconic figure in the fight for LGBTQ+ rights, was a trailblazing politician whose life and work continue to inspire activists around the world. His journey from a small-town boy to one of the first openly gay elected officials in the United States is a story of perseverance, advocacy, and tragic loss. Early Life and Background Harvey Bernard Milk was born on May 22, 1930, in Woodmere, New York, to Lithuanian Jewish parents. Growing up in a modest, middle-class

Throughout military history, few encounters have resonated with the same enduring significance as the Battle of the Granicus. Fought in...

The names Nathan Leopold and Richard Loeb have become synonymous with the chilling and macabre narrative of youthful transgression in early 20th-century America. Their story, a gruesome chapter in the annals of criminal history, continues to fascinate and horrify in equal measure. Backgrounds: Prodigies Bound for Infamy Nathan Freudenthal Leopold Jr. was born on November 19, 1904, in Chicago , Illinois, to a wealthy German-Jewish family. A child prodigy with an IQ reportedly

Inside the case of John Christie and Timothy Evans — the 10 Rillington Place murders that exposed a catastrophic miscarriage of justice and helped end capital punishment in Britain.

In the 1960s, a time when the frontiers of space exploration were but nascent, the notion of insuring astronauts was met with palpable reluctance from the insurance industry. The paucity of empirical data regarding space missions rendered it an insurmountable challenge for actuaries to accurately assess and quantify the attendant risks. Neil Armstrong, with characteristic optimism, estimated his chances of survival at ninety percent; however, this was speculative at best, as

In 1962, Dr. No introduced the world to James Bond and showcased Jamaica’s lush beauty as its backdrop. From Ursula Andress’s unforgettable beach scene to Sean Connery’s suave debut, the film’s production in Jamaica set the tone for six decades of cinematic espionage and style.

On the 15th of April, 1945, the 11th Armoured Division of the British Army, under the command of Major General Roberts, arrived at the gates of Bergen-Belsen, located in Lower Saxony, Germany . The scene that met their eyes defied comprehension and description. Brigadier Glyn Hughes, Deputy Director of Medical Services of the Second Army, described his first impressions in stark terms: "It was a scene of such horror as I never believed could be possible. The dead and the dyin

A Clockwork Orange continues to shock audiences half a century after its release with it's graphic violence and controversial themes that...

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.

On 13 May 1981, Mehmet Ali Ağca shot Pope John Paul II in St. Peter's Square. Discover the full story: the gunman, the Cold War conspiracy theories, the Fátima prophecy and the extraordinary forgiveness that followed.

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

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

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

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, 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

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.

Compared to many other countries, the U.S. is relatively young. Despite this, it holds the third position in terms of population,...

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.

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

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 on