Considering her scandalous reputation during her life, no one has slipped under history’s radar quite like Jane Digby. A shameless adventuress in the first degree, Digby’s story is full of passion, betrayal, and a hefty dose of royal intrigue. If she isn’t well known today, maybe that’s because she’s still too much for us to handle. Strap in, ladies and gentlemen.
Coming into the world as the daughter of King James VI, the beautiful Elizabeth Stuart was the pride and joy of her noble family. So how did it all go so very wrong? Elizabeth may have started as her county’s precious crown jewel, but her life ended in bitterness and brutality. Here are tragic facts about history’s “Winter Queen.”
Evelyn Nesbit’s undeniable beauty enchanted the masses, but for one man, it inspired a chilling, deep-seated obsession. While her famous features made her the darling of the Gilded Age, her dark secrets mirrored the era’s roiling undercurrents. Her story is equal parts sensational, explosive, and tragic—but despite all this, her resilience reigns supreme.
King Edward Longshanks, “the Hammer of the Scots,” was one of England's most ruthless kings. He had a deliciously macabre sense of humor, a ruthless ambition, and a devious Machiavellian mind. But was really as bad as they say? Was his hatred of the Scots his only policy? Is there anything else to his life or legacy? Dive into the dark history of this brutal ruler.
Historians consider Catherine Walters, who later became better known as “Skittles," one of the last great courtesans of Victorian London. But there was much more to this complex woman than the men she entangled herself with.
Few can claim to possess the inner beauty of Princess Elizabeth Feodorovna. Strong of spirit, with a deep belief in her convictions and a penchant for kindness, Feodorovna touched the hearts of all who knew her. Despite the jaw-dropping tragedies that life threw her way, Feodorovna remained strong, even in the face of her horrific and grisly end.
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Claudius has retroactively become one of Ancient Rome’s most admired emperors. Riddled with illness and disability as a child, however, no member of his imperial family expected much from him. But the underestimated upstart would prove himself to be a capable leader with a cunning political mind.
In 2003, waitress Lana Clarkson went home with music producer Phil Spector for a drink, but when she tried to leave, he shot her.
As the most famous mistress of King Charles II, Nell Gwyn was born into poverty, but is remembered for her great beauty and tragic history.
Alexander Hamilton was widely regarded as a genius, praised by historians like Paul Johnson as the only Founding Father deserving that title. Though his ideas faced strong opposition, even efforts to erase his legacy, Hamilton’s story, once overlooked, is now well-known thanks to modern attention.
After losing his family to a brutal raid, Ota Benga was taken by slave traders to America, where he became a spectacle in a New York zoo enclosure.
Brian Epstein saw potential in The Beatles before the world did. A record store manager with no industry experience, he helped shape their image and guided them to global fame. But while the band soared, Epstein faced personal struggles—and ultimately passed before witnessing the full extent of their success.
Archaeologists in the Kingdom of Tonga have uncovered the remnants of an ancient city on the island of Tongatapu. The incredible discovery, announced in 2024, overturns the chronology of early Pacific Island civilization.
High on the cliffs above the Cuanza River in Angola, the fortress of Cambambe stands as a stark monument of Portuguese colonial ambitions in Africa.
After fighting off invaders for nearly 1,000 years, Constantinople finally fell because someone accidentally left a gate open.
Before public restrooms in London, men would walk the streets with long cloaks and chamber pots, offering privacy for people who had to go.
Ohio's Hopewell mounds are monuments to one of North America’s great prehistoric cultures. Constructed between 100 BCE and 400 CE, they reveal a society rich in artistry, ceremony, and long-distance trade eons before European contact.
In 2023, archaeologists discovered a royal tomb believed to be over 3,600 years old, the final resting place of one of the most elusive royal families in ancient Egyptian history.
In 2023, archaeologists working near the town of Nördlingen in Bavaria made the extraordinary discovery of a 3,000-year-old sword so well-preserved that it gleamed when removed from the earth. The discovery is a fascinating look into the metallurgy and ceremonial customs of ancient Central Europe.
It started as a mundane environmental cleanup along the Congaree River in Columbia, South Carolina, and ended as a trip back in time to the last days of the Civil War. Archaeologists uncovered a buried cache of Civil War-era weapons blanketed by the sediment and silt of history.
In 2021, researchers at White Sands National Park in New Mexico uncovered fossilized human footprints estimated at 23,000 years old. That would place humans in North America thousands of years earlier than previously thought. The discovery has spurred excitement as well as doubts among archaeologists.
In 2025 archaeologists announced the identification of the long-lost tomb of Pharaoh Thutmose II near Luxor’s famed Valley of the Kings. Buried deep in the Theban hills, the tomb is being recognized as the most significant royal tomb discovery since King Tutankhamun.
In the Medieval Ages, people had to deal with grim death on a daily basis—and this led to some truly disturbing beliefs and customs.
In 1945, a German U-boat met its demise when a sailor on board flushed the high-tech toilet, causing a catastrophic issue with the plumbing.
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