The Siege of Leningrad is one of the great under-recognized tragedies of WWII and, indeed, of history. Lasting almost two-and-a-half years, the heroic people of the Soviet city held on against a relentless onslaught from German forces. And though their survival is the stuff of legend, life under siege was far from easy, and it forced the Leningrad residents and defenders into drastic and grisly measures to survive…
Discover the tragic story of Ronnie Peterson, Formula One's forgotten superstar, whose fatal 1978 Monza crash, controversial medical treatment, and extraordinary racing career left a lasting mark on motorsport history.
Anastasia Romanovna was the tsaritsa of all Russia and first wife of Ivan the Terrible. But, while her husband would go down in history for his tyranny, Romanovna would be remembered for different reasons. In fact, their romance was the truest “beauty and the beast” story brought to life.
For a time in high society, there was no one more dangerous than Daisy Fellowes. This acid-tongued heiress to the Singer sewing fortune made her name through shameless self-promotion, cutthroat rivalries, and mercenary marriages. But underneath her bitter bon mots and perfectly tailored clothes, Daisy Fellowes hid utterly tragic secrets.
John D Rockefeller is about as controversial as they come. On the one hand, he worked himself up from nothing to become the richest man the world had ever seen, and he spent his final years giving away most of his incredibly vast fortune to charity. On the other hand, his ruthless business tactics ruined countless livelihoods, and he spent his life running from his shameful family history and ignoring atrocities under his watch. So, was he a ruthless tyrant or a benevolent patriarch?
Most people fade into obscurity after they die, but a precious few achieve something stranger: their names become a part of our language.
Though his older brother was destined to rule in their home of Austria, Maximilian had no guarantee to any throne—and it bothered him to no end. So, when Napoleon III offered him the position of Emperor of Mexico, he jumped at the opportunity.
Ideas about human evolution that once seemed perfectly reasonable have been overturned, leaving us with a more complicated ancestry than scientists first imagined.
His books are for children. His life story is not.
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