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As the mother of “Mad King George,” Princess Augusta of Saxe-Gotha got a raw deal in life—but that doesn’t excuse her unspeakably cruel behavior.

Davy Crockett was the American statesman, militiaman, and frontiersman who became famous for his fateful final stand at the Alamo. However, his legacy has become a tangled tumbleweed that weaves together fact and fiction, man and myth.

Lady Jane Grey isn’t called the “Nine Days' Queen” because her reign was long and prosperous.

Many people know Aleister Crowley because of Ozzy Osbourne’s “Mr Crowley,” but the song only hints at the bizarre truth. An occultist, magician, writer, painter, mountaineer, and alleged spy, Crowley was a trust-fund Victorian edgelord who courted scandal at every turn. A peek into the life of “The Wickedest Man in the World” reveals a trail of dark rituals, broken lives, addiction, affairs, and a legacy as unsettling as the man himself.

Lizzie Borden was the upper-class Sunday school teacher who became the prime suspect in the brutal axe attack on her father and stepmother. Ultimately, a jury acquitted her of all the charges—but questions around her involvement still linger. Money, madness, and manipulation swirl around this macabre mystery.

Many historic rulers have demonstrated the drastic measures they have resorted to in order to protect what they hold dear. However, few have garnered such an infamously cruel and bloodthirsty reputation as Vlad Țepeș, also known as Vlad the Impaler or Vlad III.

The world can be a vast, terrifying place—but some locations have utterly chilling histories that aren't for the faint of heart.

Throughout the centuries, human beings have endured the evil atrocities of madmen, mass murderers, warlords, and fanatics. No one quite knows what exactly causes the minds of some to act with such cruelty or depravity. Humans are capable of creating so much good in the world but are equally equipped and proficient to carry out evil.

Some people have too much money and too little sense, but these mansions, castles, and stately abodes take that maxim to a deranged level. Whether it’s a tragic love story, a secret obsession, or a paranoid urge, each and every one of these buildings built by the rich and reckless has a bizarre origin story.

Steve Prefontaine should’ve been great. From a young age, his athletic prowess elevated him high above his peers. Coaches and fans alike could see the great potential that this young man had, especially when he turned failure into motivation to work harder. However, Prefontaine had everything taken from him before he’d even really started.

Alexander III was never supposed to be Emperor. But after the untimely passing of his older brother, he became the reluctant Tsesarevich of Russia and dutifully turned his attention to matters of politics. A difficult relationship with his father and the seismic societal shifts occurring on his doorstep in revolutionary Europe were enough to make Alexander dig in on his autocratic tendencies, and the people of Russia paid the price.

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…