Every Halloween, a lot of children dress up as witches, superheroes, and pirates. But there’s one pirate that is beloved by a great number of people: Jack Sparrow. Jack Sparrow is the anti-hero protagonist of the Pirates of the Caribbean movies, famously played by Johnny Depp. But did you know that Jack Sparrow is based […]
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It all started with shoes. The reason Robert E. Lee sent General Harry Heth to Gettysburg on July 1, 1863, was to forage for footwear, which was rumored to be there. This search was emblematic of the South’s predicament in the US Civil War. It could not hope to win militarily in an attritional war
Gettysburg: The Battle Lee Did not Need Read More »
The world may now be more compassionate and considerate toward people with physical deformities and disabilities. But the life of Joseph Merrick, also known as the Elephant Man, is a tragic tale that’s filled with a series of misfortunes due to his unorthodox appearance. Early Life Joseph Carey Merrick was born on August 5, 1862,
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In 1930, 53-year-old Carl Tanzler fell in love with 21-year-old Elena de Hoyos who was dying of tuberculosis in a Florida hospital. Convinced that this young woman was the love of his life, Carl Tanzler did everything he could to save her. He tried everything from homemade concoctions to newfangled medical equipment. When his efforts
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Nannie Doss was known as the “Giggling Granny” because of her penchant for giggling and laughing whenever people talk to her about murdering her husbands. She had five partners. Four of them suffered untimely and premature deaths. So, why did she kill them? Nannie dreamed of the love she often read about in romance magazines.
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The Shawnee people of the Ohio River Valley have a rich history of medicine, politics, and activism. All First Nations in North America have rich and storied histories; the Shawnee people are no different in that regard. The Shawnee nation was one of the most powerful nations on the continent with a long history including
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This photograph captures one of the last moments of this woman’s life. Cheng Benhua was a resistance fighter who gave her life defending her home country of China against the Japanese Imperial Army. She has become a symbol of bravery in the face of death and unspeakable abuse. Not long before striking this defiant pose, Cheng
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In ancient Egypt, the gods could be fickle masters. Drought, death, and disease were often attributed not to natural causes, but to the displeasure of divine beings. To please the supernatural forces that governed life along the Nile, Egyptians learned to build temples, make sacrifices, and worship these all-powerful deities. One of the most important
Uncovering the Mysterious Sobek: the Crocodile God of Egypt Read More »
Do these ten historical figures really deserve to be as celebrated as they are? You be the judge. 1. Spartacus A gladiator who rose up against the mighty Roman Empire. An inspiration to oppressed peoples everywhere. This is how Spartacus is often remembered. Beginning in the summer of 73 BC, a Thracian slave named Spartacus
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Art has the power to hold a mirror to our human psyches. It forces us to reflect on what it really means to be human. Sometimes, that process can reveal profound beauty. Other times, we find the ugly, the perverse, or even parts of us that are just plain scary. “Rhythm 0” was a groundbreaking
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