Historical Figures
From Musketeers to Nazis, Archimedes to Harriet Tubman, these famous historical figures changed the course of history -- for better or worse.
Why Not All Insurrections in the U.S. Are the Same
5 Scandals the British Royal Family Wishes We'd Forget
The Radium Girls' Dark Story Still Glows With Death and Deceit
Operation Midnight Climax: A CIA Sex, Drugs and Surveillance Program
Was James Dean's Car Cursed?
The Real Story Behind the 'Amityville Horror House'
Point d'Alençon Lace Will Always Be the Queen of Lace
Emergence of Hunger Stones Signals Worst European Drought in 500 Years
What Kind of King Will Charles III Be?
How the Great Compromise Saved a Fledgling United States
Why in the World Do U.S. Presidents Pardon Turkeys?
A Short History of Skid Row
Who Invented Chess?
10 of the Oldest Continuously Inhabited Cities in the World
Why North Sentinel Island Is Barred to All Visitors
How the Ritchie Boys, Secret Refugee Infiltrators, Took on the Nazis
The French Resistance Took Many Forms During WWII
Inside Unit 731, Japan's Gruesome WWII Human Experiment Program
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He's been called the "Jackie Robinson of hockey" and yet hardly anybody knows his name. So who is Willie O'Ree and why is he finally getting his due?
Emma Gatewood became the first solo female thru-hiker of the 2,193-mile Appalachian Trail in 1955 at the age of 67.
Son of the venerated Marcus Aurelius, Commodus went in the other direction, killing scores of men and exotic animals in gladiatorial bloodbaths and dressing up in a lion's skin.
By Dave Roos
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Columnist and investigative reporter Dorothy Kilgallen covered numerous big stories from the 1940s through the 1960s. But her death by overdose in 1965 while investigating the John F. Kennedy assassination remains a subject of controversy.
Oliver Cromwell overthrew the British monarchy and became 'Lord Protector,' but was convicted of treason after he died and beheaded. What happened to his head next is a very strange tale.
By Dave Roos
The distinguished American general was the first Black man to become Secretary of State and chairman of the Joint Chiefs of staff. He died Oct. 18 at age 84 after breaking down many barriers for African Americans.
Plato called him a "Socrates gone mad." Others nicknamed him "the Dog." Yet there was a method to his madness as he barked hilarious takedowns at passersby. Here are a few of them.
By Dave Roos
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How did Vincent van Gogh escape mainstream attention during his lifetime and what changed after his death? Meet the intrepid woman who made van Gogh a household name.
By Alia Hoyt
Frances Kelsey saved countless lives when she decided not to approve a drug for morning sickness in the 1960s. Her instinct was spot-on and has had lasting effects on FDA drug approval ever since.
The Dalai Lama stresses practical wisdom in his words about finding joy and peace, and spreading kindness. These are ideas we can all get behind.
By Dave Roos
Masterson palled around with Wyatt Earp in Dodge City, then later with President Teddy Roosevelt in New York City. He was also a lawman, gambler, gunfighter and sports writer who was a big fan of boxing.
By John Donovan
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Edward Osborne "E.O." Wilson never grew out of his "bug period" as a child and, as a result, became one of the world's foremost experts on the subject of ants.
This enslaved man taught an orphaned Daniel the secret of making the smoothest Tennessee whiskey. In turn, Green became the company's first master distiller.
The Mad Trapper of Rat River probably wasn't a trapper, and he most likely wasn't mad, but who was he and why did he lead the Royal Canadian Mounted Police on one its greatest chases ever?
He is famous for assassinating Lee Harvey Oswald on live TV. But what was his motive, other than to rid the world of the man who killed President John F. Kennedy days before?
By John Donovan
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Nietzsche's prose is playful, but its meaning is often opaque. Though perhaps we should expect nothing less from a philosopher who wrote, "I am not a man. I am dynamite."
By Dave Roos
Born into a family of poor sharecroppers in Mississippi, Fannie Lou Hamer became field secretary for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) and an indefatigable fighter for civil and voting rights.
And he was still growing at the time of his death. But there was a lot more to Robert Wadlow than just his extraordinary height.
By Alia Hoyt
The brief and disturbing life of Tarrare is a fascinating study of perhaps the most bizarre and disgusting eating disorder ever known, and one that remains a medical mystery some 250 years later.
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At 91, Dolores Huerta, the activist who inspired Barack Obama's "Yes, we can" campaign, continues to work tirelessly developing leaders and advocating for the working poor, women and children.
Brazenly ambitious, he became king of Scotland and won independence from the despised English to become a legendary figure of Scottish national pride, just like William "Braveheart" Wallace.
By Dave Roos
Some say his IQ was 50 to 100 points higher than Albert Einstein's. So why haven't you heard his name before? We'll tell you the sad tale of why this incredible genius flamed out.
By John Donovan
Muir was personally involved in the creation of Yosemite, Sequoia, Mount Rainier, Petrified Forest and Grand Canyon national parks and earned the title of "Father of Our National Park System."
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Beulah Mae Donald's son Michael Donald (Michael left and Beulah right) was lynched by the Ku Klux Klan in Mobile, Alabama, in 1981. She fought back and took them down. Her story is now a four-part CNN Original Series.
By John Donovan
Prince Philip's marriage to Queen Elizabeth helped cement 1,000 years of European royal dynastic history. His death puts an end to that system that endured for a millennium.