Historical Figures

André the Giant made his wrestling debut at New York City's Madison Square Garden. He went on to become one of WWE's biggest stars before his untimely death in 1993.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

We know they died in a hail of gunfire, but who set this criminal couple up and how many shots were fired?

By Oisin Curran

Meet this female German physicist who survived the Nazis and became a ground-breaker in combustion science and plasma physics.

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

He taught the colonists about the process of inoculation, helping to save countless lives.

By Jesslyn Shields

Biddy Mason's owner nearly tricked her out of freedom in California but the cavalry rode to her rescue. She later became a self-made millionaire who generously helped others.

By Dave Roos

Myspace took the world by storm and Tom was everyone's first friend. But when we all left the platform, we all left Tom, too. So where did he go?

By Michelle Konstantinovsky

Do da Vinci's self-portrait paintings, such as "Salvator Mundi," betray the artist's condition?

By Stell Simonton

Anna Coleman Ladd's Studio for Portrait Masks created new faces for at least 185 disfigured soldiers and paved the way for modern facial prosthetic techniques.

By Jesslyn Shields

Brothers Adolph and Rudolph Dassler were building a sneaker empire while the Nazis were rising to power. Rather than fighting the Third Reich, they battled each other and split their company in two.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

Scotsman Gregor MacGregor was a world-class con man who convinced hundreds of people to invest in the mythical country of Poyais.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

When police in Victorian England arrested two popular male cross-dressers, it resulted in one of the more scandalous trials of the era.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

Ada Lovelace was the daughter of famed poet Lord Byron. But she moved out of her father's shadow to make a name in numbers, not words.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

Mongol ruler Genghis Khan built the largest empire in human history, reshaping national boundaries and forging new diplomatic and economic relationships that still exist today.

By Patrick J. Kiger

Prince Harry, Duke of Sussex, and his wife, Meghan have had their first child. Royal watchers, test your knowledge of the bejeweled babies of the British royal family with this quiz.

By Nathan Chandler

Why did famed photographer Ernest Withers betray the civil rights movement he so lovingly documented?

By Diana Brown

Elizabeth Keckly, a former slave turned dress designer, was once the premiere dressmaker in Washington, D.C. She was also a close confidante of first lady Mary Todd Lincoln.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus

Today, Martin Luther King is revered for his nonviolent struggle for civil rights in the United States. But most Americans didn't approve of him before his death, or many years after.

By Dave Roos

Teenagers may be young, but they are also determined. And when they come together, they can spark change - as they did in these five instances.

By John Donovan

Strange theories have sprung to life around the enigmatic cult leader. Is there truth behind any of them?

By Diana Brown

History tells us that Betsy Ross designed and sewed America's first flag. But is that really the truth or is it just legend?

By Ed Grabianowski

Although there's been a lot of talk about Meghan Markle being the first mixed race person to marry into the British royal family, historians say that's not really true.

By Alia Hoyt

Violet Jessop survived not one, not two, but three disasters at sea.

By Kate Kershner

One theory about the fate of everybody's favorite female aviator is that her remains ended up as food for coconut crabs on a remote island in the South Pacific. But why?

By Jesslyn Shields

Unusual street art in Rapid City, the "City of Presidents," aims to personalize the presidency.

By Jesslyn Shields

Women have long been instrumental in America's labor rights movement. One early leader was Lucy Parsons, a woman of color who agitated for the eight-hour workday.

By Melanie Radzicki McManus