Despite tearing apart their wealth and social standing nearly a century ago, the name Astor is still familiar in Western culture. The Astors marked not just New York, but maps across the globe with their legacy. However, this family holds a dark and twisted past, full of feuds, secrets, and scandals. Let’s find out how The Astors became one of America’s richest families—and how they threw it all away.
During the storming of the Bastille, the people tore down the fortress by hand, brick by brick, because they didn’t have any explosives on them.
When Leonardo DiCaprio was skydiving, his parachute got knotted and had to be cut free by a fellow skydiver.
Eleanor of Aquitaine began her tumultuous life in Europe's royal circles as the most eligible bride in the Medieval period. But she didn't stay that way for long. By the time Eleanor took her last breath, she had led armies, mouldered in a prison cell, endured a scandalous breakup, wed a significantly younger man, supported an illicit revolt, and more. Prepare to bend the knee to the fierce Eleanor of Aquitaine.
Through the late 1800s, Ned Kelly and his gang of bushrangers looted, pillaged, and terrorized the authorities in Australia—and are still seen as heroes to some.
Archaeologists have discovered a vast network of ancient irrigation canals near Eridu in Iraq, regarded as the world’s oldest city. The discovery is an amazing window on how early agriculture supported the growth of civilizations.
In 1923, Frank Hayes suffered a fatal heart attack while mid-race, but stayed in the saddle until his horse finished first place.
Until his tragic death in 2006, Steven Irwin worked tirelessly to advocate for animals.
From terrible tragedies to legendary comebacks, Ruth Bader Ginsburg was so much more remarkable than we even realized. Rest in power, RBG.
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