Alice Roosevelt was one supremely naughty girl—especially for the daughter of a President. One of the most beautiful women and most raucous socialites of her time, Alice lit up newspapers around the world with her antics, driving her father Theodore Roosevelt wild. Only, it wasn’t all harmless fun. Behind the doors of her stately homes, Alice hid dark secrets that only saw the full light of day after her end.
In 1983, scientists found a rock containing fossilized microbes that had come to Earth from Mars.
Bobby Fischer rose through the ranks from a young age to become the King (and Queen and Knight and Rook…) of Chess. But amid all his accolades and admiration, trouble was brewing inside his singular mind, leading some to believe that his brain, which had gotten him so far in life, turned on him in the end.
When the Countess of Castiglione’s estranged husband tried to get custody of her son, she sent him a threatening photo of her gripping a knife.
Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll was a Scottish nobleman who spent his life in pursuit of money. Whether he was fishing for a rich wife or Spanish doubloons, Campbell was always on the lookout for a payday. But, instead of finding his riches, this Scottish peer only managed to find a cupboard full of scandals. Read these egregious facts about Ian Campbell, 11th Duke of Argyll.
In the Gilded Age, Caroline Astor ruled New York. Born Caroline Schermerhorn, she was already a member of one of the oldest families in the metropolis before she married into the obscenely wealthy Astor family. Soon enough her lavish parties, rigid etiquette, and clique of mean-girl socialites had turned Caroline into the gatekeeper of the New York Elite. And she didn’t become the Mrs. Astor by playing nice.
Possibly the most famous Old West outlaw was the notorious Jesse James, whose story has persisted over the decades through novels, movies, and TV series. Even during his time, his name became known throughout America as that of a hero bandit who stole from those in power and gave to those without. However, nothing could be further from the truth.
Homer and Langley Collyer were a pair of brothers whose reclusive hoarder lifestyle made them something of a local New York attraction. Sadly, in a horrifying twist, their hoard became their grave.
From Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo to the sinking of the Titanic, history is full of shocking plot twists, but maybe none were as tragic as the fate of Crown Prince Rudolf of Austria. Attractive, rich, and powerful, Rudolf had everything—until the fateful day he threw it all away, changing the course of the future forever.
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