He might have been almost 9 feet tall, but Robert Wadlow was a gentle giant known for his quiet manner and easy smile. Unfortunately, the world isn’t made for people that tall and he often struggled with finding accommodations for his great height. Health issues plagued him from the start and he lived only 22 years—but he still managed to make the most of it.
While Spartacus remains one of the most well-known names in history, the story of his life is full of ambiguity and unknowns. What is certain is that, through his leadership and tactical prowess, he and his followers went from a handful of escaped slaves to one of Rome’s greatest threats. Not only that, but his legacy carried on to the modern day, inspiring the oppressed to rise against their oppressors—even if that wasn’t his intention.
Hailed now as a hero for his people, a fearless leader, and a good man, Crazy Horse lived and died as an enemy of the US government. His name is legendary, but what do you really know about the man behind the myth? There was more to his life than the history books want you to know. Let’s look back and discover why the name Crazy Horse means so much today.
Lord Mountbatten was a decorated British Royal Navy veteran, a great hero on the surface. But his privileged position and silver-spooned jumpstart on life may be more responsible for his success than his actual skills. Behind the façade was a bumbling man who hid some disturbingly dark secrets.
Before there was a Roman Empire, Carthage ruled the world. A seafaring, wealthy, and opulent Phoenecian metropolis situated in modern Tunisia, its power and influence preceded it—but then the small Roman Republic began edging in on its territory. What resulted was the so-called “Punic Wars,” which didn’t just change military history, but changed history.
King Charles II was the last hope of the Spanish Habsburg Dynasty, which had ruled an ever-expanding Spain for over a century—and he wasn’t much to hope for. A victim of decades of close inbreeding, from the day he was born Charles wasn’t expected to live. When his rule did come, it was bitter, brief, and doomed everything it touched.
There’s a long, bizarre history of unique people who have been exploited for the entertainment of others. But the story of the "Queen's dwarf," Jeffrey Hudson, might be the most extraordinary and sad tale of all.
History would be a much more boring place without Margaret Beaufort. Without her, we’d never have two of the most famous monarchs in history, King Henry VIII and his daughter, Queen Elizabeth I. Those two often overshadow the royals who came before them—which is a shame, because Margaret Beaufort’s story is absolutely jaw-dropping.
Sacagawea was one tough lady. When she was a teenage mom, this Shoshone explorer tied her baby to her back and fearlessly travelled westward across America as part of Lewis and Clark’s famous expedition. For most people, that’s pretty much the beginning and end of Sacagawea’s story—but they’d be wrong. From her perilous childhood to her nightmare of a marriage, there’s so much more to know about this Indigenous icon.
Maria Theresa ruled the Habsburg Empire for 40 years. Her reign began timidly, and she opted to defer to the supposed expertise of the men around her. But it was only when she began to reject the advice of these men, instead trusting her own intuition, that she came into her own as a powerful and capable leader. Today, she’s hailed as the last great Habsburg monarch—but few remember the dark deeds she committed on her path to greatness.
Few people outside of experienced English history buffs are familiar with the name Henry II. Despite rising to power through blood and conflict, and then proceeding to reign in the same manner as he had started, many people forget Henry II. His ruthlessness expanded England’s power well into France’s borders, and it caused Henry problems when he passed that same trait on to his power-hungry sons. Henry II shaped not just England but Wales, Scotland, Brittany, and Ireland. He became the man with a plan—and only his sons could stop his rampage across Europe.
Christopher Columbus has a legacy full of the highs and lows of over five hundred years of history. Yet for all his fame and infamy, few people still know the whole story, or just how dark it gets. This explorer didn’t just controversially put America on his map, he also suffered through a myriad of personal tragedies and disturbing vices—and made others suffer in their turn.
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