They say that behind every successful man is a strong woman. Well, Maria Carolina of Austria certainly didn’t stand behind anyone—let alone a man. When her halfwit husband the King of Naples didn’t seem up for the job, she rose to the occasion. Her aggressiveness and cunning caused her greatest enemy, Napoleon himself, to call her “the only man in Naples.” The following ferocious facts will show how Maria Carolina single-handedly burst through the glass ceiling in 16th-century Europe.
Genghis Khan clawed his way to power through betrayal, bloodshed, and sheer brilliance. But was he a visionary who built one of the greatest empires the world has ever seen, or a ruthless tyrant who left only destruction in his wake? The truth is messy, shocking, and stranger than legend.
Tsar Paul I thought he was born to save Russia from his monstrous mother, Catherine the Great. With the confidence only royalty possesses, Paul schemed against his mother for years, then fought to pick apart her entire legacy. But a man as spoiled, hateful, and clueless as Paul was always going to be doomed in the end—I just doubt he expected his demise to be so sudden, or so painful.
Hortense Mancini’s story, of a child bride trapped by a monster, would’ve been a footnote in history books. Until she fought back and ran away. Hortense spent the rest of her life running from her insane husband, having royal affairs, and causing scandals. She proved that well-behaved women rarely make history.
King James V of Scotland was the nephew of King Henry VIII…and it showed. As a baby, James could never escape drama. As a young man, he began causing scandals all on his own. From being kidnapped by his evil stepfather to enacting a chilling revenge on an entire family, James’s life was a wild ride, right up until his mortifying end.
Tonya Harding had already wowed the figure skating world with her amazing triple axel. What happened next drew wows for a very different and much more sordid reason. When her fiercest competitor sustained a surprising and violent injury, all eyes turned to Harding. Once the FBI had come to their conclusions, Harding‘s career on ice was over, and what followed was a series of sad and desperate attempts to stay in the spotlight.
Christina of Denmark was considered a dynamo even in her own day—and she needed to be. Strikingly beautiful, she nonetheless navigated a life full of ugliness and danger, from her father’s exile and imprisonment to the kidnapping of her own son. But above all, her greatest legacy may have been the gruesome fate she narrowly avoided: Being a Tudor queen.
J.P. Morgan is a household name. However, what of the man behind the business? J.P. Morgan indeed possessed a strong business sense, which he used to revolutionize not just his wealth but the entire business landscape of America. Yet, money doesn’t solve all problems, and Morgan couldn’t escape the past that haunted him. Run as Morgan might’ve, eventually the secrets of his childhood caught up with him, and no amount of money could save him from his fate.
Marcus Licinius Crassus was one of the most instrumental statesmen of the Roman Republic, largely responsible for its transformation into an Empire. Coming from relatively humble origins, he amassed wealth and influence through his ruthless maneuvering and cruel tactics, becoming what many called the richest man in Rome in the process.
It’s hard to do justice to the story of the walking disaster that was Pope John XII. When even the historian most sympathetic to his life states, “There cannot be a doubt that John XII was anything but what a Pope, the chief pastor of Christendom, should have been,” you know he must have messed up somewhere along the way. An adulterer, backstabber, and all-around terrible human being, John XII’s story is like a trainwreck you can’t take your eyes off of.
In a time when men relegated women to the sidelines, Caterina Sforza refused to let anyone silence her. Well-educated and descended from a line of powerful leaders, she utilized her strength, wit, and determination to wield a rare power. However, her beauty and cunning also hid just how terrifying she could be.
Few people embody the spirit of the Wild West better than showman and soldier, Buffalo Bill Cody. From humble beginnings and near destitution, Buffalo Bill seized the opportunities that presented themselves and built his fame. He embodied the American dream. He quite literally created his own story—which might just be the problem. Behind the tall tales that Bill told of his life, a darker truth inevitably came to light. So, settle in and let us introduce you to the real Buffalo Bill.
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