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Meg Ryan has been a Hollywood fixture for the better part of four decades. Best known for rom-com romps such as Sleepless in Seattle and You’ve Got Mail, the actress’s off-screen life has been equally romance and comedy-filled....

Imagine a world where burly Norse warriors discover a new continent—and then just... walk away. Wild, right? Get ready for a story into why the Vikings pulled the ultimate “not interested” move on North America. But first, an introduction.

Field Marshal Bernard Law “Monty” Montgomery was instrumental in defeating the Axis forces during WWII. His strategic brilliance, however, was second only to his massive ego and total lack of tact. More people need to know about Bernard “Monty” Montgomery, the man who Winston Churchill himself described as, “In defeat, unbeatable; in victory, unbearable”.

A gentleman to some and a menace to others, John Dillinger put America in a frenzy with a spree that led to the formation of the FBI itself—until his luck ran out.

Francis I of France is inevitably compared to Henry VIII. Both kings had big personalities, big love affairs, and big scandals that rocked the face of Europe. But there’s a lot more to Francis than just the similarities to the Tudor counterpart. From his unlikely ascension to the throne to his brutal defeats and torturous later years, Francis did not languish in his neighbor's shadow.

The House of Tudor had more than its fair share of scandalous figures, from Henry VIII’s many marriages to the intrigue and plots of the court of Elizabeth I. But few remember the twisted tale of Mary Tudor—the English princess who briefly became Queen of France. From her secret marriage to her bitter rivalry with Anne Boleyn, Mary packed a lot into her short life.

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.