# Italy
Incompetence That Shaped History
Did you know that one of Napoleon’s most crushing defeats was caused by hapless underlings, who mistakenly blew up a…
Bonkers Crimes and Criminals In History
Most crimes are run-of-the-mill and prosaic affairs – except for the direct participants, whether victims or perpetrators. To outside observers,…
Creative Pranks and Hoaxes in History
Just like today, there was no shortage in the past of pranksters and hoaxers who gulled others with acts of…
Mistresses and Lovers of Historical Figures Who Left Their Mark on History
The title of the royal mistress dates back thousands of years but is not something that you often read about…
A Prank Led to America’s First Nominated Female to Office, and Other Lesser Known American History Facts
Did you know that the first American woman to ever become mayor was elected as a result of a sexist…
D-Day’s Black Barrage Balloon Operators and Other Lesser Known WWII Facts
The Second World War was so enormous that many or most of its details are little known to most of…
Lesser Known Facts About World War II
World War II, the greatest conflict in human history, was fought on a massive scale that boggles the imagination, with…
Terrible Schemes that Governments and People Have Tried
Most brainstorms come nowhere near to producing useful and practical ideas. Indeed, if we are honest with ourselves, most brainstorms…
Myths About the Middle Ages Debunked
Some of what most of us know – or think we know – about the medieval period is true, and…
Russia’s Rambo and Other Fascinating WWII Figures and Facts
As history’s greatest conflict ever, the Second World War had no shortage of suffering and hardship and tragedy. At the…