# politics
Rubbing It In: History’s Greatest Flexes and Ownages
“Ownage” is a modern slang term for the act of overwhelmingly defeating or dominating somebody, often leavened with connotations of superiority, arrogance, and plain rubbing it in. The term is modern, but…
Axel von Fersen, the Tragic Romance of a Count Who Loved a Queen but Couldn’t Save Her
Count Hans Axel von Fersen (1755 – 1810) of Sweden is little known today, but he was the male half…
America’s Black Flyers: The Tuskegee Airmen
In early 1941, the US War Department reluctantly began to accept African Americans candidates for pilot training in the US…
A Small Strike With Huge Consequences: The Doolittle Raid That Changed WWII in the Pacific
The Japanese strike against Pearl Harbor on December 7th, 1941, suddenly thrust the United States into World War II. It…
King Bonaparte and the Jersey Devil: Surprising Facts About a Bonaparte’s Life in America
In 1814, Napoleon Bonaparte faced enemy armies advancing upon France from all quarters, a country exhausted from decades of war,…
30 Secret Societies That Shaped History
Secret societies have influenced politics, religion, and even revolutions throughout history. Some sought knowledge, others pursued power, and many operated…
The Hitler Youth, and the Children Who Defied Hitler
The Hitler Youth was created to mold German boys into ideal Aryan men, educated, trained, and imbued with Nazi principles.…
The Real Story Behind Pablo Picasso’s Most Famous Masterpiece
The town of Guernica is one of the most ancient Basque towns, and their most important cultural center. Today it…
The Rise of Rasputin: The Mad Monk Who Ran Russia
In the Romanov Dynasty’s final years, Russia fell under the sway of a deranged mystic. Despite his utter unfitness, the…
Decadent and Depraved Roman Emperors Who Shocked their Subjects
The Roman Empire oversaw a period of unprecedented prosperity and stability that came to be known as the Pax Romana.…