For nearly two centuries, the most famous version of Davy Crockett’s death at the Alamo has been a simple, powerful story: he died fighting to the last breath, rifle in hand, surrounded by enemies. But some accounts tell a very different tale—one that has been buried, denied, or rewritten. The mystery of how Crockett really … Read more
Jack Kerouac’s novel On the Road made him one of America’s most famous authors, but the path to that fame was marked by violence, failed marriages, and personal tragedy that followed him until his death. Born in Lowell, Massachusetts in March 1922 to French-Canadian parents, Kerouac did not speak English until he was six years … Read more
They looked at Dee Snider— and thought they had already won. Big blonde hair. Sleeveless denim. Tight jeans. Snakeskin boots. Eye makeup. A Twisted Sister T-shirt. To the politicians sitting above him, he looked exactly like the kind of rock star they expected to embarrass himself on live television. Then Dee opened his mouth. And … Read more
Hugh Glass opened his eyes— and realized the men who were supposed to bury him had robbed him instead. His rifle was gone. His ammunition was gone. His supplies were gone. And so were the two men ordered to stay beside him until he died. Glass tried to move. One arm responded. One leg responded. … Read more
The toilet was a hole in the wall. Whatever you dropped into it fell downward— into a pit, cesspool, moat, or shaft beneath the castle. There was no flush. No modern sewer. And depending on the castle, dozens—sometimes hundreds—of people could be living, working, eating and sleeping behind the same stone walls. Now add urine. … Read more
They broke his body on a wheel. Tore at his flesh with burning pincers. Crushed his limbs. Cut off his head. Then burned what remained. And when the execution was finally over, authorities placed the severed head of Peter Stump above the figure of a wolf— as a warning to everyone who passed. The year … Read more
The knife went straight into the Duke of Buckingham. For a moment, George Villiers remained standing. Then he pulled the blade from his own body. “Villain!” He tried to move toward his attacker— managed only a few steps— and collapsed. Within moments, one of the most powerful men in England was dead. But the truly … Read more
The baby was dead. And Catherine of Aragon knew what that meant. She had just lost what may have been her final chance to give Henry VIII the one thing he desperately wanted— a surviving son. Years of pregnancies had brought heartbreak after heartbreak. Only their daughter Mary survived. Now Catherine lay inside the darkened … Read more
They dragged him away from the pregnant queen— and stabbed him again. And again. And again. Mary could do nothing. A weapon was held against her as David Rizzio, her trusted secretary, was pulled from her side inside Holyrood Palace. His screams carried from the adjoining room. The attackers kept striking. By the time it … Read more
On February 21, 1782, one of Britain’s most scandalous trials opened at Westminster Hall. The enraged aristocrat was Sir Richard Worsley, and he was suing his own close friend, Captain George Bisset, for what was then called criminal conversation—a legal charge leveled when three man accused retaining of seducing himaway wife Worm. He demanded twenty … Read more