Are aliens real? Some people really, really want to believe. Here are the real government initiatives (and one compelling probable hoax) that these believers use in making their case that aliens do exist.

In the 17th century, the southwest region of Africa now known as Angola stood divided. It would take years -- and the influence of one remarkable woman -- to unite it.

A former news reporter has developed an algorithm to help solve murders — but will law enforcement use it?

Mary Shanley was one of the NYPD's first female police officers — and one of its most badass.

In spite or perhaps because of the value placed on chastity, the Victorians took flirting to a new level of crazy.

In 1800s Europe, real-life humans served as ornamental garden hermits on the estates of wealthy landowners. This is their bizarre yet true story.

Sherri Finkbine's story is an apt reminder of the hurdles that women have had to cross in order to assert control over their own bodies.

In the 1890s, Ida B. Wells galvanized the early civil rights movement through her investigative journalism and intersectional feminism — and she was just getting started.

One of the few women in Ancient Greek academe, Hypatia of Alexandria was a true sight to behold. And she was killed because of it.

If you thought the Salem witch trials were bad, wait until you learn about what went down in Spain.

In the 1990s, hundreds of families in rural England reported that "phantom" social workers had abducted their children. As it turns out, the truth is worse than the urban legend.