In 20th-century America, the brown paper bag test was used to deny some Black people access to positions of privilege if their skin tone was darker than a paper bag.

In 1913, Leo Frank was found guilty of killing 13-year-old Mary Phagan, even though no physical evidence linked him to the crime. Two years later, a mob lynched him for it.

The Jane Collective helped more than 10,000 Chicago-area women get safe, affordable abortions between 1969 and 1973 while dodging law enforcement along the way.

On August 31, 1997, Princess Diana was killed in a car crash while trying to escape the paparazzi — but some people think it was no accident.

In the 19th century, Manuelita Sáenz shirked convention for noblewomen of her time by becoming a colonel in the fight for South American independence.

Also known as La Maupin, Julie D'Aubigny was famous for her beautiful voice in the world of French opera, but she was also a formidable fencing master.

The wife of American traitor Benedict Arnold, Peggy Shippen played a crucial role in her husband’s espionage ring during the Revolutionary War.

Dorothy Gibson's career as a silent film actress was in full swing when she survived the Titanic sinking in April 1912. Then, just a month later, she played herself in "Saved From The Titanic."

In the 1950s, a Japanese woman named Masako Katsura took the billiards world by storm — and made a name for herself in the traditionally male-dominated sport.

After Ryan Wayne White of Kokomo, Indiana was diagnosed with AIDS on December 17, 1984, his case sparked widespread discussion about this stigmatized disease.

When Secret Service agent Clint Hill heard the first gunshot in Dallas on November 22, 1963, he raced toward John F. Kennedy's limo to throw his body over Jackie and the president, but he was a second too late.