In spite of Jasper Maskelyne's hair-raising tales of magical ingenuity and vanishing acts on the North African front, many of his adventures were later revealed to be nothing but smoke and mirrors.

In 1954, over 5,000 prisoners in the Kengir camp rose up against the guards, forcing them to flee the grounds. And for 40 days, the inmates got a brief taste of freedom.

In what is now considered the largest intelligence breach in FBI history, Robert Hanssen’s scandal made him millions in diamonds and cash, but cost the FBI $7 million — and the lives of three informants.

Known for her prowess on the battlefield and her penchant for cross-dressing, Yoshiko Kawashima became a polarizing figure in Asia during the Second Sino-Japanese War.

In 1698, Scottish colonists set sail to modern-day Panama with the goal of building a settlement there. But the plan turned out to be a total disaster.

In 1921, 11 sailors boarded the Carroll A. Deering in Barbados to head back to the United States. But weeks later, the ship was found wrecked — with no crew in sight.

Even after U.S. Army Lt. William Calley helped perpetrate the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War, most Americans supported him and he faced little punishment for his crimes.

Though he received special attention as Joseph Stalin's son, Vasily Stalin also gained a reputation for being a spoiled drunk. He was just 40 years old when he died in obscurity.

In 20th-century Scotland, roving gangsters punished each other by carving the sides of a victim's mouth into a demented grin known as the "Glasgow smile." But this bloody practice didn't end there.

After offering his criminal services to the Nazis in exchange for his freedom from jail, Eddie Chapman turned himself in to the British and became "Agent Zigzag."