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Inside The Tragic Death Of River Phoenix — And The Downward Spiral That Preceded It

Following several days of binging on cocaine and heroin, 23-year-old actor River Phoenix collapsed outside Hollywood's Viper Room nightclub right in front of his brother, sister, and girlfriend on October 31, 1993.

By Marco Margaritoff • Jun 12, 2025

Inside The Tragic Death Of River Phoenix — And The Downward Spiral That Preceded It

Following several days of binging on cocaine and heroin, 23-year-old actor River Phoenix collapsed outside Hollywood's Viper Room nightclub right in front of his brother, sister, and girlfriend on October 31, 1993.

By Marco Margaritoff • June 12, 2025

Hürrem Sultan, The Young Concubine Of Suleiman The Magnificent Who Became The Sultan’s Wife

Around 1533, the Ottoman sultan broke custom to marry his favorite concubine Hürrem Sultan — and she soon became the most powerful woman in the empire.

By Andrew Milne • Jun 11, 2025

Hürrem Sultan, The Young Concubine Of Suleiman The Magnificent Who Became The Sultan’s Wife

Around 1533, the Ottoman sultan broke custom to marry his favorite concubine Hürrem Sultan — and she soon became the most powerful woman in the empire.

By Andrew Milne • June 11, 2025

‘An Absolute Rarity’: Stunning Roman Mosaic Of Swimming Dolphins Uncovered In Austria

The dolphin mosaic likely dates to the second century C.E. and was part of a villa owned by a wealthy Roman family.

By Kaleena Fraga • Jun 11, 2025

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‘An Absolute Rarity’: Stunning Roman Mosaic Of Swimming Dolphins Uncovered In Austria

The dolphin mosaic likely dates to the second century C.E. and was part of a villa owned by a wealthy Roman family.

By Kaleena Fraga • June 11, 2025

Painting Found Gathering Dust In A Connecticut Barn For More Than A Century Sells At Auction For $7 Million

After the painting was painstakingly restored, it was revealed to be the 1666 masterpiece "View of Olinda, Brazil" by Dutch artist Frans Post, one of the few European painters to visit the Americas in the 17th century.

By Ainsley Brown • Jun 11, 2025

News

Painting Found Gathering Dust In A Connecticut Barn For More Than A Century Sells At Auction For $7 Million

After the painting was painstakingly restored, it was revealed to be the 1666 masterpiece "View of Olinda, Brazil" by Dutch artist Frans Post, one of the few European painters to visit the Americas in the 17th century.

By Ainsley Brown • June 11, 2025

Scientists Reveal What Our Denisovan Ancestors Looked Like 75,000 Years Ago

When scientists first discovered these remains of a teenage girl in 2010, they knew that the history of early humans was about to be rewritten. Now we know what the face of a Denisovan actually looked like.

By Natasha Ishak • Jun 11, 2025

News

Scientists Reveal What Our Denisovan Ancestors Looked Like 75,000 Years Ago

When scientists first discovered these remains of a teenage girl in 2010, they knew that the history of early humans was about to be rewritten. Now we know what the face of a Denisovan actually looked like.

By Natasha Ishak • June 11, 2025

Inside The ‘Revolting’ Execution Of William Kemmler, The First Man To Die By Electric Chair

Convicted murderer William Kemmler became the first person to be executed in the newly invented electric chair on August 6, 1890, at New York's Auburn State Prison — but it went terribly wrong.

By Kaleena Fraga • Jun 10, 2025

Inside The ‘Revolting’ Execution Of William Kemmler, The First Man To Die By Electric Chair

Convicted murderer William Kemmler became the first person to be executed in the newly invented electric chair on August 6, 1890, at New York's Auburn State Prison — but it went terribly wrong.

By Kaleena Fraga • June 10, 2025

A 10-Carat Pink Diamond That Once Belonged To Marie Antoinette Is Now Heading To Auction

The pink diamond may have been part of a cache of jewelry that Marie Antoinette gave to her hairdresser for safekeeping before attempting to flee Paris during the French Revolution.

By Ainsley Brown • Jun 10, 2025

News

A 10-Carat Pink Diamond That Once Belonged To Marie Antoinette Is Now Heading To Auction

The pink diamond may have been part of a cache of jewelry that Marie Antoinette gave to her hairdresser for safekeeping before attempting to flee Paris during the French Revolution.

By Ainsley Brown • June 10, 2025

Shocking New Theory Claims That Prehistoric Humans Didn’t Learn To Control Fire For Cooking — But For Another Reason Instead

After studying animal bones found at sites in Israel, Spain, and Africa that hold some of the earliest evidence of fire, scientists from Tel Aviv University concluded that our ancestors first used fire to preserve meat and ward off scavengers.

By Ainsley Brown • Jun 10, 2025

News

Shocking New Theory Claims That Prehistoric Humans Didn’t Learn To Control Fire For Cooking — But For Another Reason Instead

After studying animal bones found at sites in Israel, Spain, and Africa that hold some of the earliest evidence of fire, scientists from Tel Aviv University concluded that our ancestors first used fire to preserve meat and ward off scavengers.

By Ainsley Brown • June 10, 2025

Inside The Battle Of Thermopylae And The Bravery Of The Vastly Outnumbered Greeks

In 480 B.C.E., King Leonidas of Sparta led 7,000 Greek troops against as many as 300,000 Persian soldiers at the Battle of Thermopylae — and the Greeks may have won if they hadn't been betrayed.

By Austin Harvey • Jun 9, 2025

Inside The Battle Of Thermopylae And The Bravery Of The Vastly Outnumbered Greeks

In 480 B.C.E., King Leonidas of Sparta led 7,000 Greek troops against as many as 300,000 Persian soldiers at the Battle of Thermopylae — and the Greeks may have won if they hadn't been betrayed.

By Austin Harvey • June 9, 2025

Inside The Reclusive Life And Tragic Death Of Empress Elisabeth Of Austria

The wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I, Elisabeth of Austria was known for her beauty and for her frequent refusal to be seen in public before she was murdered by an Italian anarchist in 1898.

By Genevieve Carlton • Jun 9, 2025

Inside The Reclusive Life And Tragic Death Of Empress Elisabeth Of Austria

The wife of Emperor Franz Joseph I, Elisabeth of Austria was known for her beauty and for her frequent refusal to be seen in public before she was murdered by an Italian anarchist in 1898.

By Genevieve Carlton • June 9, 2025