modern history

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

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

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

The Halifax Explosion: The Devastating Maritime Collision That Produced The Largest Explosion Of The Pre-Nuclear Age

On December 6, 1917, two ships collided in Nova Scotia's Halifax harbor — triggering a devastating explosion and tsunami that killed 1,800 people.

By Austin Harvey • Jun 8, 2025

The Halifax Explosion: The Devastating Maritime Collision That Produced The Largest Explosion Of The Pre-Nuclear Age

On December 6, 1917, two ships collided in Nova Scotia's Halifax harbor — triggering a devastating explosion and tsunami that killed 1,800 people.

By Austin Harvey • June 8, 2025

Inside The Bizarre Case Of Will And William West — And Its Alleged Impact On Fingerprinting In Prisons

In 1903, two men named Will and William West were both imprisoned at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. Their appearances and measurements were so similar that prison officials had to rely on their fingerprints to tell them apart.

By Rivy Lyon • Jun 3, 2025

Inside The Bizarre Case Of Will And William West — And Its Alleged Impact On Fingerprinting In Prisons

In 1903, two men named Will and William West were both imprisoned at the federal penitentiary in Leavenworth, Kansas. Their appearances and measurements were so similar that prison officials had to rely on their fingerprints to tell them apart.

By Rivy Lyon • June 3, 2025

Two 14-Year-Olds In Upstate New York Were Just Charged With Burning Down An Historic Mill That Opened In 1846

On May 31, 2025, a fire broke out at the historic Victory Mills in the village of Victory, New York — and now, two 14-year-olds have been arrested on arson charges.

By Austin Harvey • Jun 3, 2025

News

Two 14-Year-Olds In Upstate New York Were Just Charged With Burning Down An Historic Mill That Opened In 1846

On May 31, 2025, a fire broke out at the historic Victory Mills in the village of Victory, New York — and now, two 14-year-olds have been arrested on arson charges.

By Austin Harvey • June 3, 2025

The Story Of The Lucky Dragon, The Japanese Fishing Boat Accidentally Caught In A U.S. Hydrogen Bomb Test

On March 1, 1954, 23 crew members on the Lucky Dragon were poisoned by radiation when the fallout from the Castle Bravo nuclear test rained down on their ship, which was floating about 80 miles from the detonation site at Bikini Atoll.

By Kaleena Fraga • Jun 2, 2025

The Story Of The Lucky Dragon, The Japanese Fishing Boat Accidentally Caught In A U.S. Hydrogen Bomb Test

On March 1, 1954, 23 crew members on the Lucky Dragon were poisoned by radiation when the fallout from the Castle Bravo nuclear test rained down on their ship, which was floating about 80 miles from the detonation site at Bikini Atoll.

By Kaleena Fraga • June 2, 2025

The Poignant Story Of Wind Phones, The Japanese Invention That Lets People Have Final ‘Conversations’ With Lost Loved Ones

After Itaru Sasaki built the first wind phone in Japan in 2010, the concept of a disconnected phone where mourners can share final words with lost loved ones has spread across the world.

By Austin Harvey • Jun 1, 2025

The Poignant Story Of Wind Phones, The Japanese Invention That Lets People Have Final ‘Conversations’ With Lost Loved Ones

After Itaru Sasaki built the first wind phone in Japan in 2010, the concept of a disconnected phone where mourners can share final words with lost loved ones has spread across the world.

By Austin Harvey • June 1, 2025

The Real Story Of Sirhan Sirhan: The Troubled Young Man Who Killed Robert Kennedy In 1968

Just after midnight on June 5, 1968, a 24-year-old Palestinian man named Sirhan Sirhan shot and killed presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

By Kaleena Fraga • Jun 1, 2025

The Real Story Of Sirhan Sirhan: The Troubled Young Man Who Killed Robert Kennedy In 1968

Just after midnight on June 5, 1968, a 24-year-old Palestinian man named Sirhan Sirhan shot and killed presidential hopeful Robert F. Kennedy in the kitchen of the Ambassador Hotel in Los Angeles.

By Kaleena Fraga • June 1, 2025

The Surprising Story Behind Antarctica’s Blood Falls, The Glacier That Seems To Be Gushing Blood

It took a century for scientists to figure out the reason for Blood Falls' crimson water — and how it flows out of the glacier.

By John Kuroski • Jun 1, 2025

The Surprising Story Behind Antarctica’s Blood Falls, The Glacier That Seems To Be Gushing Blood

It took a century for scientists to figure out the reason for Blood Falls' crimson water — and how it flows out of the glacier.

By John Kuroski • June 1, 2025