The Daring Polish Resistance Fighter Who Volunteered to Be Sent to Auschwitz So He Could Sabotage the Nazi Death Camp From the Inside
Witold Pilecki smuggled reports about Germany’s war crimes to the Allies, urging them to stop the atrocities at Auschwitz by bombing the camp. But his warnings went unheeded
Why an English King’s Traitorous Brother Was (Allegedly) Drowned in a Barrel of Wine
George Plantagenet, Duke of Clarence, spent his life engaged in a power struggle that pitted cousins and siblings against each other. He was executed for treason on this day in 1478
When Al Capone’s Henchmen Marked Valentine’s Day With a Bloody Massacre
The infamous mob assassination, which took place on this day in 1929, resulted in the deaths of seven men linked to gangster George “Bugs” Moran
The Liberation of Auschwitz—Where More Than One Million Jews Were Killed—Took Place on This Day in 1945
The Nazi concentration and extermination camp was the site of the largest mass murder in human history
The Trial of Bruno Richard Hauptmann—Accused Murderer of the Lindbergh Baby—Began in New Jersey on This Day in 1935
The German-born man was convicted of kidnapping and killing the son of pilot Charles Lindbergh
A Rare Coin Depicting Brutus, Caesar’s Infamous Assassin, Sells for $2 Million
Following the murder in 44 B.C.E., Brutus minted the gold aureus to promote his own image and celebrate his military victories
The Ten Best History Books of 2024
Our favorite titles of the year resurrect forgotten histories and examine how the United States ended up where it is today
How British Authorities Finally Caught Up to the Most Notorious Pirate in History
On this day in 1718, the Royal Navy attacked and killed Blackbeard, also known as Edward Teach, off the coast of North Carolina
The Real History Behind Ridley Scott’s ‘Gladiator II’ and Life as a Fighter in the Ancient Roman Arena
The “Gladiator” sequel centers on Lucius Verus, the secret son of Russell Crowe’s character from the 2000 film. Both men achieve fame as enslaved fighters driven by their desire for revenge
Inside the Brutal Murders That Inspired a Foundational Work in the True Crime Genre
Truman Capote’s “In Cold Blood” documented the killings of a family of four in rural Kansas on this day in 1959
These Black Americans Were Killed for Exercising Their Political Right to Vote
In the Jim Crow South, activists became martyrs at the hands of white racists, all for the just cause of using the vote to fight for equality and freedom
Why a Minnesota Man Walked Around the World, Traversing 13 Countries and 14,450 Miles in Four Years
Fifty years ago, on October 5, 1974, David Kunst completed the first verified circumnavigation of the globe on foot. Along the way, he met Princess Grace of Monaco, raised money for UNICEF and lost a brother to bandits
On This Day in 1899, a Car Fatally Struck a Pedestrian for the First Time in American History
Henry Hale Bliss’ death presaged the battle between the 20th-century automobile lobby and walkers in U.S. cities
What Does Human Flesh Taste Like? The Answer Depends on Who You Ask
Cannibals have weighed in with different opinions. Some say it tastes like pork, while others say like veal—and still others say like nothing else
The Real Story Behind the Baltimore Deaths That Inspired ‘Lady in the Lake’
A new mini-series offers a fictionalized take on two unrelated 1969 cases: the mysterious disappearance of bartender Shirley Lee Parker and the murder of 11-year-old Esther Lebowitz
The History of Presidential Assassination Attempts, From Andrew Jackson to Teddy Roosevelt
Before last weekend’s attack on Donald Trump, would-be assassins unsuccessfully targeted Ronald Reagan, Franklin D. Roosevelt, and seven other sitting presidents or candidates for office
How All-Female ‘Juries of Matrons’ Shaped Legal History
Courts called on these jurors to determine whether women sentenced to death were pregnant or faking it to avoid execution
What a 100-Year-Old Lie Detector and 150-Year-Old Arsenic Tests Tell Us About Forensic Science Today
An exhibition at the National Museum of American History examines how humans influence and judge investigation techniques
‘The Crime of the Century,’ a Century Later
In the summer of 1924, the Leopold and Loeb murder case triggered a media frenzy and a debate over whether anyone can truly know what’s inside the mind of a cold-blooded killer
How the Murder of a Black Grocery Store Owner and His Colleagues Galvanized Ida B. Wells’ Anti-Lynching Crusade
The saga of People’s Grocery stands as a powerful reminder of the centrality of Black radicalism to the food justice movement
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