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On April 14, 1865, John Wilkes Booth shot Abraham Lincoln at Ford's Theatre in Washington, DC. Much has been written about Booth's motivations: that he was a Confederate sympathizer, or suffering from professional jealousy, or simply wanted attention. Regardless, when Booth left Ford's Theatre that night, he had indelibly changed the course of history, slaying a man now considered one of the nation's greatest presidents.

No one will deny that Ireland has had its share of hard times. From adverse policies implemented by Britain to inequality abroad, the Irish have weathered countless struggles and horrors. Despite their often tragic history, the Irish have created a unique culture that has profoundly impacted the world at large.

During its heyday from 1682 to 1789, Versailles wasn’t just a palace - it was the center of France’s royal world. French royals, nobles, and state officials lived together in the sprawling palace complex. But despite the regal setting, everyday life for courtiers at Versailles was often stressful, regimented, and surprisingly unsanitary.

Most people know what happened to the Donner Party, a group of settlers led by George Donner and James F. Reed, once they reached Alder Creek, California, in the Sierra Nevada mountains. Members of the party resorted to cannibalism in order to survive after they became trapped by a massive snowfall.

For centuries, many have called gout "the disease of kings" because it affected men who ate rich diets and drank heavily. As early as the ancient Greeks, doctors wrote about gout, claiming that only wealthy men could become afflicted with it. And when royals like Henry VIII came down with gout, it transformed into a fashionable condition. Just like the French imitated the royals at Versailles, Europeans aimed to get gout as a status symbol. In the 16th century, men claimed that gout prevented other maladies and even called it an aphrodisiac.

On September 2, 1666, 80% of medieval London burned to the ground in the largest fire in the city's history. The fire raged for more than three days, consuming huge swaths of the city, but the Great Fire of London story often leaves out what happened after the fire. What happened to London after the Great Fire destroyed over 13,000 buildings?

If you've ever been to the restaurant Medieval Times or eaten at a Renaissance Faire, then you've been horribly misled about medieval diets. The real story of medieval foods and cooking is actually simultaneously a lot more disgusting and a lot more boring, depending on who was doing the eating.

Nothing epitomizes the disastrous Cuba policy of the United States better than the abortive, three-day, failed Bay of Pigs invasion conducted by anti-Castro Cuban exiles in April 1962. In the annals of half-assed CIA operations, this debacle ranks close to the top of the list of Agency disasters. Although he had no personal involvement in the snafu, Che Guevara eventually thanked an American government official at a South American diplomatic affair for providing such a colossally unifying blunder.

In December 1971, 17-year-old Juliane Koepcke and her mother were traveling to see her father on LANSA Flight 508 when the plane was felled by lightning and broke apart. Considered the worst lightning strike in history, the crash ultimately led to the loss of every passenger on board - except Koepcke. The teenager plunged two miles through the air to the floor of a Peruvian jungle, still strapped to her seat. Despite this harrowing experience, she lived to tell the tale. Koepcke, who miraculously suffered only minimal harm, ventured through the forest for 11 days seeking help.

Are ninjas real? While they seem like a part of Japanese folklore, they are, in fact, real. While most people think of the ancient shinobi mercenaries as nothing but stealth assassins, in reality, they were a lot more James Bond than Sonny Chiba's Hattori Hanzo. Espionage was the name of the game. Cloaked in a variety of disguises, they infiltrated enemy territory to learn building layouts, swipe secret passwords, and spread misinformation. If need be, they were also up for sabotage, mainly in the form of arson.

The history of alcohol in America, from colonial cider drinkers to prohibition hooch smugglers, shows the lengths Americans went for their booze. Some cowboys were said to be so desperate at the saloons they threw back a mixture of gin and strychnine, while some speculate that the Pilgrims landed on Plymouth Rock in winter because they ran out of beer. In the late 19th century, Americans flocked to bars to try new, exciting cocktails, while German immigrants popularized a new style of beer.

Lipstick has been linked with royalty and the devil. It's been called a sign of female emancipation and female oppression. Lipstick history dates back thousands of years, to ancient lipstick made from crushed gemstones and lead. In ancient Greece, harlots legally had to wear lipstick, while 18th century Britain declared lipstick a sign of witchcraft. And the origin of red lipstick, still a trendy look today, involves some downright disgusting ingredients.

The Black Death changed the world. As the most profound epidemic in human history, the plague claimed the lives of millions, with nearly half of Europe's population perishing from the disease. Some feared they were living through the apocalypse amidst the chaotic upheaval, while others turned to sinful pleasure during the plague to distract from the horror. And as for what happened to victims of the plague, well, it wasn't opportune.

Reservedly advocated as a humane killing device by Dr. Joseph-Ignace Guillotin during the 18th century, the guillotine executed people en masse during the French Revolution; France discontinued its use after 1977. The mechanism of death evoked fear and altered public sentiment about execution. During that time, many viewed capital punishment as a grand, public spectacle, but death by guillotine was a quicker, less-involved process than hanging or traditional beheading at the blade of an ax.

Joe Pesci is an odd guy. One day, he’s a guitarist whose dream is to become an east coast lounge singer -- a couple of years later, he’s playing opposite Robert De Niro, and Scorsese fans are instantly all in on this five-foot-three ball of energy. Today, we’re going to explore why Joe Pesci has led one of the most interesting lives of any actor.

You may have seen the 2007 movie, or even read the 1997 book, but the real story of the man behind ‘Into The Wild’ and his untimely death in the Alaskan Wilderness is a lot more twisted and confusing than you’d probably ever think. Chris McCandless’ death was far from straight-forward.

Henry VIII might be known as a bad husband with a hot temper who straight beheaded a couple of his wives. But he was also a surprisingly talented musician and was an animal lover. Henry was a complicated man. Today, we’re going to talk about some strange facts that you didn’t know about Henry VIII.

Ancient Rome was at its apex from the second century BC through the second century AD. During the Pax Romana of the first and second centuries AD, Rome benefited from the expansion of its empire, with vast amounts of wealth and diverse cultural influences flooding into its borders. What was Ancient Rome like? It had a little bit of everything.

The ‘70s were a big decade for Lucifer. The Exorcist came out in late ‘73, Anton LaVey was really feeling himself with the growing popularity of his Church of Satan, and his book, The Satanic Bible, was really hitting its stride. In this video, we’ll uncover the violent truths that still shroud Anneliese Michel’s death, and the 67 exorcisms she endured, which inspired The Exorcism Of Emily Rose.

Although cleanliness in the Middle Ages was primitive compared to what modern people enjoy, it doesn't mean medieval hygiene didn't exist. Despite living in an era long before indoor plumbing, shampoo, and nail salons, people used the best hygiene practices they could. Unfortunately, they didn't have a lot to work with. Peasants had it especially bad and weren't often able to afford luxuries like more than one set of clothing. For the lower classes, personal hygiene in the Middle Ages meant keeping clean however you could, even if it wasn't easy.

The ultimate fate of Jimmy Hoffa remains one of the biggest mysteries and conspiracy theories in modern American history. What happened to him? How did he seemingly disappear into thin air one, never to be seen or heard from again? One person trying to answer this question is Martin Scorsese, in the film The Irishman. Today, we’re going to explore the real life of Frank ‘The Irishman’ Sheeran.

WWI was one of the most catastrophic events in human history. But soldiers at the front lines who spent life in the trenches lived through a particularly harrowing war experience. Their stories reveal an experience that was often bleak, but also movingly human.

How did Baldassarre Cossa, the pirate pope, become the leader of the Catholic Church? From 1410-1415, Cossa reigned as Pope John XXIII, but he wasn't the only pope at the time. In fact, Cossa was one of three popes who struggled to rule over the church. Known as the Western Schism, the split lasted from 1378-1417, and multiple popes declared supremacy but refused to step down. In the chaos, the former pirate seized power, literally placing the stole of Peter on his own shoulders.

Mark Takahashi talks about his family’s experience with Japanese Internment Camps during World War II. After Pearl Harbor and the issuing of Executive Order 9066, Mark's paternal and maternal grandparents, Toyo and Seytsu, were sent to Japanese internment camps. Mark tells the story of both of their experiences before, during and after the war.

What was everyday life like for Egyptian royals? In a word: busy. Though they lived in the lap of luxury and enjoyed a standard of living that most other ancient Egyptians didn't, Egyptian royalty generally didn't have much downtime. From around 3150 to 30 BC, Egypt was ruled by kings and queens called pharaohs. As supreme heads of a complex kingdom, pharaohs spent their days overseeing the religious, economic, cultural, and political life of Egypt. But pharaohs didn't just have to manage Egypt's affairs - they also had to manage the affairs of their families. The life of the royal family was undeniably political.