“The Wealthiest Woman in America” was so stingy she took her injured son to a free clinic and so paranoid that she slept holding a gun, a chain of bank-deposit keys around her waist
The Terror of South China: Madame Ching was a prostitute who became a highly successful, feared pirate captain
For three months in 1964, Vladimir Nabokov wrote down his dreams every morning, pursuing a theory that time flows backward
Kirk Douglas turning 101, a Hollywood icon who plays tough guys but is a soft-hearted philanthropist offscreen
The legend of the martyred St. Escrava Anastacia, the beautiful slave girl who was forced to wear a face mask …
The amazing miniature bird mansions of the Ottoman Era reveal deep affection and respect for winged creatures …
Siberian mystery: In 1908 the most powerful explosion in documented history flattened millions of trees …
“Brave New World” author Aldous Huxley requested LSD on his deathbed, a request granted by his wife …
Sir Anthony Hopkins won the Oscar for role of psychopath Hannibal Lecter with only 16 minutes of screen time and an unblinking stare …
Bold Invention: The Bartini Beriev VVA-14, a 1970s-era Soviet aircraft designed to take off from the water
