Author: sokseth

Mitchell Library, GlasgowGlasgow razor gangs like the Bridgeton Team popularized the Glasgow smile, an eerie set of scars on either side of a victim’s mouth. Humans are unusually creative when …

In 20th-century Scotland, roving gangsters punished each other by carving the sides of a victim’s mouth into a demented grin known as the “Glasgow smile.” But this bloody practice didn’t end there. Read More

Jeffrey Markowitz/Getty ImagesAt her trial, Lorena Bobbitt demonstrates the abuse she allegedly experienced at John Bobbitt’s hands. In the early hours of June 23, 1993, a 24-year-old woman named Lorena …

On June 23, 1993, Lorena Bobbitt cut off her husband John’s penis, leading to a media circus that largely ignored her allegations of marital abuse. Read More

Like many people, Christa Pike lived a troubled life and dropped out of high school at a young age. But unlike many people, Christa Pike committed a brutal murder when …

On January 12, 1995, Christa Pike brutally murdered Colleen Slemmer with Tadaryl Shipp in the woods of Knoxville, Tennessee. And instead of hiding her crime, she decided to show it off. Read More

Public DomainMembers of the Gunpowder Plot who were hanged, drawn, and quartered in 1606. In 1484, an Englishman named William Collingbourne was found guilty of high treason. His crime? Writing …

The hanged, drawn, and quartered execution method was first devised in 13th-century England to punish men found guilty of high treason — and it was only abolished in 1870. Read More

On the night of April 14, 1912, the RMS Titanic’s lookout Frederick Fleet famously yelled, “Iceberg, right ahead!” Despite this warning, the ship wasn’t able to get out of the way in …

These haunting photos of the RMS Titanic’s sinking were taken immediately before and after the historic disaster on April 15, 1912. Read More

On December 16, 1985, Gambino crime family boss Paul Castellano and his underboss Thomas Bilotti were brazenly gunned down outside Sparks Steak House in Midtown Manhattan. Bettmann/Getty ImagesGambino boss Paul …

On December 16, 1985, John Gotti oversaw the assassination of Gambino family boss Paul Castellano outside Sparks Steak House in Manhattan — a hit that would change the Mafia forever. Read More

Schwab Family/KSHBCaleb Schwab was 10 years old when he died at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas. In August 2016, 10-year-old Caleb Thomas Schwab eagerly lined up to ride the world’s tallest …

A day of fun at Schlitterbahn Waterpark in Kansas turned into a day of horror on August 7, 2016, when 10-year-old Caleb Schwab was decapitated while riding the Verrückt waterslide. Read More

In the spring of 1989, thousands of Chinese troops entered Beijing’s Tiananmen Square and opened fire on unarmed protesters. As many as 1 million demonstrators — mostly university-age liberals — …

Declassified reports and modern reexaminations reveal the widely covered-up horrors of the Tiananmen Square massacre that left as many as thousands dead in Beijing on June 4, 1989. Read More

Getty ImagesFor the first 13 years of her life, Genie Wiley suffered unimaginable abuse and neglect at the hands of her parents. The story of Genie Wiley the Feral Child …

“Feral Child” Genie Wiley was strapped to a chair by her parents and neglected for 13 years before she was finally rescued — then she was experimented upon by researchers studying human development. Read More

Bea Arthur, comedian. Bea Arthur, singer. Bea Arthur… Marine? National ArchivesBea Arthur’s Marine service photo. When she enlisted, she went by Bernice Frankel. The statuesque actress is best known for …

Bea Arthur joined the Marine Corps when she was 20 years old and served for more than two years as a driver and dispatcher at a base in North Carolina. Read More