Would the American Mafia as we know it even exist without Salvatore Maranzano?Wikimedia CommonsSalvatore Maranzano
Salvatore Maranzano didn’t dream of becoming a Mafioso — let alone the head of the most powerful crime organization in America and the man who formed the American Mafia as we know it — back when he was a small boy in Sicily. No, he apparently dreamt of joining a much older order of brothers: the Catholic priesthood. Read More...
On August 6, 2004, punk-funk legend Rick James was found dead in his Los Angeles home. He had nine different drugs in his system — including cocaine and meth.Rick James’ death struck the music world like a tidal wave. In the 1980s, the “Super Freak” singer had taken funk music out of the nightclub and delivered mainstream hits on a silver platter. He had sold over 10 million records, was a Grammy Award winner, inspired countless artists, and become an icon in his own time. Read More...
When a great famine struck Europe in 1314, mothers abandoned their children and in some cases, even ate them. Scholars believe that these tragedies gave birth to the story of Hansel and Gretel.The notorious tale of Hansel and Gretel has been translated into 160 languages since the Brothers Grimm first published the German lore in 1812.
Dark as it is, the story features child abandonment, attempted cannibalism, enslavement, and murder. Unfortunately, the origins of the story are equally — if not more — horrifying. Read More...
