For decades, Arturo Beltrán Leyva rose to power under the guidance of more notorious traffickers. But by the early 2000s, he was sick of working for his bosses — and set out to become a fearsome boss himself.Arturo Beltrán Leyva may be lesser known than other Mexican drug kingpins, but he was a central figure in some of the country’s bloodiest drug turf wars. Though he had once been aligned with the notorious Joaquín “El Chapo” Guzmán and the Sinaloa Cartel, Beltrán Leyva had split from the organization by 2008 — and created his own group. Read More...
Clement Vallandigham was in the middle of demonstrating how another man might have accidentally killed himself — then he accidentally killed himself.Library of CongressClement Vallandigham
Clement Vallandigham always believed in predestination. “I may, however, be mistaken,” he said even on his deathbed, “but I am a firm believer in that good old Presbyterian doctrine of predestination.” Of course, the reason that he was on his deathbed was that he’d just accidentally shot himself while in the process of demonstrating how another man may have accidentally shot himself. Read More...
Teddy bear history begins with a hunting trip, a U.S. president, and one fateful decision.Wikimedia CommonsThe political cartoon by Clifford Berryman that inspired the teddy bear.
President Theodore Roosevelt was a big game hunter. During his presidency, he would often take vacations to go bear hunting in the mountains, coming home with large trophies to show off to his friends. One particular excursion, however, did not result in a single trophy. Read More...
