Tattoos were once used as a form of identification. Native Americans who couldn’t read English would sometimes draw pictures of their tattoos in lieu of signing their names. Drunken sailors would also rely on tattoos to prove their identity, since they often failed to keep track of physical documents. Then, with the 1936 invention of social security numbers, all kinds of people were going to parlors to get the eight digits permanently painted into their skin. Read More...
Forget Jack Sparrow. These famous pirates were the swashbuckling, sword-slinging ruffians that originally made the skull and crossbones cool. History's Most Famous Pirates: François L’Olonnais François L’Olonnais was a French pirate who attacked ships and towns in the 1660s. His hatred for Spaniards was legendary and he was known for his cruelty toward Spanish prisoners of war. His savage life came to an equally savage end as he was captured, hacked to pieces, roasted over a fire, and reportedly eaten by a tribe of cannibals in the Gulf of Darien. Read More...
These photos reveal what life was like inside fascist Italy in the blood-soaked years both before and during World War II. Adolf Hitler and Benito Mussolini walk by a row of saluting Italian soldiers during a visit from Germany's new chancellor. Venice, Italy. June 1934. Wikimedia Commons Young boys in the fascist youth group, the Opera Nazionale Balilla. Italy. Date unspecified.
Wikimedia Commons A group of girls in the Littorio fascist youth group. Read More...
