From infamous gangsters like Al Capone, to notorious pirates like Edward “Blackbeard” Teach, there is something darkly fascinating about those criminally enterprising individuals who managed to make careers as outlaws and scoundrels. In this article, we’ll look at some of history’s most interesting criminals and their unique and dastardly legacies. 1. Black Bart Few character […]
There’s something about the seafaring life of the pirate which elevates them from simple criminal to roguish antihero in our collective memories. While real pirate’s could be anything from petty thieves with outsized criminal ambitions to former royal navy men with a chip on their shoulder, the common thread between them is a life of […]
Benjamin Hornigold may not be a household name, but for history buffs and pirate enthusiasts, Hornigold remains one of the biggest names in piracy. Active during the so-called “Golden Age of Piracy,” Hornigold is best known for his roles as a captain to some of the most infamous pirates in history, and as one of […]
Elmer McCurdy was born in 1880 to an unwed teenaged mother. To spare her the scandal of the circumstances of her son’s birth, Elmer was raised for much of his childhood by his aunt and uncle whom he believed to be his parents. When his adoptive father, George, died in 1890, the truth was revealed […]
Rachel Schmidt was born in Carlisle, Pennsylvania in around 1760. Very little is known about her upbringing except that her family was Presbyterian and that she seems to have been largely unsatisfied with the life that she grew up into. At the age of about sixteen, Rachel began sneaking away to the sea. She felt […]
The year was 1848. It was nighttime in Hydesville, New York when a flustered Margaret Fox dragged a neighbor from their home to witness the frightening phenomenon that had scared her so badly. Upon entering the farmhouse, Margaret led the neighbor to the bedroom of her two young daughters, fifteen-year-old Margaretta “Maggie” Fox and eleven-year-old […]
Pier Gerlofs Donia, often referred to as “Big Pier,” “Grutte Pier,” or “Greate Pier,” is an oft-forgotten pirate as well as a beloved folk hero of Frisian legend. Perhaps one of the strongest pirates in history, Grutte Pier is said to have been capable of lifting a horse on his shoulders and decapitating several opponents […]
The name “Black Bart” is synonymous with outlawry. As a matter of fact, this name has belonged to not one but two notorious outlaws over the years. During the so-called “Golden Age of Piracy,” Bartholomew Roberts was known by the moniker of “Black Bart” and is considered to have been one of the most successful […]
In January of 897 AD, the Basilica San Giovanni Laterano in Rome bore witness to one of the strangest “trials” in human history. Referred to as either the Cadaver Synod or Synodus Horrenda, this event remains a dark blemish upon the history of the papacy as well as that of Rome itself. The reason that […]
Alcatraz Island in San Francisco, California is legendary for its time as the site of one of the most infamous prisons in history. The “inescapable” island once housed notorious gangsters such as Al Capone and George “Machine Gun” Kelly. Against the foggy backdrop of the San Francisco Bay’s rocky shoreline, this prison became famous as […]
