Torture and Executions of Vlad III the Impaler “Dracula” between History and Legend
Vlad III was the prince of Wallachia between 1448 and 1477, and is known by numerous names and appellatives, of which the most famous is the shortest: Dracula. Born in […]
Poland: when a city and a Bishop went to war over Beer…..
Drink often present on the richest medieval tables, beer has been a true symbol of conviviality since ancient times. But, in addition to lunches and dinners, the drink has also […]
Black Aggie: the story of One of America’s most mysterious graveyard monument ~
Do you remember the Doctor Gloom’s Crypt of Curiosity? Baltimore has been created by live and dead, by dreams and fears of all those that have called her home. When […]
“Hy Brazil”: the History of the Legendary Island in the West of Ireland
Have you ever considered that Brazil could be found not in South America but in Northern Europe, off the coast of Ireland? Never? Yet, if you had consulted the maps […]
The “Hospitals for the Dead” prevented the fear of being buried alive in Victorian times
Thanks to modern technology, and also to the increasing scientific preparation of the doctors, there is no longer the concern to be buried alive. Throughout history, even relatively recent, the […]
The Third Wave: a curious Experiment about Nazism
The images of Berlin, devastated by the Second World War, can induce what was the recurring question in the years following the end of the conflict: how did the Germans […]
Gold Rush: the story of the Chinese man who got rich washing free the clothes of the Seekers.
A popular folk tale from the Gold Rush era has it that a Chinese laundryman got rich not from searching for gold in the American River but from washing. He […]
Victorian ‘Post-Mortem’ Photographs: truth or myth?
There are lot of stories about dead people being propped up on stands to seem alive and photographed. But the reality was different…. As we know, victorian England had a […]
Roccascalegna: history and legends from the medieval castle in the heart of Abruzzo.
Roccascalegna is a small town situated at 455 meters above sea level, in a valley right of the Rio Secco, a tributary of the Aventino river, in the inner mountains […]
The true (and dramatic) history of Pocahontas: the first American Native died in England.
Pocahontas, the Native American princess, is known by most as the sweet young redskin who fell in love with Englishman John Smith during the initial period of British colonization. In […]
Why British Royal Navy Sailors Preferred Their Booze on Fire?
If today a flaming alcoholic drink is either the work of a skilled barman or a terrible mistake, just two centuries ago this ritual was commonplace among members of the […]
Uravan, Colorado: a buried uranium mining town ~
The story of this Old Mining Town: From the A Bomb to abandonment – the whole town was torn apart and buried in order to prevent an environmental hazard. Only […]
How the cat Simon earned a military medal.
For centuries, a close relationship of mutual esteem and affection has linked a category of rough men and accustomed to every danger, the sailors, to a small pet that today […]
The Codex Gigas: the Devil’s Bible.
The Middle Ages is certainly not an era devoid of mysteries and strange symbolism, but the Codex Gigas is a real puzzle for the experts of ancient writings. The book […]
The incredible story of Titanic Orphans.
It was the night of April 14, 1912, and RMS Titanic, the Ship of Dreams, was sinking. As we all know, nobody was spared from the terrible experience of dread […]
Octavius, the ghost ship and its frozen captain with a pen in hand.
The world is filled with a cornucopia of stories, misteries and legends, and when we read or listen these, we travel on a different dimensions. These stories, are food for […]
