Marc Zeale

Elvis Presley was much more than a cultural icon; he was a reliable barometer of the world he grew up in. Long before the cultural revolutions of the ‘60s and ‘70s, Elvis was sparking a dynastic change of hands in American society. And by his own...

Rasputin began life as a peasant in the poorest reaches of Siberia and ended his life as the virtual second-in-command of Tsarist Russia. How did he achieve such a rapid change in fortunes? Was it through palace intrigue or magic and mind control? Or...

H. H. Holmes’ story has become one of legend. Holmes committed his crimes at a time in history where the idea of murdering on a mass scale was just being introduced to the world through the actions of Jack the Ripper. Unlike Jack the Ripper though,...

In 1888, between August and November, the women of London’s East End were terrorized by a deranged serial killer. A man was stalking the streets at night, seizing random women who worked those streets and killing them. This man mutilated his victim’s...

If anything, Karl Marx’s life reminds us of the power of the pen over the sword. During his lifetime, he lived in relative obscurity. Rather than making any waves, Marx was usually lucky just to make the rent. And to make the ongoing hardship of his...

Mark Twain is best known as the author of The Adventures of Tom Sawyer and The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. His authentic voice, humor, and use of vernacular language undeniably changed American literature—some have called him the Father of...