This striking image shows a British Royal Air Force pilot receiving a haircut while leisurely reading a book and smoking his pipe, all while dressed for battle with his spitfire ready to take off at a moments notice in the background. The calmness of the man is surprising and at

Ranavalona I ruled the Kingdom of Madagascar from 1828 to 1861, leaving behind a legacy as cruel and brutal as any male leader in history. Her reign is thought to have resulted in the deaths of 50% of her subjects. Her time as ruler was focused on cementing her own control,

In 1861 Confederate marine engineer Horace Lawson Hunley began work on a hand powered submarine. With the civil war raging, a large bounty was being offered by the Confederate government for the sinking of Union ships, and of course should the design prove successful, huge sums

The mask worn as a disguise by the 17th century Scottish preacher, Alexander Peden. It is made from leather, cloth, real human hair, and even had false teeth attached to it. Peden was a member of the Covenanters movement, which refused to accept the King as head of the church.

Drawing of a WW2 German exploding chocolate bar that gives the phrase “death by chocolate” a literal example. With the war dragging on for longer than Hitler had anticipated, Germany was becoming more and more desperate to remove Britain from the war. Churchill stubbornly

A powder monkey serving aboard a Union Navy vessel during the American Civil War in 1864. At some of the most famous naval battles in history, hidden away from view deep within the ships bowels were dozens of boys known as powder monkeys. These boys who were often as young as

By 1923 #hyperinflation had caused Germany’s currency to lose so much value that this man decided to put his now worthless cash to better use as wallpaper. When the first world war broke out, the German government chose to fund the war effort entirely by borrowing, believing

In the years following the First World War, Europe was experiencing high levels of unemployment coupled with economic depression and social unrest. Extremism in politics was on the rise, and an ideological conflict between communism and fascism was taking place. It was against

A lucky WW1 British soldier shows off the helmet that saved his life. Although clearly wounded, the shrapnel that tore the hole in the helmet would have almost certainly killed the man had he been unprotected. During the first world war, shrapnel from exploding artillery shells

The 335 years war between the Netherlands and Isles of Scilly resulted in zero casualties, and not a single shot was fired. Yet how could a state of war exist for so long without any battles being fought? The answer lies in the English Civil War, when Royalists fought

Also known as the big smoke, the great smog of London was the worst air pollution event in the history of the UK, and is estimated to have killed at least 4000 people, causing a further 100,000 illnesses. An unusually cold period of weather descended on London in December 1952,

Ever since the car and plane have been around, inventors have dreamed about combining the two. As cars became more widely adopted, they brought with them congestion and traffic jams. A car that is able to take off and escape the gridlock seems like the perfect solution, and if

Taken in 1916, this haunting photo depicts a man thought to be suffering from shell shock. He appears to have been pushed over the edge of sanity by the horrors he has witnessed. His piercing stare and unnerving smile are a fitting testament to the madness inducing brutality of

In August 2010, an MI6 codebreaker named Gareth Williams was found dead in his London flat under mysterious and bizarre circumstances. His decomposing naked body was found curled up inside a red sports bag, which had been zipped up, padlocked on the outside, and placed in the

President Niyazov became Turkmenistan’s first President following the break up of the Soviet Union in 1991. As the communist state fell apart, Turkmen officials quickly declared Turkmenistan independent and appointed Niyazov as interim president on October 27 1991, until

Wars are often started over lofty ideals, political causes, or simple human greed, however one 14th century war was fought over something far more mundane and unusual - a wooden bucket. Throughout the middle ages, Northern Italy had been divided between two rival factions. On

During the Russian civil war, the Latvian born inventor Valerian Abakovsky made his living as a chauffeur for the Cheka, which was the first Soviet state security organisation. While working this position he would have had access to high ranking officials, so it is likely that he

Chariot racing in the Byzantine empire was extremely popular amongst the people. Teams were indicated by the colour of the uniform worn by competitors, and supporters of each time would show their support by wearing the colour of their favoure team, much like in sports today.

During the 18th century, wars between Britain and Spain were common, however one particular war stands out from the others due to the unusual circumstances under which it started. At that time, a treaty existed which guaranteed the right of British merchants to trade up to 500

Rats have a long history of being used to inflict pain and suffering upon torture victims. During the 1500’s, the Tower of London was known to contain a cell which had earned the name "Dungeon of the Rats”. Prisoners would be placed in a cell which was located below the high