New Mexico's Lincoln County War only lasted a few short months in 1878, but this deadly clash between ranchers became one of the defining events of the Wild West.J. N. Marchand/Bettmann/Getty ImagesThe Lincoln County sheriff bringing Regulators to jail. The Civil War had barely ended before new fighting broke out on the frontier. But the Lincoln County War in New Mexico wasn’t your average war. Instead, it was an all-out gunfight between rival general stores and cattle ranchers.

Raymond Fernandez and Martha Beck bilked at least three women out of their life savings before gruesomely murdering them in the late 1940s — after luring them in with "lonely hearts" ads.Getty ImagesMartha Beck and Raymond Fernandez with their attorney in 1949. On March 8, 1951, Raymond Martinez Fernandez and Martha Jule Beck, better known as the Lonely Hearts Killers, were executed at Sing Sing Correctional Facility. They had been on death row after being convicted of one murder, though they are believed to have killed as many as 20 people — all of whom were lured through responses to singles ads in their local newspapers.

George Hodel was a notorious Los Angeles doctor whose sexual proclivities and surgical knowledge have led many to believe that he killed Elizabeth Short.On Jan. 15, 1947, residents of the Leimert Park area of Los Angeles called the police after discovering a body in an abandoned lot. Elizabeth Short – the Black Dahlia – had been gruesomely murdered and left there in pieces. In the decades since, the disturbing case has fascinated the public, though Short’s killer has never been caught.

Soft-Shelled Turtles Source: WIkipedia These ugly soft-shelled turtles are almost entirely aquatic and live underwater, except to lay eggs. Potentially a good thing considering their unappealing exterior, which consists of a dark brown or green leathery carapace, long neck and head and a snorkel-like nose. Source: Wikipedia Source: Audobon Source: Silver City Serpentarium ncG1vNJzZmiZnKHBqa3TrKCnrJWnsrTAyKeeZ5ufonyuu9GeZK6fnJ6ytMCMmqWipZGhwHCB

Mass Rape In Europe And Asia Wikimedia CommonsU.S. troops enter the Yasuura House in Yokosuka, Japan, one of many massive brothels set up by the Japanese government just after their surrender in hopes of curbing sexual assault against local women by Allied troops. While history always remembers the amount of people killed and wounded during any war, even the amount of property damage caused, we tend to give relatively short shrift to the other tragic toll of war: rape.

Also called Yuletide, the Pagan celebration of the winter solstice known as Yule was observed by ancient Germanic peoples for hundreds of years.Wikimedia CommonsYule marked the end of the solar year and was celebrated with many festivities on the darkest night of winter. Christmastime. Noël. Nativity. Yuletide. Even the many different words we use to describe the Christian holiday that celebrates the birth of Jesus Christ reflects how this festival was born of a wide array of cultures.

Percy Fawcett set out to find the mythical city of El Dorado in 1925 – and never returned. Wikimedia CommonsColonel Percy Fawcett. The legend of El Dorado has captivated explorers for centuries. And how could it not? The legendary city is said to be made of solid gold. But like all great mysteries, El Dorado demands a heavy price from those who would search for it, as adventurer Perry Fawcett found out in 1925.

Amy Carlson, the 45-year-old "Mother God" of the Love Has Won cult, had been dead for at least four weeks before police discovered her mummified body.Love Has Won/FacebookAmy “Mother God” Carlson, the former leader of Love Has Won who claimed that she is the Hawaiian goddess of fire. The Love Has Won cult first made national headlines in September 2020 when Hawaiian officials sent them back to Colorado following three days of volatile protests over their presence.

Sombra Negra: The Real-Life Vigilante Group That Targets MS-13 Gang Members Giles Clarke/Getty ImagesA masked gunman patrols the streets for suspected gang members. El Salvador’s Mara Salvatrucha gang is better known as MS-13. Formed in Los Angeles in the 1980s, many members were deported for vicious crimes. However, several of them continued their criminal activity back home. The gang terrorized a nation plagued by a high poverty rate and a virtually helpless police force — until real-life vigilantes stepped up to help.

Al Capone, The Infamous Chicago Mob Boss Known As “Scarface” Donaldson Collection/Michael Ochs Archives/Getty ImagesMob boss Al Capone became one of the most notorious gangsters of all time thanks to his great wealth and courting of the press. Though he ran his operation out of Chicago, not New York, Alphonse “Al” Capone became one of the most infamous Mafia bosses of all time. Born to Italian immigrants in Brooklyn in 1899, Capone’s inroads into the mob came at a young age when he and his brother Frank Capone started running errands for gangster Johnny Torrio.