Laika carried the hopes of the Soviet nation on her shoulders, a symbol of hope for all Russia. Laika had been a stray, found wandering...

Sergio Leone was unconvinced. The young actor started his horseback demonstration: the beast galloped, whinnied powerfully and rose onto...

It was four in the afternoon in downtown Birmingham, Alabama. One on side of the street stood a crowd of African-Americans protesting for...

My name’s Joyce; I’ve got joy in my heart and in my name. My parents wanted to have a child so badly, and tried so hard, that when I was...

Rue de Lappe was well-known for its feverish atmosphere at night; a place where sparks were guaranteed to fly.  Tucked away in a...

The astronauts on the Apollo 13 mission were running out of oxygen, the team on board the vessel staring into the abyss. NASA was doing...

“I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia, the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to...

The ‘war to end all wars’ was over, but a new conflict had erupted on the streets of America. In its early days this war was heavily...

Terrence Stephen McQueen, better known as Steve McQueen, was speeding down a Los Angeles highway at 110 mph. He was the epitome of the...

I'm a New Yorker. Everyone knows me as Graziano. It’s a name that suits my build — I have big, imposing frame. I like smoking cigars and...

In summer, the sun rose early over the Kenyan savannah. The plains and plateaux stretched as far as the eye could see. At this hour,...

The number 3463 would stay etched in her memory forever: it meant she was fatherless, and always would be. Norma Jeane wasn’t just...

James Dean had always been a sensitive, intelligent kid. “You have the heart of a poet,” reverend Deweerd had always told him. Back in...

Nigeria gained full independence from the British in 1960. For many years, the British colonisers had exploited its fertile soil; for...

Michel couldn’t sleep. His little brother Fernand wanted a story, but Michel was too old for such things. He used to love it when his...

William Randolph Hearst was a newspaper magnate. He owned a vast ranch where he lived with his mistress, the sultry diva Marion Davies,...

“It’s so romantic!” Jane said. “You and me, alone together.” “I wanted us to spend some time together before our life together gets...

Mickey Cohen had invited his guests to lunch at a high-end Chicago restaurant, for he wanted to know more about a rumour he’d heard...

Tuscany’s majestic river, the Arno, has burst its banks this week. The flood has devastated the beautiful city of Florence, known to...

“What a party that was! Arabian Nights – a splendidly chosen theme!” remarked one artist to the other members of the club. “I’m beat, I’m...