Author: Matthew Zarzeczny

A Fellow of the International Napoleonic Society, Dr. Matthew D. Zarzeczny is an adjunct faculty member at Ashland University, Kent State University at Stark, and John Carroll University, where he advises its award-winning, student-led Paranormal Research Group.  Dr. Zarzeczny is the author of two books, including most recently Simply Napoleon, and the owner of the popular website https://www.historyandheadlines.com, which now has a YouTube channel.

The good ol’ days weren’t as simple as the Boomers make them out to be. In many ways, they more cumbersome, convoluted, and just a bigger pain than they are today.  There were no computers, calculators, TV remote, or cable, and enormous microwave ovens were only for restaurants and the rich.  There were no such things…

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Kidnapping is a horrible crime, which effects every kind of person, from children to adults, men and women, boys and girls. Luckily, not all of these stories end in tragedy. Hopefully, the stories of these individuals rescued, and the kind-hearted individuals who helped them find freedom, will encourage us next time the unthinkable occurs. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MhtHZzB4tFQ…

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In the centuries prior to the French Revolution, French authorities used a variety of methods of execution depending on the nature of the crime and the condemned man or woman’s place in society. Some of these punishments took on what many would deem quite extreme dimensions of brutality. For example, French murderess Marie-Madeleine-Marguerite d’Aubray, Marquise…

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Witches, werewolves, and vampires appear repeatedly in numerous works of fiction, with a number of historical inspirations for these fictional works. Similarly, zombies also keep showing up in popular culture, from Resident Evil to The Walking Dead. Yet, zombies have outside inspirations as well. This list features ten such instances, where historical people were alleged…

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Despite enduring the association of women with domesticity throughout much of world history, various women have nevertheless been major entrepreneurs and innovators even before the Sexual Revolution of the twentieth century.  No, I am not referring to such infamous practices as the so-called “world’s oldest profession”, i.e. prostitution, as examples of female entrepreneurs and businesswomen,…

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During the witch hunt trials that swept across Europe and North America in the early modern period (1500s through 1600s), while numerous women were condemned as suspected witches, a number of men were at the same time condemned as suspected werewolves or wolf men.  This list covers a number of these alleged real-life werewolves and…

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Despite enduring the association of women with domesticity throughout much of world history, various women have nevertheless been major entrepreneurs and innovators even before the Sexual Revolution of the twentieth century.  No, I am not referring to such infamous practices as the so-called “world’s oldest profession”, i.e. prostitution, as examples of female entrepreneurs and businesswomen,…

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Just because the people in charge decide a war is over, doesn’t mean every soldier knows about it. Many wars have experienced a number of bloody, violent, and fatal battles fought days, weeks, or even months after the war officially ended. This is yet one more reason that war is bad; because stupid carp like this happens far too often.

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When you think of politicians, just about the last word that comes to mind is “honesty.” That’s too bad, because there are actually quite a few throughout history known for their devotion to the truth. Sadly, they’re in the minority, hence the Top 10 list. If this were about dishonest politicians, we’d be posting it on TopBillionz.com.

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Although sometimes dismissed as merely “the Dark Continent”, Africa has a rich history full of skillful and impressive rulers.  I am featuring rulers in the sense of monarchs, which is why Hannibal and President Nelson Mandela are not included. Moreover, this list concerns African rulers of great influence not just politically and militarily, but also…

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Along with werewolves and zombies, vampires are among the most popular mythological monsters sweeping mainstream popular culture. They appear in blockbuster film series and on various well-established television shows, in addition to video games and books that are too numerous to list. They are even the basis for a subculture sometimes linked to “goths” (not…

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On 27 October 1960, American soul singer Ben E. King co-wrote and recorded “Stand by Me”. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hwZNL7QVJjE The song was later ranked 122nd on Rolling Stone’s list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time and was named by BMI as the fourth most-performed song of the twentieth century, with about seven million performances.  Over…

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For over a hundred years since the first decade of the twentieth century, Father’s Day has honored fathers and celebrated fatherhood, paternal bonds, and the influence of fathers in society.  The holiday is currently celebrated all over the world from Afghanistan to Zimbabwe and over seventy countries in between!  This list selects 10 of the…

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