Biographics

Genghis Khan - a name that is synonymous with barbaric cruelty and conquest. 800 years ago he created the greatest army the world has ever known, wielding it with tactical brilliance to lay claim to the largest empire in world history. No other man, not Alexander, Napoleon or Hitler, ever came close to the level of success in conquest of the Mongolian man of steel. How did he do it? In this week’s Biographics, we discover how a simple peasant rose from one of the harshest environments on the planet to take the world by storm.

Robert E. Lee - today, the mere mention of his name is enough to arouse passionate debate. In his time, he was loved and respected by both the Confederate Army and the Southern people. Curiously, following the Civil War, this high admiration carried over to include the people of the North, and Lee become a cherished figure for all Americans. During the war, when Abraham Lincoln looked at a picture of Lee, he remarked that a man with such a compassionate countenance had to be a ‘good man.’ But the war to which he devoted his every fiber broke him, if not in spirit, certainly in body and he was only to outlive the conflict by five years.

Ted Bundy and His Trail of Bodies

L. Ron Hubbard: The Most Published Author of All Time (And Some Other Stuff)

Miyamoto Musashi was the greatest swordsman to ever come out a nation of great swordsmen - Japan. His story, which has become the basis for countless flying swordsman Oriental movies, is one of raw courage, unbridled ambition and unparalleled mindfulness. In one on one combat he defeated 60 opponents, yet his greatest legacy is his seminal work, the Book of Five Rings, which is still pored over my military tacticians and mindfulness enthusiasts 450 years after it was written.

When Nikola Tesla was born, the Austrian Empire still existed. An ethnic Serb, he came into the world in modern-day Croatia on July 10th, 1856. His birth seemed to foreshadow his life’s work, as his mother was in labor during a massive lightning storm. The lightning that flashed during Tesla’s birth was considered an ill omen by the midwife, but Tesla’s mother didn’t agree. Instead, she proclaimed that:

Marie Curie’s discoveries in radiation changed the world. She became one of the most important women in science and her research is still important to scientists and doctors today.She became the first person - male or female - to win the Nobel Prize twice. And Marie’s discovery of the element radium helped unlock the mysteries of the atom. Yet she came from the most unlikely of circumstances. Marie Curie showed that through hard work and determination anything is possible.

At the age of seven, Helen Keller was described my family members as a little monster. She threw temper tantrums, attacked people and had terrible personal habits. Yet, within a year, the deaf and blind girl had been transformed. She became teachable and that teaching untapped a level of genius - and determination - which saw her overcome her disabilities and achieve unimaginable success . In this week’s Biographics we explore how Helen Keller beat incredible odds to become an inspiration to the world.

Frederick Douglass wasn’t born with that name, nor was he born on the day he later adopted as his birthday. At birth, he was christened Frederick Augustus Washington Bailey. The date he was born has been lost to history...but later in life he decided that February 14th would be the day on which he marked his entrance into the world.

He was one of the most influential and talented entertainers the world has ever seen. But he was also one of the most complex – generous and loyal friend, champion of the underdog, devoted family man, womanizer and volatile, loud-mouthed tough guy. He lived a life on the edge – full of excitement, danger and passion. Sow, just how did the skinny Italian kid from New Jersey became an international superstar and the world’s first true multi-media artist? In this week’s Biographics we go behind the veneer to get up close with the Chairman of the Board.

She put herself in danger in the pursuit of a good story. She uncovered wrongs committed in society. She traveled around the world, and she did it all in a time when women weren’t expected to do anything beyond get married, have children, and take care of their home.

Edmund Hillary was the stereotypical country bumpkin. Hailing from rural New Zealand, this shy, gangly beekeeper stepped out of the shadows to take on the greatest physical challenge of them all - climbing the world’s highest mountain. Through guts, grit and determination he managed to, as he famously said, ‘knock the bastard off.’ From there he used his new found fame as a platform to improve the lives of the Nepalese people who he had developed an affinity for, leaving behind a legacy that endures beyond the record books. This week’s Biographics explores the life and accomplishments of the first man to climb Mount Everest, sir Edmund Hillary.

We imagine Winston Churchill with his signature cane, drinking scotch whiskey, and puffing on a Cuban cigar. His mouth is downturned, and his voice is gruff and his words pointed. This is the image Hollywood portrays but it is a mere caricature of the flesh and blood version. Who was Winston Churchill? In Britain’s “darkest hour,” Churchill led his country from the brink of Nazi conquest by forging an alliance with the U.S. and Russia. He had many critics, and made mistakes on a grand scale. Yet, above it all, possessed an unwavering belief in his own power. To his beloved country he offered his “blood, toil, tears and sweat.”

20 million Soviet Citizens died at his hand. For a quarter of a century, he ruled his huge Empire with a ruthless iron fist. Terror was his modus operandi – while he was alive, no one, not even his closest family members, were safe. Yet, at his passing he was mourned as the savior of his people.

His name was Napoleon Bonaparte and he was, above all else, a master propagandist. He made use of his extraordinary way with words to publish political manifestos, newspapers, and, later, his autobiography. He regularly commissioned portraits and sculptures and was acutely aware of how to present himself in the best light. Even when he made moves to crown himself Emperor, he used propaganda and political nouse to convince the populace that it was their idea.

He was the King of Kung Fu – the deadliest human fighting machine that the world had ever seen. Bringing a new level of excitement to the silver screen, he establishing himself as the first oriental super star. Billed as the fittest man on the planet, he had the world at his feet. Then, suddenly, he was gone – dead at the age of 32. In the almost 50 years since then, his legend has propelled Bruce Lee to mythical proportions. In this week’s Biographics we go beyond the legend to reveal the real Bruce Lee.

He was a force of nature - the quintessential Aussie outdoorsmen. With his wicked sense of humor and his insatiable passion for wildlife, Steve Irwin - the crocodile hunter - became a worldwide celebrity. He shone a spotlight on man’s mismanagement of our natural resources and championed the plight of the planet’s most vulnerable inhabitants - the animals. But Steve was also a daredevil - constantly pushing the limits in his interactions with the wild. Then, in a tragic moment, he was gone, taken from us far too soon. In this Biographics we get to grips with the Crocodile Hunter from Down Under, Steve Irwin.

He was billed as the 8th wonder of the world - a legitimate giant of a man, 7 foot 4 inches tall and more than 500 pounds. Andre the Giant was the greatest attraction the world of professional wrestling has ever seen. Yet his appeal went far beyond the ring. With his humble manner and boundless charm, Andre became one of the most famous and recognizable athletes on the planet and a genuine cultural phenomenon. Yet, behind the celebrity, Andre was a man trapped inside a world he never created - one that would ultimately destroy him.

Best known as the young, golden-haired woman living alongside humankind’s closest relatives, this scientist-turned-activist has devoted her life to understanding, and working to save chimpanzees from near extinction. Her unorthodox methods of observation revolutionized how scientists conduct animal research in the wild, debunked long-held assumptions about primate behavior, and showed the world how much we have in common with the animal kingdom.

In 1951, doctors took a tissue sample from a poor, dying black woman that was given to researchers without her knowledge or permission. The HeLa cells, named for the patient’s first and last name, acted differently than other cells in the lab — they were hardier, and replicated at an amazing rate.

It’s the group at the center of major conspiracy theories. They’ve been accused of pulling the strings of major governments around the world, for inserting secret symbols in such prominent places as the U.S dollar bill. And conspiracy theorists have claimed that everyone from The Beatles to Tom Brady to Kanye West are more recent members of the centuries-old society…

He is the most bankable star in Hollywood – an action hero with a massive, ripped physique who has impeccable comedic timing and a never ending supply of charm. He is also one of the greatest wrestling superstars to ever emerge from the stables of the WWE and the only third generation wrestling star in history. The story of Dwayne Johnson – the Rock – is a tale of dedication, grit and old fashioned hard work. In this week’s Biographics we chart the rise and rise of 2016’s Sexiest Man Alive – Dwayne Johnson.

Fred Rogers was a legitimate American national treasure. Over 31 seasons he proved to be the reliable, compassionate and all-wise friendly neighbor who guided millions of youngsters through their childhood. Fred single handedly introduced children’s educational television, in the process elevating a medium that was heading downhill fast. His radical kindness, typified by a gentle and personal manner, helped bring sanity to a world beset by problems. Having Mr. Rogers as our neighbor made the world a safer place.

For eleven years he hosted one of the most popular art shows on television -- transforming a blank canvas to a finished painting in a remarkably short, 30 minutes. He captivated audiences with his mesmerizing voice and relaxed demeanor, and of course, his signature perm. Nearly twenty-five years after his death, the painter of “happy little trees” is immortalized through internet memes, inspirational quotes, a thriving business in his name, and reruns of his show The Joy of Painting. His fame as a pop-culture icon shows no sign of diminishing yet so little is known about his life. Today on Biographics, we piece together the world of Bob Ross -- beyond the canvas.

Uber’s meteoric rise to dominate the personal transport market has made it one of the most successful - and the most hated - companies in history. Along with its controversial CEO Travis Kalanick, it has developed a reputation as being iron-fisted, cruel and relentless in its pursuit of power. Inspiring an equal measure of admiration and loathing, Uber has turned the traditional taxi industry on its head - and provided consumers with a more user friendly way of getting from Point A to point B.

Sherlock Holmes: The World’s Greatest Detective (Sherlock Holmes Biography)

Christopher Lee is most familiar to the world as a consummate actor with a deep, rich voice and a towering presence. In ten hammer Studios films he became the embodiment of evil, inhabiting the character of Count von Dracula with a sinister charm.

Ada Lovelace was born Augusta Ada Byron in London on December 10, 1815 to the philandering Romantic poet Lord Byron and strictly religious Annabella Milbanke. Ada was Lord Byron’s only legitimate child.

Known as ‘the father of modern fantasy’ his epic tales of legend and lore have been enjoyed by millions of people all over the world — devoured in popular books and adapted for Hollywood blockbuster films. Unbelievably bright, he was a distinguished university professor, poet, historian, and expert linguist. As a child, he even made up his own languages for pure fun.

Charles Darwin, the mild mannered son of a physician, was once described as the most dangerous man in England. In fact many people considered him to be the agent of the Devil himself, come to sow seeds of corruption among the faithful.

The real life exploits of Leonidas of Sparta and his 300 warriors at Thermoplyae have given rise to the myth of the Spartan superhero – the supremely disciplined man of few words who had a body of steel, could endure any hardship and would fight to his last breath. Such men really did exist and chief among them was Leonidas, the Spartan king who defied the might of Persia, saving Greece from annihilation. In this week’s Biographics we discover the real life Leonidas.

In 1937 Amelia Earhart was one of the most famous women on the planet. For the last decade she had been upending stereotypes, smashing records and establishing herself as an international role model. As she set off for her greatest adventure, a round the world excursion, the whole world was watching. Then, suddenly, she was gone – disappeared. In this week’s Biographics we delve into the marvellous and mysterious life and death of Amelia Earhart.

He is revered as one of the greatest artists of all time. For centuries he has typified the perfect artistic genius. His greatest legacy is the surviving works that we can see today - The Sistene Chapel, the Statue of david, the Pieta. Yet, behind the artworks lies a complex and stubborn man. In this week’s Biographics, we go beyond the facade to discover the real Michelangelo.

Cleopatra VII is one of the most famous women who has ever lived. Her story has inspired poets, dramatists, and artists for more than 2,000 years. Through cunning and guile, she survived to rule Egypt as all of her siblings perished by the wayside.

Donald Trump Biography: What Happened Before the White House?

Pablo Escobar was the world’s most successful drug trafficker. He was also its most deadly. During his 17- year reign at the top of the Colombian cocaine empire, he ordered the killings of thousands of people, including judges, ministers of parliament and Presidential candidates.

George W. Bush Biography: A Controversial Presidency

Jim Jones Biography: Progressive to Predator

The Unabomber: The Devastating Use of a Brilliant Mind

Heinrich Himmler Biography - Greatest Betrayal in History

Josef Mengele Biography: The Angel of Death

Twenty-five hundred years ago one’s man’s spiritual journey was the beginning of one of the world’s seven religions -- boasting 376 million followers today. He is simply called “The Buddha,” and he grew up the son of a king…sheltered from the realities of human suffering. When he finally learned the harsh truth, he left his family and set off on a path to understand life itself -- first as a monk and then as a teacher.

Charles Manson Biography: The Cult of the Manson Family

He was one of the world’s most notorious and ruthless leaders. Since coming to power in 1979, Saddam used any means necessary to hold onto Iraq including killing anyone who stood in his way. At a young age he was brutalized at home, ran away to his uncles, and quickly became a thug for an extremist political party.

He was the personification of the evil dictator - clad in his familiar khaki uniform and cap and chomping on his cigar, he ruled with an iron fist over his island nation.

Undoubtedly one of modern history’s most notorious and abhorrent killers -- his crimes are the stuff of nightmares. Over the course of 13 years, he prowled for men and lured them back to his house before drugging and strangling them.

Benito Mussolini Biography: The Man Who Destroyed Democracy

Italian diplomat Niccolò Machiavelli lived over five centuries ago but his influence among unscrupulous politicians reaches into the modern age. He is mostly known for writing The Prince -- the handbook that established him as the "father of modern political theory." Through its teachings -- power is the ultimate goal through any means necessary.

Christopher Columbus Biography: Bad Explorer, Great Conman

Adolf Eichmann was a thin little man with bow legs and a hook nose. In the civilian world he had been viewed as of no account, a socially awkward loser with little to redeem himself. Having joined the Nazi party, however, his unquestioning commitment to orders coupled with his need for ruthless efficiency allowed him to carve out a career that see him go down as one of the greatest mass murderers in all of human history. In this week’s Biographics, we trace the life, crimes and death of Adolf Eichmann.

Maximilien Robespierre promised to usher a fairer, more representative form of government to the French people. What they got was a reign of terror that saw thousands facing the horror of the guillotine.

Vlad the Impaler: The Real Life Dracula

Emperor Hirohito: Bold Leader or War Criminal?

Julius Caesar: A Roman Colossus

Stephen Hawking - Greatest Scientist of Our Time

He is the world’s most famous cyclist, dominating his sport like no one before or since. Yet his reputation has been forever tarnished by a scandal that tore at the very fabric of professional cycling, pitting the sports elite against each other.

Simon Bolivar: Today a Hero. Yesterday a Tyrant.

Che Guevara: Doctor, Revolutionary, Murderer

For 146 years, the Barnum and Bailey Circus was known for being the greatest show on earth. None of it would have been possible if it were not for an ambitious entrepreneur named PT Barnum. While his life and career were sometimes the source of controversy, he truly was a brilliant businessman, and many of his ideas forever changed the entertainment industry as we know it today.

In the 1970’s and 80’s, over one hundred families in California had their homes ransacked by the same man. Many of them woke up in the middle of the night to a flashlight blinding their eyes. A man was standing over their bed, wearing a black ski mask. He held knives to throats, and guns to heads, demanding that they do what he said, if they wanted to live. Within a matter of hours, he ruined and ended lives, slipping small mementos in his pocket as he ran into the darkness.

Kim Jong-un: A Brighter Future?

He was the self-proclaimed messiah who looked like a rock star. A mesmerizing personality and passionate Bible knowledge combined to allow him to gain ascendancy over a small group of followers, to manipulate them, use them for his sexual desires and to prepare them for his own version of Armageddon.

Georgy Zhukov was born in 1896 to an incredibly poor peasant family in the Kaluga Province, roughly 80 miles from Moscow. His family had a small house in the relatively poor town of Strelkovka, which Zhukov was quoted once as saying “looked the worst in the village”. His family was rather tough when it came to discipline, and floggings with a belt by his father Konstantin, were quite common in order to whip his boy into the shape he wanted.

Jack Parsons: 'Sex Magic', Drugs, and Rocket Science

Frank William Abagnale: Doctor, Lawyer, Pilot... (Not)

Alfred Nobel: The Merchant of Death

Leopold II of Belgium: The Biggest Coverup In European History

Mao Zedong: The Chairman of Communist China

Heinrich Muller: The Head of the Gestapo

Admiral Yamamoto: The Man Behind Pearl Harbour

Lavrentiy Beria: Stalin’s Architect of Terror

On August 4th, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were brutally murdered in their home in Fall River, Massachusetts. Their heads had been split open in a fit of rage from nearly a dozen blows from a hatchet. There was no theft, and no sign of a break-in. Their 32-year old daughter, Lizzie Borden, was at home when her parents were killed.

Toussaint L’Ouverture: the Black Napoleon who Freed Haiti’s Slaves

Gilles de Rais: Serial-Killing Nobleman, Or Witch Hunt Victim?

Billy the Kid: Old West Hero or Coldblooded Killer?

He’s the man who killed a king. Oliver Cromwell, the English Puritan turned military dictator, is today most famous for signing the death warrant that led to Charles I’s bloody execution in 1649. Over a hundred years before the American and French Revolutions shook the globe, this smalltime farmer from the British sticks proved with steel that the divine right of kings was not so holy after all.

Pol Pot: The Man Behind the Khmer Rouge

Idi Amin: The Butcher of Uganda

Muammar Gaddafi: The Mad Dog of the Middle East

Shiro Ishii: The Mad Scientist Who Created Plague Bombs in WWII

She is one of the earliest serial killers in recorded history – the original sado-masochistic femme fatal. She stands out as a shocking lesson in just how dangerous a sadistic, demented powerful woman can be. The passing of the centuries has left us with an incomplete picture of the true nature of her crimes.

Anastasia Romanov: Finding The Lost Princess

Tomas De Torquemada was the controlling force of the Spanish Inquisition. He presided over the systematic purging of so-called heretic Jews that has gone down in history as one of the worst religious persecutions of all time. But was he the monster that history has painted? In this week’s Biographics, we uncover the real story of Tomas De Torquemada.

During the Holocaust, Ilse Koch lived in the Buchenwald concentration camp with her husband. She would order the deaths of prisoners at-will, and even enjoyed watching people being tortured and killed. Her home was filled with momentos made from human skin. Ilse Koch just may have been responsible for more deaths than your average serial killer. She is considered to be one of the most evil women that ever lived.

In the collective memory of the people, Diana, Princess of Wales was everything a royal should be. She was beautiful, composed, and full of compassion for those in need. And when she died in 1997, it was a horrific tragedy that shook the world. She had been robbed of a future that was looking incredibly bright, and her sons would forever be without a mother. But the dark secrets of Diana’s life prove “all that glitters is not gold.” Some people believe that her death was no accident, and that it was actually an elaborate conspiracy designed by the royal family to silence her.

When it comes to serial child killer Albert Fish, the adjectives to describe his inhumanity hardy seem strong enough - depraved, perverted, deviant, degenerate - he was all that and more. The crimes he committed fill the heart with rage, while the taunting letters he sent the victim’s families make you wonder how a human being could be so cruel. In this week’s Biographics, we venture in the sordid life of Albert Fish - and it ain’t pretty!

Chernobyl: The USSR’s Nuclear Disaster

Stan Lee spend most of his career as the writer, director, editor, and producer of Marvel Comics. He created some of the world’s most popular comic book characters, like Spider-Man, Iron Man, The Hulk, and the rest of The Avengers. What started out as the creative ideas of a teenage boy evolved into one of the most profitable movie franchises in all of history. Today on Biographics, we’re going to talk about the legendary life of Stan Lee.

The Mongolian empire is remembered for their barbaric conquests, and the power of their great leaders that managed to spread the empire across several continents. But one of the most fascinating people who has been forgotten from the empire is the warrior princess Khutulun. She was the great-great granddaughter of Genghis Khan, and she truly inherited his strength in battle. Unlike many other princesses and queens throughout the history of the world, Khutulun was remembered for her own glory, rather than the achievements of a husband or son. She just may have been the strongest Mongolian warrior of all time.

Mohandas Gandhi: A Catalyst for Change

Leonardo da Vinci: The Renaissance Man

It’s no secret that Amazon.com is dominating multiple aspects of our daily lives. We can find just about everything we could possibly need on their site, and if you have Amazon Prime, you only wait two days for free delivery. For our digital media, we can read books on the Kindle, listen to music with Alexa, and watch on-demand movies and TV series.

By the age of twenty-four Hermann Goering was a famous combat pilot ,a national hero, and leader of Germany’s most celebrated fighter squadron. By the time of his death, less than thirty years later, he was reviled as a monster with the blood of millions on his hands.

He is one of the most popular and enduring icons of the American West; the gentleman bandit who charmed his way through life, always keeping one step ahead of the law. With his fabled Wild Bunch, he terrorized the banks and railways companies during the closing decade of the Nineteenth century, then headed south of the border, only to meet his match at the hands of Bolivian troops.

We believed that the frail, asthmatic little boy who loved to collect insects would amount to anything special, much less the youngest and most robust president in US history.

As the founder of Playboy Magazine, Hugh Hefner was one of the icons of the sexual revolution in the 1960’s. Opinions about Hefner are very polarized- you either love and admire the man, or completely disapprove of the multi-million dollar empire he created. But no matter how you feel about Hugh Hefner, there is no arguing that he was truly a genius when it came to business, and a one-of-a-kind publisher, writer, and entrepreneur.

Timothy McVeigh: America’s Deadliest Terrorist

What would you think of a man who supported the greatest mass-murder machine in human history? A man who was proud to stand by a genocidal dictator who nearly destroyed Europe; a man proud to call himself a Nazi? Would you find him sickening, evil? Maybe not if he was John Rabe. A high-ranking Nazi, Rabe was an ardent supporter of Adolf Hitler. But he was also something else. He was perhaps the greatest humanitarian you’ve never heard of.

“He sees when you are sleeping, he knows when you’re awake. He knows when you’ve been bad, or good. So be good, for goodness sake…” If you live in the western world, you already know this line from “Santa Claus is Coming to Town” by Harry Connick Jr. We’ve all heard the songs and seen the movies, but you may not know the true story behind the legend of the man who can fly around the world in just a single night.

Mark Zuckerberg: Tech Visionary or Supervillain?

Aristotle: History's Most Influential Thinker

Isaac Newton: The Man and his Hidden Life