Caesar

Time and place: 100 - 44 BC, Italy.

Story: Gaius Julius Caesar - one of the most famous rulers in history, the emperor of the Roman Empire.

Interesting facts about Caesar:

1. He opposes the death penalty which was popular those days.
2. Effective fights against pirates who even once captured Caesar before he seized power.
3. Caesar completely occupied Gaul. Noteworthy is the final major battle where the Gauls lost a seven-time numerical superiority.
4. Caesar waged  a civil war to come to power. He forced Pompey (current ruler of Rome) to flee to Egypt where he was killed as a gift to the new ruler. In response to this, Caesar conquered Egypt because he thought that this is wrong to kill the first people of Rome even if they were his enemies.
5. Turned Roman democratic republic in the first empire in the history. He also became the first and lifelong dictator of Rome.
6. He was betrayed and murdered by his friend Brutus, who wanted to return to democracy along with his supporters. He killed him with a knife in the ribs.
7. After Caesar's death, his successor Augustus took into account all the mistakes of the reign of Caesar and was the emperor to 76 years. He was ruthless to enemies, gaining supporters from ordinary families and tried to follow the ideas of democracy even in the face of the monarchy.
8. Later, the name "Caesar" became a household word and it was worn by all the emperors of Rome.

Myths, rumors, legends and versions about Caesar:

1. It was believed that he knew every soldier by name in his armies and knew how to deal with several cases simultaneously. Rather, it is the rumors that swirled around any great leaders throughout history.
2. It was believed that Caesar had a lot of lovers, even mens. He may even been the father of Brutus. All of this were at the level of rumors, so can't be proven. Also, love between men was not considered as a bad thing in ancient times.

Bonnie and Clyde

Time and place: 1930s, USA.

Persons:

1. Clyde Barrow - the head of the gang (shot in the car in 1934).
2. Bonnie Parker - Clyde girlfriend (shot in the car in 1934).
3. In addition to them, there were another 4 people in the band at different times.

Story: A pair of American gangsters who robbed banks, gas stations, shops with their own gang for two years.

Interesting facts about Bonnie and Clyde:

1. There is no reliable information about their perfect love. There is also a version that Clyde was impotent or gay.
2. Before he met Bonnie, Clyde had been in prison five times. There he killed first time.
3. Bonnie was a creative person from the good family and often wrote poetry. Also, she was married and technically didn't broke up with her husband until her death.
4. A lot of people saw them as freedom fighters with rich people in the era of the Great Depression. So they were very popular and loved by the people.
5. However, they were known only in Texas and Louisiana where committed their crimes. World fame came to them after the movie "Bonnie and Clyde" in 1967.
6. Police had found a lot of photos of their band at different times before they were catched. After the publication, Bonnie and Clyde had concealed more carefully.
7. There were 167 bullets in the car, 100 hit the target. The ambush was made by the Texas rangers and police of Louisiana.
8. In 1934, Henry Ford received a letter were Clyde praised his car and promised that he hijacked only them.

Ninja

Time and place: 15th century, Japan.

Story: specially trained spies whose services have been widely used in Japan in the era of Sengoku Jidai.

Interesting facts about the Ninja:

1. Future ninja trained from birth and raised so that all their work were for the benefit of a clan.
2. Ninja could be not only the killers but also (mostly) spies and saboteurs.
3. Across Japan, there were rumors about their superhuman abilities granted to them by the evil forces. Sometimes, Ninjas gave forth these rumors to made people scared.
4. Ninjutsu was opened to the world in 1973. Before that, only Japanese could acquire this knowledge. Same time, Ninjas became very popular in the mass culture.

Myths. misbelieves and versions about the Ninja:

1. They have not thousands of years of history of Ninjutsu. They have appeared in the 15th century and were almost completely destroyed after the unification of Japan (the Tokugawa Shogunate which came to power largely thanks to them afraid that they might topple in the same way).
2. Ninja were the most skilled warriors. It is also a myth. Basically, the ninjas were trained in espionage and in the open and honest battle were much weeker than the common samurai. Ninjutsu is not the martial arts and those skills were soon applied.
3. Ninja dressed all in black. For night operations, it was. Dressed in a white at winter and in the woodland camouflage in forest. Also, from tramp to the monk. Everything depended on the situation.
4. Ninja have killed most of rulers in Japanese history. There are no confirmed cases of the murder of the shogun or daimyo by the hands of a ninja.

Vikings

Location and time: Scandinavia, the early Middle Ages.

History: The Scandinavian nations, previously unknown in the Mediterranean made successful forays into all European countries, the Middle East and North Africa for 3 centuries.

Interesting Facts about the Vikings:

1. The word "Viking" means seafarer.
2. They actively used ships so first created detailed charts. In maritime terminology about 70% of the Scandinavian names.
3. First visited America (east of Canada). There were found Scandinavian cultural objects during excavation.
4. The Vikings have declared themselves in 793 year when raided a Christian monastery on Lindisfarne in Britain. Full-conquest began around the 9th century.
5. Normandy - a region in the north of France named after the Vikings who got this land from King Charles the Simple.
6. The Vikings used nicknames. They could be given for different services, unusual habits and appearance. It is interesting that even the ridiculous nickname could belong to a very authoritative warrior.
7. Vikings considered honorable to engage in poetry.
8. Axes were the most popular weapon. They were easy to create, universal and good in the fight.
9. Vikings not only raided but also used to trade, make alliances and go to mercenaries in other states.

Myths, versions and misconceptions about the Vikings:

1. Armor and weapons of the Vikings in popular culture are often far from reality. Horned helmets, bilateral axes and half-naked warriors never existed.
2. Famous Bjorn and Ragnar are more likely to have never existed in reality. Just the characters of the Scandinavian legends.
3. If Viking survived to old age and had not a chance to die in battle, he ripped stomach, nailed intestine to a tree and ran around until he died. Often mentioned in the sagas but most likely a myth.
4. Only warriors could be rowers on Viking ships. No slaves..

The Chernobyl accident

Time and place: April 26, 1986, the nuclear power plant near the town Pripyat.

Story: The explosion of the fourth power unit of the Chernobyl nuclear power plant cause the deaths of several dozen people right after, thousands of deaths as a consequence of radiation in the coming years and the complete evacuation of two towns - Pripyat and Chernobyl.

Consequences: The revision of safety at nuclear power plants, doubts about the safety of nuclear energy, thousands deaths from radiation sickness and loss of territories around Chernobyl for hundreds of years.

Causes of the accident:

1. Mistakes in the planning (technology have been designed only for military purposes).
2. Haste and negligence in the construction (Soviet Union five-year plan).
3. The probability of the reactor's explosion was estimated as a million to one so there was almost no fuse (there was no sarcophagus).

Interesting facts:

1. The elimination of accident and evacuation were very slow. The first two days. they thought it was just a fire and it could quickly resolved.
2. It was a blast, not the fire. It was closer to the explosion of the atomic bomb in technical terms.
3. The explosion killed 2 people right there, 28 in the first days from exposure and hundreds of thousands in the coming years from radiation sickness.
4. Regular army which eliminated the accident was poorly versed in the device and the dangers of nuclear reactors.
5. The forest around Chernobyl has become a fiery red color.
6. About 270 thousand people were evacuated.
7. Chernobyl NPP currently continues working. People still live near these towns. There can be no consequences to live for some time if you take precautions. People work without overalls at the plant.
8. There are no mutants in Chernobyl. This is just a myth.
9. There are official trips in Chernobyl.

Count Dracula

Time and place: 15th century, Romania

Story: The aristocrat who lived in Transylvania and was a vampire. An antagonist of Bram Stoker's novel published in 1897.

Prototype: Vlad III Tepes, Prince of Wallachia in 1450's. History Man.

Interesting facts:

1. Tepes was a big fan of executions with stakes.
2. There is an anonymous German paper in 1463 which describes the many atrocities of the prince. Facts are not reliable but served as the basis for future legends.
3. Dracul means "dragon".
4. Stoker took his base because he had heard that the Tepes became a vampire after death. His body wasn't found in the grave and killed by him often cursed him before they died. The latter was enough in local folklore to become a vampire after death.

Jack The Reaper

Time and place: London in 1888

Story: Maniac who strangled and mutilated five prostitutes knife during about six month. Was not caught and still unknown who it was.

Persons: 

1. Jack the Ripper (unknown killer)
2. Mary Ann Nichols (first victim)
3. Annie Chapman (the second victim)
4. Elizabeth Stride (third victim)
5. Katherine Eddous (fourth victim)
6. Mary Jane Kelly (the latest victim, most beautiful and the youngest of all)

Interesting facts:

1. The nickname is taken from a letter sent by the Central News Agency in which author confessed to the murder.
2. Scotland Yard and various publishers were received many letters with declarations, none of which were considered valid.
3. Killer perfectly versed in anatomy.

Version:

1. Victims could be more. There are about 15 that could have belonged to Jack.
2. They are popular theories that could be some murderers or that the killer might be a woman.
3. Of all the letters, the most distinguished "Letter from Hell" (with the victim's kidney). Also, it differed illiteracy unlike the previous ones.
4. The victims were either stabbed or strangled. Quietly and without bloodshed.
5. Perhaps Jack ate bodies of their victims.

Captain Kidd's treasure

Time and place: The Atlantic coast of America, the end of the 17th century.

Story: William Kidd, the famous pirate captain, knew that if he was caught Britain confiscate all his property. He hid all the stolen goldin the caches along the Atlantic coast hoping to use them as bribes to the English lords.

Interesting facts:

1. No cache has not been found or confirmed for 300 years. Searches are conducted up to now.
2. According to archival evidence in 1701, all the loot Kidd was confiscated and sold at auction in London. The money received by the Royal Hospital nursing sailors. There were bailed out with about six thousand pounds
3. The confiscated property have not found any records or maps indicating his treasure.
4. According to the legend, Kidd killed all the sailors who helped him with burying treasure. Bodies hung so that they point to the treasure.

Facts about the wild west

1. Located on the Frontier to the Pacific coast.
2. As a cultural phenomenon, has existed since the beginning of the Civil War until 1890.
3. Dissatisfied with the way of European settlers moved west in Frontier which at the time were kind of no man's land.
4. Settlers moved in covered wagons pulled by horses. They gathered in dozens of caravans for security.
5. Since coming to power of President Abraham Lincoln, immigrants could to buy land in the west for a purely symbolic price. He also proposed the idea of the creation of the transcontinental railroad.
6. In the first half of the 19th century, colonists had a war with the Mexicans for lands on the west of the Mississippi. As a result, in 1845 Texas, New Mexico and California were ceded to the United States.
7. Until 1886 there was a war with the Indians Apache, Navajo, Shaen and many others. Indians greatly underestimated the strength of the enemy so it is not united to protect and lost.
8. At the beginning of 1848, there are started the "Gold Rush". The gold which were found there made hundreds thousands of settlers to explore previously uninteresting parts of the region. In the first five years, the population had six time grew while gold was produced by 52 million dollars.
9. In addition to gold, in Texas and California were the grass. later was called "gold which grows from the earth". Grass grew up everywhere and easy to tolerate drought and frost. Cows were introduced by the Spanish years before and were more feral have been adapted to the conditions of the Wild West. They could smell the water for many miles, find food over their head, etc.
10. Then there were the cowboys who were engaged in catching them. They branded the cattle, making sure that they are not scattered and protected them of Indian and robbers while lead them on the sale. Consisting mainly of veterans of the Civil War who were looking for any job.

Flying Dutchman

Original name: De Vliegende Hollander

Time and place: 17-18 century, The East Indies.

Story: Dutch sailing ghost ship was doomed forever to surf the sea with the immortal team without the opportunity to go ashore until the second coming.

Interesting facts and versions of the legend:

1. According to legend, the ship was carrying a young couple. Captain killed the guy and made an offer marriage to the girl but she jumped overboard. The ship then caught in a storm and disapeared.
2. Captain named Philippe Van der Decca. Another version - Van Straaten.
3. According to legend, every ten years the captain can go ashore and find the girl who would become his wife voluntarily to remove the curse from himself and his crew.
4. Van der Deken vowed to sell his soul to the devil if he could run against the rocks unscathed on the ship.
5. A crew of Dutch merchant ship contracted a terrible disease. Out of fear that the disease may be entered on the shore no port did not take the ship. The ship with the sailors who died from the disease, lack of food and water still roam the seas and oceans.
6. The crew of The Flying Dutchman so hurried home and not help of another sinking ship. For that there were cursed.
7. The roots lie in the legend of the "ghost ships". Due to epidemics, fire and pirates many ships often remain afloat without a team. Half sunk, they were difficult to see from afar. Especially at night or in a fog. The collision with the ship could have ended tragically. Especially, if the team died of the epidemic there.