History, Events And Facts

Medieval Torture In the middle ages torture was used to extract information, force confessions, punish suspects, frighten opponents, and satisfy personal hatred. The word 'torture' comes from the French torture, originating in the Late Latin tortura and ultimately deriving the past participle of torquere meaning 'to twist'. Many tortures rely on a twisting of the limbs, twisting ligatures, or turning screw mechanisms. For the most part capital punishments in Christendom have been deliberately painful. Severe historical penalties include the breaking on the wheel, boiling to death, burning, crucifixion, crushing, disembowelment, dismemberment, flaying, impalement, sawing, scaphism and stoning. Historically, ancient Greeks and Romans used torture for interrogation. Until the second century AD, torture was used only on slaves.. A slave's testimony was admissible only if extracted by torture, on the assumption that slaves could not be trusted to reveal the truth volunta...

The “Love Story” of Anna Nicole Smith and husband J. Howard Marshall II. In 1994, Anna Nicole Smith, then a 26-year-old model and actress, married 89-year-old billionaire oil tycoon J. Howard Marshall II.  They met three years earlier when Smith was working as a stripper in Houston, and their relationship blossomed over time. Despite the significant age difference and Smith’s rising fame, she claimed to have genuinely loved Marshall.  Their marriage was met with intense media scrutiny, speculations about her motivations, and public fascination. Marshall passed away just over a year later, leading to a protracted legal battle over his estate between Smith and Marshall’s family. The controversy and litigation surrounding their relationship continued until Smith’s death in 2007.

This Stunning Photo Story Reveals The Ugly Truth Of Life As An Indian Woman In A Patriarchal Society In India, society's prejudices towards women are often heard of in the news and portrayed in movies. For the first time ever, Arjun Kamath, a talented director and photographer, has created a photo series that captures the story of one such woman who is subjected to society's oppressive norms from marriage, domesticity and childbirth.  This story is not only picture perfect but provides the imagery to tragedies women face on a daily basis.  Avani was the most beautiful and educated girl in Pravadh, a little hamlet in central India. She was the only daughter of the Mistla’s, a humble couple who owned a small sweetmeat shop. With a comely figure, saffron complexion, and kohl-black eyes, Avani was gorgeous, like a painting of a goddess brought to life. Avani was pure and kind hearted, and she had dreams of opening a school for girls inPravadh. Educating girls was not as im...