True Crime

Up Close & Peculiar With Al Capone

Al Capone was one of the most feared gangsters in history. But what led him to his life of crime?

Capone started his criminal career in New York, where he was part of the notorious Five Points gang. Believe It or Not!, New York is also where he received the scar on his face that earned him the famous nickname, Scarface. 

Around 1920, about when prohibition started, he packed up to join one of his previous gang members in Chicago, so he could help his friend take advantage of the new illegal brewing business. Only a few years later, the leader of the gang stepped down, and Capone took his place...

Vampire Killing Kit: An Intimate Look

Vampire-like creatures have been described in myths, legends, and tales for millennia, but the vampire craze of the 17th century is still apparent today. People in the eastern reaches of Europe were so scared of vampires that they took precautions lasting to this day. A graveyard in Poland, for example, was discovered to have people shackled at the neck.

Dracula and the Spread of Vampire Lore

As Bram Stoker’s Dracula swept Victorian England, vampire fears finally made it out of Europe, and travelers toured the hills of Transylvania with grave caution.

The vampire is first and foremost an undead being who rises from the grave to feed on blood. The particulars of how this works vary from story to story, but many involve curses or deals with the devil...

Up Close & Peculiar With a Real Cannibal!

Alfred Packer is one of the most notorious alleged killers in history. Let’s go inside the mind (literally!) of the Colorado Cannibal.

A Golden Opportunity

In November 1873, a group of twenty-one hopefuls set out from Utah to Colorado in search of gold. Along the way, they met Alfred Packer, who claimed to be a guide. Desperate for help, they accepted him into their group, but unfortunately, Packer had no idea where he was going and led the group to disaster. 

After they made it about halfway through their treacherous journey, they had run out of food and were starving. Luckily they found a Native American tribe that offered them food and shelter but by February they were still eager to find gold, so they split the group, leaving some with the tribe while six, including Packer, pressed on. 

Months later, Packer eventually stumbled into an agency, looking surprisingly well-fed despite claiming to have barely survived. Eventually, people started questioning him, and his stories didn’t add up...