The mystery of Anastasia Romanov has fascinated for decades.  Did she die at 17 or live to the ripe old age of 87? Could a suicidal asylum inmate called Anna Anderson really be a Russian princess and, if so, how did she survive against all odds? It’s a story with twists and turns for days – and it all starts in a basement in a far-flung corner of Russia… Colourised image of Russia’s last Royal family, the Romanovs. (Warning: the next three paragraphs are pretty bleak…) On July...

  Last Friday, the marching sounds of young environmentalists could be heard throughout the world as hundreds of thousands of students walked out of class and took to the street to demand that politicians and world leaders take serious measures on the undeniable fact that our climate is in crisis.  The #FridaysForFuture movement began in August 2018 when Greta Thunberg, who, in her Twitter bio, describes herself as "a 16-year-old climate activist with Asperger," started skipping school every Friday to protest outside Sweden’s parliament. Fridays for future. The school...

  I grew up watching Selma Blair in movies like Legally Blonde and the Hellboy series. In the latter, she was a fire pyrokinetic super-human and the former a whip-smart law student. Though I wasn’t allowed to watch most of her films (being in grade school, my mother didn’t exactly want her eleven year old watching Cruel Intentions) I looked up to her. I admired her power, her courage, and her willingness to stand up for what’s right. When Blair’s Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis came to light...

  Beginning this summer, free tampons and other sanitary products will be offered at all medical establishments across England that are managed by the National Health Service, The New York Times reports. The announcement was met with enthusiasm from advocates and members of the medical community, who consider the measure to be a positive advancement in the effort to end period poverty. A 2018 investigation by the British Medical Association found that 42% of trusts and health boards either don’t provide sanitary products at all or will...

  Today, we’re going to take a look at China’s first female Emperor in 3,000 years of Chinese history (!!!): Wu Zetian. A lady whose life was full of sex, scandal, murder and a neverending quest for ALL OF THE POWER. Born in the 7th century, Wu started life lower down the social ladder. Her dad was a general and she began her career at the court of the Emperor Taizong as a concubine. Wu worked for him until his death, at which stage the concubines were supposed to...

On February 21st, a 24-year old Honduran migrant in ICE custody delivered a stillborn baby at a Texas immigration detention center. She was six months pregnant and went into premature labor. In a joint statement between Customs and Border Patrol and Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the agencies state that the day she was medically examined and cleared for release, she went into labor:  "She began complaining of abdominal discomfort and was examined by the ICE Health Service Corps (IHSC). The clinical director was called and ordered that...

  Everyone knows Rosa Parks as the quiet, humble woman who refused to give up her seat on a Montgomery, Alabama bus over 60 years ago. She is eternally personified as the gentle saint responsible for a revolution. What many people don't know is that Parks was so much more than one occupied bus seat. She had a history of outspoken activism, and dedicated most of her life to fighting sexism, racism, and police brutality. According to CNN, in the 1930s, Parks and her husband Raymond attended meetings...

  Actor Jussie Smollett was horrifically and brutally attacked in Chicago early Tuesday morning by two unidentified men. Smollet told police that attackers yelled out “This is MAGA country,” according to ABC News. Which makes sense, given how our racist president has been inciting racist animus since, oh, his entire public life. According to CNN, Chicago police say that the two men who attacked him were “yelling homophobic and racial slurs” and that they “poured an unknown chemical substance on the victim.” They put a noose around...

Though tricksters and con artists have existed throughout history, the 19th century confidence man was a creature that many Victorians considered to be uniquely American. Not a thief in the traditional sense, he seduced his prey with silky words and fantastical promises until his victims willingly gave him their trust, their money, and, quite literally, their confidence. This propensity for slick talk and tall tales does tend to put one in mind of a stereotypical American of that era. But was the 19th century American...

  The millennial icon gives us a behind the scenes look into terracotta, meditation, and Instagram photoshoots.  6AM: Every day I wake up to the smell of fresh coffee. This is because I live in the windowsill of Foam, a coffee/bookshop by day and a gallery/performance venue with an expired liquor license by night. Sometimes, there will be a vintage toy or medical device on sale, ‘cause why not? It’s a wacky place. It reminds me of Pee Wee’s Playhouse, but with a lease. This morning, the light...