All Articles

Chekhov is the greatest teller of short stories in Russian, maybe world, literature. This one is about a happily married couple who have a lottery ticket and (only half-) imagine they have won a lot of money. But their dreams of a rosy future are not as sweet as we might expect (1,600 words)

In the 1960s, the Kray Twins were as famous in London as the Mafia was in the US. They used the same methods too: murder, violence and fear. They knew rich and famous people and appeared in fashionable magazines. In the end, the police put them in prison: one was mad and gay; the other hard and straight. Read their incredible story (1,090 words).

In the eighteenth century, a rich man of mixed Indian and European blood, rebelled against the Spanish rulers of Latin America. We will never know exactly why. Perhaps he was angry that he could never be seen as one of the leaders of the land – because of his Indian blood. We know that he believed he was descended from the first great Inca king, Tupac Amaru, and took his name. But his rebellion was a bloody and racist one that caused the deaths of thousands. Read about him here (1,400 words)

Shaun Greenhalgh couldn't sell his own paintings, so he started forging great artists’ work with the help of his family. Shaun became very wealthy from his forgeries but they never spent the money on a nice house or luxury cars. He seemed happy just taking revenge on the art world that had rejected him. (910 words)

The Ostrich is a vey strange bird. It can't fly and it east stones! (200 words)

When we think of orchids, we perhaps imagine five-star hotels or the wonderful country, Thailand. Because these exotic plants make us think of beautiful places. But orchids have a long and dangerous history. Read about the adventurers who travelled the world to find new specimens of this unique plant and who risked their lives to do so (1,000 words).

In the story, F. Scott Fitzgerald, the famous author of 'The Great Gatsby', tells us about a soldier who returns to the U.S. after The First World War. He is given a hero’s welcome, but unfortunately, he cannot get well-paid work and soon turns to crime (3,230 words)

This early science fiction story is about a kind of computer although it was written before they were invented. An American becomes involved in helping a Russian diplomat, when he is mistaken for a doctor. While he is giving him some medicine, he notices that his head is very unusual and sets out to learn his secret (2,510 words).

India’s Nobel Laureate, Rabindranath Tagore, wrote this sad story in Bengali about the son of a widowed mother, who struggles to take care of him and agrees to let her brother and his wife look after the lad. Far away from his family, the boy finds life without love in a strange house in the city much harder than he’d imagined. (2,050 words)

Conan Doyle’s legendary detective, Sherlock Holmes, has made us forget that the author wrote many more stories about crime where his creation plays no part. In this story, we learn about the disappearance of an entire train from the evil mastermind behind the mystery (4,700 words)

There are many stories and legends about the Ninja. They were expert assassins and spies and lived in mountains where their enemies could not follow them. This article is about their final years and battles. (415 words)

The English word 'thug' is used to describe violent criminals and it comes from the word used to describe groups of criminals who murdered and robbed travellers in India for hundreds of years. (300 words)

Percy Toplis was a working class boy who loved to pretend to be from the upper class. He had many schemes to trick the rich out of their money and went to prison for it more than once. His army career was almost as criminal. However, Toplis was involved in a mutiny against his officers and just escaped with his life. He was finally shot while on the run, but many mysteries remain about his life and death (2,130 words).

Stevenson is best-known for his children’s novel, ‘Treasure Island’, as well as his novella, ‘The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde’, but this horror story concerns a young man making a deal with the Devil after he commits a dreadful crime. He can escape with the help of Satan or face the hangman (4,420 words).

Perhaps it has always been true that politics is a dangerous business. President Lincoln was assassinated, for instance, and Pope John Paul II was shot at. The killing of Duke Franz Ferdinand started the First World War. But Ingrid Betancourt was held hostage for six years in the jungles of Colombia, nobody knowing if she was alive or dead. How did it happen? (1,290 words)