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Last updated on June 24th, 2024 at 12:45 am
There’s cool, and then there’s the timeless “old-school cool.”
Whether it’s the punks of the 1980s or sophisticates from the 1880s, each period has its own version of cool.
Let’s take a moment to reminisce about the rad, the awesome, and the awe-inspiring figures from the past
Last updated on May 22nd, 2024 at 04:54 pm
No one can predict the future, but we can better understand the present by looking back at history.
Here are 100 must-see historical moments – significant events that have shaped our world. From wars and revolutions to scientific discoveries and technological innovations, these are some of the most important moments in human progress.
Whether you’re a history buff or want to learn more about our fascinating past, check out this list!
Born on November 12, 1929, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Grace Kelly ascended from her American roots to become a Princess of Monaco, her story resembling a real-life fairy tale.
Kelly’s journey into the limelight began in the world of acting, where she quickly established herself as a leading lady in Hollywood.
Her notable performances in films such as “Mogambo” (1953), which earned her a Golden Globe, and “The Country Girl” (1954), for which she won an Academy Award, made her one of the most sought-after actresses of her time.
Her collaborations with Alfred Hitchcock, which included “Dial M for Murder” (1954), “Rear Window” (1954), and “To Catch a Thief” (1955), solidified her status as a significant figure in classic American cinema.
Despite her successful career, Kelly’s life changed dramatically when she married Prince Rainier III of Monaco in 1956. This union transformed her from a Hollywood starlet to a European princess. Her wedding, a lavish affair watched by millions worldwide, was like a plot from one of her movies.
As Princess Grace of Monaco, she retired from acting and dedicated herself to her royal duties and philanthropic efforts. She became deeply involved in improving the arts scene in Monaco and advocating for children’s and animal rights.
Tragically, Kelly’s life was cut short by a car accident in 1982 at the age of 52. Her sudden passing sent shockwaves around the world.
Discover the unseen side of filmmaking with these 35 wild behind-the-scenes photos from some of the most famous movies ever made.
Each picture offers a glimpse into the off-camera action, showcasing how directors, actors, and crew members work together to bring cinematic visions to life.
From hidden setups to candid moments, these images reveal the creativity and hard work that goes into making every scene perfect.
Marilyn Monroe, born Norma Jeane Mortenson on June 1, 1926, in Los Angeles, epitomizes Hollywood’s blend of glamour and tragedy.
Monroe’s childhood was marked by instability, moving through numerous foster homes due to her mother’s mental health struggles. This rough start did not deter her, as she ventured into modeling and quickly caught the attention of Hollywood, securing film contracts by the late 1940s.
By the 1950s, Monroe had achieved stardom with roles in “Gentlemen Prefer Blondes” and “Some Like It Hot,” highlighting her comedic talent and screen presence. Despite her professional success, Monroe’s personal life was tumultuous, marked by publicized marriages to Joe DiMaggio and Arthur Miller, and ongoing battles with depression and anxiety.
Monroe sought to prove her worth as a serious actress, studying method acting at the Actors Studio in New York. Her life, however, was tragically cut short at the age of 36 on August 5, 1962, due to a barbiturate overdose, her passing surrounded by speculation and conspiracy theories.
Last updated on April 3rd, 2024 at 09:11 pm
History is more than just innovations and triumphs. In truth, much of it involves numerous instances of brutality, warfare, and other unsettling, regrettable realities.
Take a look below at some of the most haunting moments from history.
Last updated on May 22nd, 2024 at 04:54 pm
No one can predict the future, but we can better understand the present by looking back at history.
Here are 100 must-see historical moments – significant events that have shaped our world. From wars and revolutions to scientific discoveries and technological innovations, these are some of the most important moments in human progress.
Whether you’re a history buff or want to learn more about our fascinating past, check out this list!
After years of infertility, we adopted Sam, a lovely three-year-old with ocean-blue eyes. However, when my husband went to bathe Sam, he raced out, crying, “We must return him!” His distress made little sense until I noticed the unusual marking on Sam’s foot.
But, in retrospect, I see that certain gifts are accompanied by grief, and that the universe has a strange sense of timing.
“Are you nervous?” I asked Mark as we drove to the agency.
My hands fidgeted with the small blue jumper I had purchased for Sam, our soon-to-be baby. The fabric felt incredibly smooth against my fingers, and I envisioned his little shoulders filling it fully.
“Me? Nah,” Mark said, although his knuckles were white on the steering wheel. “Just ready to get this show on the road. Traffic’s making me antsy.”
He drummed his fingers on the dashboard, an anxious tick I’d noticed more recently.
“You’ve checked the car seat three times,” he said with a forced laugh. “Pretty sure you’re the nervous one.”
“Of course I am!” I smoothed the sweater again. “We’ve waited so long for this.”
The adoption process had been difficult, with me handling the majority of the work while Mark focused on his growing business.
As I searched agency lists for a child, I spent months dealing with countless paperwork, home studies, and interviews. We had hoped to adopt an infant, but the waiting lists were long, so I began looking into other options.
His mother had abandoned him, and something in those eyes spoke right to my heart. Maybe it was the trace of sadness behind his smile, or maybe it was destiny.
“Look at this little guy,” I told Mark one evening, giving him a snapshot from my tablet. The blue glow illuminated his face as he studied it.
He had grinned so gently that I knew he wanted this child just as much as I did. “He looks like a great kid. Those eyes are something else.”
“But could we handle a toddler?”
“Of course we can! No matter how old the kid is, I know you’ll be a great mom.” He squeezed my shoulder as I stared at the picture.
We finished the application procedure and, after what seemed like an eternity, went to the agency to bring Sam home. Ms. Chen, the social worker, took us to a small playroom where Sam was sitting and creating a tower of blocks.
“Sam,” she said softly, “remember the nice couple we talked about? They’re here.”
I kneeled beside him, my heart pounding. “Hi, Sam. I love your tower. May I help?”
He gave me a long look, nodded, and handed me a red block. That small act felt like the start of everything.
The drive home was silent. Sam held the stuffed elephant we had brought him, periodically making little trumpet sounds that made Mark laugh. I kept looking back at him in his car seat, not believing he was real.
“I can give him his bath,” Mark offered, from the door. “Give you a chance to set up his room exactly how you want it.”
“Great idea!” I smiled, thinking how great it was that Mark wanted to bond straight quickly. “Don’t forget the bath toys I picked up for him.”
They vanished down the corridor, and I hummed as I sorted Sam’s clothing into his new dresser. Each small sock and T-shirt added to the sense of reality. The peace lasted exactly 47 seconds.
“WE MUST RETURN HIM!”
Mark’s outburst struck me like a physical blow.
He burst out of the bathroom as I dashed into the hall. Mark’s face was ghostly white.
“What do you mean, return him?” I strained to keep my voice calm while grasping the doorframe. “We just adopted him! He’s not a sweater from Target!”
Mark paced the corridor, running his hands through his hair, his breathing labored. “I just realized… I can’t do this. I can’t treat him like my own. This was a mistake.”
“Why would you say that?” My voice cracked like thin ice.
“You were excited just hours ago! You were making elephant noises with him in the car!”
“I don’t know; it just hit me. I can’t bond with him.” He refused to look at me, instead glancing over my shoulder. His hands trembled.
“You’re being heartless!” I snapped and pushed past him into the bathroom.
“Hey, buddy,” I murmured, forcing a smile into my voice as my world disintegrated. “Let’s get you cleaned up, okay? Would Mr. Elephant like a bath too?”
Sam shakes his head. “He’s scared of water.”
“That’s okay. He can watch from here.” I placed the item safely on the counter. “Arms up!”
As I helped Sam undress, I observed something that made my heart stop.
Sam has a noticeable birthmark on his left foot. I had seen that exact mark on Mark’s foot before, on countless summer days spent by the pool. The same distinctive curvature, same positioning.
My hands trembled as I bathed Sam, and my thoughts raced.
“You’ve got magic bubbles,” Sam exclaimed, tapping at the foam I hadn’t seen adding to the water.
“They’re extra special bubbles,” I whispered while watching him play. His smile, which had looked so peculiar to him, now echoed my husband’s.
“The birthmark on his foot is identical to yours.”
Mark froze in the act of taking off his watch, then contrived a laugh that sounded like cracking glass. “Pure coincidence. Lots of people have birthmarks.”
“I want you to take a DNA test.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” he snapped, turning away. “You’re letting your imagination run wild. It’s been a stressful day.”
But his reaction revealed everything. The next day, while Mark was at work, I collected a few strands of hair from his brush and sent them for testing, along with a swab from Sam’s cheek during dental brushing. I informed him that we were looking for cavities.
The wait was awful. Mark became increasingly distant, spending more time in the office. Meanwhile, Sam and I became closer.
He began calling me “Mama” within days, and each time he did, my heart filled with love while aching with doubt.
We established a pattern of morning pancakes, bedtime tales, and afternoon visits to the park, where he would collect “treasure” (leaves and intriguing rocks) for his windowsill.
When the results arrived two weeks later, they confirmed my suspicions.
I sat at the kitchen table, staring at the paper until the words blurred, while Sam’s laughing echoed from the backyard, where he was playing with his new bubble wand.
“It was one night,” Mark finally confessed when I confronted him with the results. “I was drunk, at a conference. I never knew… I never thought…” He reached for me, his face crumpling. “Please, we can work this out. I’ll do better.”
I moved back, my voice cold. “You knew the moment you saw that birthmark. That’s why you panicked.”
“I’m sorry,” he said quietly, falling into a kitchen chair. “When I saw him in the bath, it all came rushing back. That woman… I never got her name. I was ashamed, I tried to forget…”
“An accident four years ago, while I was going through fertility treatments? Crying every month when they failed?” Each question felt like glass in my throat.
The next morning, I went to see a lawyer, a sharp-eyed woman named Janet, who listened without judgment. She confirmed my hopes: becoming Sam’s legal adopted mother granted me parenting rights. Mark’s previously unknown paternity did not automatically give him custody.
“Amanda, please—”
“His mother already abandoned him and you were ready to do the same,” I cut in. “I won’t let that happen.”
His face crumpled. “I love you.”
“Not enough to come clean. It seems to me that you loved yourself more.”
Mark did not dispute it, thus the divorce was short. Sam adjusted better than I expected, though he occasionally wondered why Daddy didn’t live with us anymore.
“Sometimes grown-ups make mistakes,” I’d tell him, stroking his hair. “But it doesn’t mean they don’t love you.” It was the kindest truth I could offer.
Years have passed since then, and Sam has matured into an exceptional young man. Mark sends birthday cards and sometimes emails but maintains a distance – his choice, not mine.
People have asked me if I regret not walking away when I learned the truth. I constantly shake my head.
Sam was no longer merely an adoptive child; he was my son, regardless of biology or betrayal. Love isn’t always simple, but it’s always an option. I promised to never give him up, except to his future fiancée, of course.
Prince William has been photographed wearing a new item with a cute connotation.
The 40-year-old Prince of Wales is in Cape Town, South Africa, for a series of events to promote his Earthshot Prize.
The annual environment achievement supports sustainable and eco-friendly projects from all across the world, with five winners earning £1 million each.
So far, the Prince has been photographed meeting young environmentalists and even taking the time to play rugby with local schoolchildren.
The father of three has brought a comforting reminder of home with him. Prince George, 11, Princess Charlotte, 9, and Prince Louis, 6, affectionately refer to their father as ‘Papa’.
The young Royals addressed their father as ‘Papa’ when they gave him a special Father’s Day message earlier this year, as well as on his 42nd birthday a few days later.
On Father’s Day, June 17, Prince William and his wife Kate Middleton published a photo with the message “A note from their children.” It read, “We love you, Papa. Happy Father’s Day 💕 G, C & L.”
The friendship bracelet is blue and green, the colors of Earth, with the word ‘Papa’ written in black and white beads.
He was first seen wearing the accessory while attending the Earthshot Prize Climate Leaders Youth Program, where he met over 120 young leaders. He then participated in a rugby game at Ocean View Secondary School alongside young South African children from three townships.
Princess Charlotte reportedly made the bracelet for the future King, and it did not go dismissed.
One Royal admirer on X shared: “Awwwwww a cool papa!”
Another person wrote: “The sweetest thing you’ll see today!”
The Prince and Princess of Wales have been married for 13 years, marking their anniversary in April, and currently live at Adelaide Cottage near Windsor Castle with their three children.
While the couple is generally discreet about their personal lives, William apparently revealed a little more about how he and Kate sleep together.
Louise Harland told Hits Radio Cornwall last month that the 42-year-old patted her dog, Jacks, and confessed to her that his family dog, a cocker spaniel named Orla, frequently sleeps on the bed with him and Kate.
“[William] said that his little dog sleeps on the bed with them at night, with him and Kate,” Louise claimed.
“[He was] absolutely in love with my little dog. He asked what breed he was and he’s never met one of those breeds, he’s a cockerjack, so he’s a little bit of a unique combination.”