On August 6, 2004, punk-funk legend Rick James was found dead in his Los Angeles home. He had nine different drugs in his system — including cocaine and meth.Rick James’ death struck the music world like a tidal wave. In the 1980s, the “Super Freak” singer had taken funk music out of the nightclub and delivered mainstream hits on a silver platter. He had sold over 10 million records, was a Grammy Award winner, inspired countless artists, and become an icon in his own time.

"She had great respect for [Adolf]," said one man who spoke with Paula Hitler in 1959. “Had I asked her about anything that might’ve been critical of him, I think she would've protected him."Ullstein Bild/Getty ImagesAdolf Hitler’s sister Paula Hitler after her arrest by U.S. troops at the end of World War II. May 1945. In 1930, a woman named Paula Hiedler was fired from her job at an insurance company in Vienna, Austria.

When Rocky Dennis died at age 16, he had already lived more than twice as long as doctors expected — and lived a fuller life than anyone thought possible.People MagazineRocky Dennis and his mother, Rusty, with whom he shared an incredibly close bond. Rocky Dennis was born with an extremely rare bone dysplasia which caused his facial bone features to contort and grow at an abnormally fast rate. Doctors told his mother, Florence “Rusty” Dennis, that the boy would suffer multiple disabilities because of his disease, and would most likely die before he turned seven.

Parnell “Stacks” Edwards, The Driver Who Parked A Stolen Van In A No-Parking Zone Police PhotoParnell “Stacks” Edwards, a musician and criminal who got involved in the Lufthansa heist. Though he only plays a minor role in Goodfellas, Parnell “Stacks” Edwards — portrayed by actor Samuel L. Jackson — played a major role in pushing Jimmy Burke over the edge. Born in the South Bronx in January 1947, Parnell Edwards filled a number of roles throughout his life.

A torture device commonly used to elicit prisoner confessions in early modern Europe, the thumbscrew was designed to crush victims’ fingers or toes, leaving them in incredible pain — but alive.Science History Images / Alamy Stock PhotoThe thumbscrew is a torture instrument first used in medieval Europe to crush prisoners’ thumbs or big toes. Throughout history, monarchs, armies, and religious organizations have employed any means necessary to maintain power. Often, this included torturing suspects with a variety of cruel and unusual devices to extract confessions.