For something so lovely, the 45.52-carat jewel of the Smithsonian Institution has a sinister tale. Several owners of the blue diamond have suffered misfortune, including Marie Antoinette. See it here. Read more.
A half-century ago, three men made history by escaping the island fortress. They bought time by creating fake heads to fool guards during the bed check. But did the men survive? Read more.
In the late 1800s, when electricity seemed like magic, a Philadelphia inventor claimed to have created a motor powered by energy drawn from water and air. Read more.
Hours after Einstein's death, a Princeton pathologist decided to preserve his brain. It's displayed on slides here. Read more.
Soviet spies once passed along microfilm inside hollowed-out coins. Somehow, one found its way into the pocket change of a newspaper delivery person and is on display here. Read more.
The legend of Hollywood's famous bad boy James Dean didn't die when he fatally crashed his Porsche in 1955. This museum claims to have a small piece of the famous speedster. Read more.
In the early 1900s, molasses was used to make munitions. When a tank burst, it sent a tsunami of molasses through Boston's streets. Find out more about the deadly accident here. Read more.
A butcher knife at the Kansas Historical Society tells a deadly tale. The weapon was used in one of the country's first serial murders. A family ran an inn on the prairie and murdered their guests. Read more.
Labor activist Karen Silkwood died mysteriously after she decided to go public about dangerous working conditions at a nuclear-fuel plant. Her purse is displayed here. Read more.
The book and subsequent movie The Exorcist, was based on a true story of a boy believed to be possessed by the devil. This museum has the copper and zinc Gothic cross placed outside the child's room. Read more.
