Kathy Benjamin

Austin

Writer and Editor at Grunge

Books: Lady Undertakers / Texas Mass Graves @HistoryPress It's Your Funeral @quirkbooks Funerals to Die For @adamsmedia I NEED WORK! HELP! Spec pilot: YANKS

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Articles

Royals Who Were Absolute Nightmares In Real Life

1 week ago | grunge.com | Kathy Benjamin

There have probably been very few royals in all of history who were anything approaching "normal." After all, everything about their lives is, by definition, far from ordinary. It's impossible to be raised in an environment where you are seen as being better than other people purely by an accident of birth, and walk away with a pleasant personality and rational way of looking at the world.
'80s Musicians Who Became Unbelievably Poor

2 weeks ago | grunge.com | Kathy Benjamin

No matter how much success you have, it is still possible to end up flat broke. Actors have lost all their money, athletes go bust all the time, and even billionaires have filed for bankruptcy. So, of course, musicians are not exempt from the difficulties of managing both their fame and their finances. Plenty of bands and solo artists who hit it big in the 1980s have found themselves looking at an empty bank account even though they had spent years — sometimes decades — recording and touring.
Why You'd Never Survive As A Soldier During WWII

4 weeks ago | grunge.com | Kathy Benjamin

There's plenty that your high school history class didn't teach you about World War II. There are the nightmarish World War II battle stories most people haven't heard, which were probably not appropriate for school children anyway, and the many strange rules soldiers followed during World War II. But if there is one overwhelming point that probably wasn't emphasized, it was this: Had you been fighting in World War II, there is a very good chance you would not have survived.
Tribes That Have Zero Contact With The Outside World

1 month ago | grunge.com | Kathy Benjamin

Humans are social creatures, and few people choose to isolate themselves from what is now a fully connected global society. Yet there are still pockets of the Earth that have virtually no interaction with outsiders. This is particularly true in areas that have thick forest, which makes the perfect cover for anyone who does not want visitors.
Country Stars Who Were Poorer Than You Realized

1 month ago | grunge.com | Kathy Benjamin

People tend to think of chart-topping musicians as extremely well-off. For some of them, this is true, but having awards and platinum records doesn't always guarantee a lifetime of financial stability. There's something about being a hugely successful musician that seems to lead to taking their financial success and blowing it all up. There are famously lots of rock stars who are surprisingly poor, but this unfortunate pattern is not limited to just one genre.
What The Final Year Of Janis Joplin's Life Was Like

1 month ago | grunge.com | Kathy Benjamin

Janis Joplin is remembered today as rock and roll royalty. While her talent and stage presence had plenty to do with this, the fact that she tragically became a member of the infamous "27 Club" — the alleged inordinate number of celebrities who died at the age of 27 — cemented her legacy for generations to come. AdvertisementThe future star had humble beginnings. She was born on January 19, 1943, in Port Arthur, Texas, where she embraced the hippie lifestyle and did not fit in with her peers.
The Scandalous History of Arlington National Cemetery

1 month ago | mentalfloss.com | Kathy Benjamin

Things at Arlington got off to a rocky start—and controversies have continued in the centuries since. Arlington National Cemetery is some of the most hallowed ground in the United States. More than 420,000 fallen servicemen and women are buried there and are honored with a service every Memorial Day. But despite its great importance, the cemetery has had more than its share of scandals.
11 Battles That The Allies Actually Lost During WWII

1 month ago | grunge.com | Kathy Benjamin

Many of the most important battles of World War II are those that resulted in Allied victories. After all, the Allies would go on to win the war, so the biggest, most significant battles tend to be remembered as the ones they won as well. But during the early years of the war, especially, Allied victories were hard to come by. The Germans overran Europe at such a rapid pace that it seemed no army could stop them. This meant the Allies suffered loss after loss.
Famous People Who Died During WWII

1 month ago | grunge.com | Kathy Benjamin

Many famous people actually served during World War II. Some of them were unknowns when they signed up to fight and went on to become household names years after their time in the military. Others were already celebrities at the time hostilities broke out and put their successful careers on pause to serve their country before returning to their famous lives after the war ended.
Musicians Who Partied Way Too Hard

1 month ago | grunge.com | Kathy Benjamin

There are plenty of well-known male rockers who partied way too hard during their careers: Keith Moon, Ozzy Osbourne, every single member of the Rolling Stones, and Mötley Crüe ... the list goes on and on. But what about, well, everyone else? What ladies of rock could drink those guys under the table, and who were the hardest partiers of less famously debauched genres of music? There are some surprising answers to these questions, including country stars and famous classical composers.