Cannibalism and massacres: The dark history of the Oregon Trail

The Oregon Trail connected the Missouri River in the east to the Oregon valleys in the west. From 1841 to 1869, approximately 350,000 people set out on the trail, and an estimated 20,000 to 30,000 lost their lives while doing so. There would be no America as we know it today without the Oregon Trail, and in this gallery we bring you the highlights of its (quite dark) history. Click through to learn more.

French election campaign rocked by violence as minister says more than 50 attacks made ahead of crunch vote

French election campaign rocked by violence as minister says more than 50 attacks made ahead of crunch vote - France ‘on edge’ as politicians begrudgingly unite in bid to hold off unprecedented far-right threat

The largest land mammal migration in the world

Virginia school board member who admitted to boozing in the Capitol gets jail time for Jan 6 riot

Virginia school board member who admitted to boozing in the Capitol gets jail time for Jan 6 riot - Adkins has said he refuses to step down from his school board position

Six Chinese nationals mining for gold killed in Congo militia attack

Six Chinese nationals mining for gold killed in Congo militia attack - Beijing says several Chinese citizens missing after attack

Brazil's former president Jair Bolsonaro indicted for money laundering

Brazil's Federal police has accused Jair Bolsonaro of money laundering, embezzlement and criminal association because of undeclared jewellery gifted by Saudi Arabia.

Police officers furious at union backdown in pay dispute

The Police Association is lowering its final offer ahead of an arbitration panel's decision in the more than year-long dispute over police pay.

Michelle Troconis, convicted for helping her boyfriend murder his wife, claims to be a ‘scapegoat’

Europe steps up its defenses amid growing fears of war

Watch: 4th of July fireworks misfire, injuring several at football stadium

Several people were injured when fireworks misfired and struck members of the audience inside a football stadium during a July 4 celebration in Utah, police said. Videos posted on social media show individual fireworks veering off from the cluster sent into the sky over the field and landing among rows of spectators in the stands at the outdoor are...

General election result WON'T be finalised today

SNP candidate Drew Hendry will be made to wait to see if he has managed to hold on to Inverness, Skye and West Ross-Shire for the with a recount scheduled for 10.30am tomorrow.

Three killed and seven others are injured by 'drunk driver' in NYC

The crash occurred in the midst of the city's Fourth of July celebrations, and among those hit were a mom and three kids, cops said.

Driver posed as police officer with fake siren and lights, court hears

A DRIVER caught pretending to be a police officer after attaching a fake siren and flashing blue lights to his car has been fined £380.

Health alert as cases of medieval Plague found in USA

The Plague is a serious disease which usually presents in three main clinical forms - bubonic, pneumonic or septicemic - and can be transmitted in several ways between infected animals and humans

Keir Starmer's 'sassy' wife Victoria and what happened to his wedding ring

The couple have been married for 15 years with Victoria being described as someone who keeps the Labour leader's feet firmly on the ground

This secret weapon helped Union troops win the US Civil War

Hunt for knifeman on the loose after triple stabbing six minutes apart

Three men were stabbed six minutes apart during the rampage in Feltham. They were all treated at the scene with two currently in hospital in a life threatening condition.

New Covid-19 variants emerge, sparking global health concerns as cases surge

The latest surge in cases has been driven by FLiRT variants and health experts say another two strains have now been found

Tragic update after little girl died in crocodile attack

The girl was last seen swimming with family members at Mango Creek near the remote Aboriginal community of Palumpa south-west of Darwin.

Police launch urgent hunt for missing girl, 13, not seen since Monday

Layla, who has connections in the south of England, including Essex, was reported missing from Stowmarket at the beginning of this week.

Body of autistic girl, 7, is found in Tennessee lake

The body of a missing autistic girl has been found in a Tennessee lake just minutes after a statewide search was launched.

Second female celebrity is linked to Matthew Perry drug death in bombshell report about their shared ketamine addiction

The as-yet unnamed woman reportedly claimed to be sober but was described as a 'walking pharmacy' who would help the Friends star obtain ketamine.

Marsupial caught breaking in to garden centre to eat koi carp

Richard Scarr, owner of Paddock Farm garden centre in Dalton Gates, Darlington, said CCTV cameras captured the culprit on film, leaving with a fish in its mouth.

Who was Lord Mountbatten and why was he assassinated?

Lord Mountbatten was a close relative of the British royal family, an officer in the British Royal Navy, and later in life the British Viceroy of India and its first Governor-General. He was the father of Patricia Knatchbull and Lady Pamela Hicks, as well as a mentor to Prince Phillip and then-Prince Charles. On August 27, 1979, Lord Mountbatten was killed by an IRA (Irish Republican Army) bomb, which accelerated growing tensions between England and Northern Ireland. If you're curious about the life of this British noble and are keen to discover why he was targeted by the IRA, click through the gallery to find out.

UK food safety in 'absolute chaos' due to Brexit, expert warns

Chris Elliott, the founder of the Institute for Global Food Security said that with the UK importing nearly 50 per cent of all food we eat, everything that happens in the world impacts us.

Ex-teacher jailed for six-and-a-half years for sex with schoolboys

Rebecca Joynes, 30, groomed the youngsters from the age of 15, and was on bail for sexual activity with the first child, Boy A, when she began having sex with the second, Boy B, who she went on to become pregnant by. Neither boy can be identified. Parents of both boys watched as Joynes, wearing a gold necklace, black padded jacket and with blonde highlights in her hair, visibly shook and broke down in tears as she was jailed at Manchester Crown Court.

Rishi Sunak hands peerage to top aide alongside Theresa May

No10 chief of staff Liam Booth-Smith, who is known as 'the Treasury Travolta' due to his love of a leather jacket, will enter the upper house among a slew of Tory big-hitters quitting the Commons.

10 biggest moments from historic General Election

ATV crashes into pickup on rural Colorado road, killing 2 toddlers and 2 adults

BRUSH, Colo. (AP) — An all-terrain vehicle crashed into a pickup truck on a rural road on Colorado's plains, killing two toddlers and two adults, authorities said Thursday.

Three killed after ‘drunk driver’ slams into July 4 revellers at NYC park

Three killed after ‘drunk driver’ slams into July 4 revellers at NYC park - At least two children were among those hospitalized after a driver crashed into a crowd of people celebrating Independence Day

British backpacker, 22, ‘feared she would die alone’ after plummeting 13 feet in Greece quad bike accident

British backpacker, 22, ‘feared she would die alone’ after plummeting 13 feet in Greece quad bike accident - Courtney Leanne Boylan is in intensive care in Athens after quad bike landed on her following drop into ravine, family says

Emergency services evacuate Heathrow Terminal 2

Holidaymakers are facing chaos at Heathrow Airport after emergency services evacuated Terminal 2.

Pro-Palestine candidates, including Corbyn, secure wins in UK election

Former Labour Party leader and pro-Palestine activist Jeremy Corbyn was re-elected in Islington North as an independent.

An old American Cold War air defense system has proven to be a game changing weapon for Ukraine

Moment Jeremy Hunt leaves Downing Street with his wife and children

Jeremy Hunt has left Downing Street with his family for the final time this morning following Labour's victory in the General Election.

Auckland truckie caught driving nearly seven times over alcohol limit

The driver was described to be struggling to stay in his lane.

Woman found inside stomach of giant monster

In a village in Sulawesi, Indonesia, the community is once again living in fear after a reticulated python, known for its colossal size, devoured a 38-year-old woman. Residents of a village on the central Indonesian island of Sulawesi found the body of a woman inside a python. And this is already the second such incident in just a month in this part of the Asian archipelago. The 38-year-old victim was found by residents of Luwu province, in...

Holly Willoughby trial: Security guard found guilty of kidnap plot

Gavin Plumb has been found guilty of attempting to carry out a kidnap and murder plot against former This Morning presenter Holly Willoughby – the jury reached its verdict in just over 12 hours

Letby receives a further whole-life order for baby murder bid

Child serial killer nurse Lucy Letby has been sentenced to another whole-life order for the attempted murder of a baby girl. Earlier this week, Letby, 34, was found guilty at Manchester Crown Court of the attack on the newborn infant during a night shift at the Countess of Chester Hospital's neonatal unit in February 2016.

Hundreds join night walk for terminally-ill

About 750 people took part in the event, with bereaved families walking in memory of loved ones.

America burst into riot of color as July 4 fireworks light up skies

In celebration of 248 years since the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, millions celebrated with parades, cookouts and the anticipated splashes of color in the evening sky.

Ousted Kāinga Ora board member slams government plans as 'wanton folly'

A former Kāinga Ora board member says the government's shake-up is "sheer folly".

Artist who killed her parents told locals they 'moved to the seaside'

Virginia McCullough, 36, wept in court today as she confessed to poisoning her father John, 70, and brutally stabbing her mother Lois, 71, to death in June 2019.

The Pacific airfield being repurposed to counter China

Recent press reports suggest that a tiny island in the Pacific Ocean is set to become a new forward front in the event of hostilities between the United States and China. This has evoked wartime memories of when the island in question, Tinian, served as a US military base in the fight against the Japanese. During WWII, American-operated runways on Tinian served as launch pads for numerous bombing raids, including the fateful attacks on Hiroshima and Nagasaki. Abandoned for nearly 80 years, these airfields now look set to be recommissioned as Washington voices concern over Beijing's increasing missile threat. But where exactly is Tinian located, and what's the story behind this remote, jungle-clad enclave? Click through and step back in time to find out.

Horror on Italian cable car: mother (41) falls to death in front of children

41-year-old Margherita from Trentino was killed Thursday in northern Piedmont when she plunged from a cable elevator as much as 100 meters down. Her husband and two small children saw the accident happen. The woman was loading the family's luggage into a cable car going to Drocala when it suddenly shot into motion, dragging the woman with it. The woman remained attached to the elevator for about 50 meters until she suddenly fell down onto the...

Rishi Sunak arrives to Buckingham Palace as he meets with the King

Rishi Sunak arrives to Buckingham Palace to resign as Britain's prime minister after historic defeat for his Conservatives.

General Election 2024: After Labour landslide, what happens next?

Sir Keir Starmer will take the keys to Downing Street after voters handed Labour a landslide victory in the General Election - and here is a look at how the handover of power will unfold in the coming days.

Work on seven major roads set to begin, Transport Minister says

Seven more significant roading projects across the country are now under way - earning Simeon Brown's tick of approval.

Putin’s state TV rejoices at Tories’ crushing defeat

Marine Le Pen insists she can win despite party officials attacked

Marine le Pen insists her National Rally party will be able to win an absolute majority by the end of the second round of France's election, despite party officials being attacked in the street by angry mobs.