Did you know that the Borgia family's poison of choice was made with a dead pig or bear? Or that Frederick the Great hired giants for his army because he thought they would see the enemy better than regular-sized soldiers?I found my ragged copy of The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody (Will Cuppy, PN6161 .C787 1992)about 40 years ago in an obscure part of my grandparents' attic, so I've gone through life thinking it was an obscure book that only a few people knew about.
In fact, it's been beloved by many since its publication in 1949. The author spent 16 years reading up on his subjects and writing down facts on index cards. The result is this collection of 26 mini-biographies about historical figures from Attila the Hun (who like other Huns scarred his face on purpose so he wouldn't have to shave) to Lady Godiva to Montezuma to Miles Standish.
You wouldn't want this to be your only source for an essay on a historical figure, but as a secondary source, The Decline and Fall of Practically Everybody is guaranteed to get your paper noticed. It's also often hilarious. The many cartoon-like illustrations are also charming: the one on this page is Lucretia Borgia (who really probably didn't kill anyone).
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