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Gary Hart and Donna Rice -

Americans of the '80s might remember this one well. In 1988, Colorado Senator Gary Hart was the frontrunner to become the Democratic candidate for president. It was predicted that he would easily beat the Republican nominee, George H.W. Bush.

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Gary Hart and Donna Rice -

It all went wrong when this photo of the married Hart and his mistress, Donna Rice, was released to the press. Hart resigned and his replacement lost the election to George H.W. Bush. How different would the world have been if the progressive, liberal Gary Hart had become president?

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John F. Kennedy and Judith Exner - This one is debatable, but fascinating to consider nonetheless. John F. Kennedy's extramarital affairs were common knowledge during his presidency. One woman he had an affair with was said to be Judith Exner. However, Exner was also having an affair with the mob boss Sam Giancana.

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John F. Kennedy and Judith Exner -

JFK's assassination has been subject to endless theories, and one is that his affair with Exner put him on the outs with the mob, resulting in his murder.

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John Lennon and Yoko Ono -

Fans of the Beatles were shocked when John Lennon left his wife and son to run away with the avant-garde artist Yoko Ono. They were even more shocked, and angry, when he left the Beatles to pursue more experimental work with her.

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John Lennon and Yoko Ono -

In the end, there were many reasons that contributed to the dissolution of the biggest band in history, but the romance between Lennon and Ono was certainly one of them.

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Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor - When Elizabeth Taylor and Richard Burton were cast as the leads in the epic movie 'Cleopatra' (1963), they were both married. During filming, they started an affair that would send the world into a frenzy.

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Richard Burton and Elizabeth Taylor - Their relationship was so high profile that Taylor was even denounced by the Pope, who called her behavior “erotic vagrancy.” The two stars were rumored to spend entire days together in their trailers when they were supposed to be filming, contributing to the movie going meteorically over budget and nearly bankrupting 20th Century Fox. They had to lay off thousands of employees as a result.

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King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson - A few months into his reign, King Edward VIII proposed to the divorced American socialite Wallis Simpson. She was married at the time and seeking a divorce from her second husband. Their affair was an enormous scandal, and Edward was unable to marry her because the Church of England did not allow divorced people to remarry while their ex-spouse was still alive.

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King Edward VIII and Wallis Simpson -

Edward decided to abdicate, giving up his birth right to marry the woman he loved. He passed the crown to his wholly unprepared younger brother, King George VIII, who famously suffered from a stutter. King George went on to lead the country through World War II while Edward and Simpson lived out their days in France.

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Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas -

The famous American writer and art collector Gertrude Stein met the love of her life, Alice B. Toklas, in Paris in 1907. The two eccentric and creative women quickly moved in together and created a rather exceptional home.

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Gertrude Stein and Alice B. Toklas -

Their famous Paris apartment at 27 Rue de Fleurus became a meeting place for artists and writers like Henri Matisse, Pablo Picasso, Ernest Hemingway and F. Scott Fitzgerald. The couple also supported and inspired each other's writing, and both Stein and Toklas created many great works.

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Czar Nicholas II and Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt -

Nicholas II fell in love with the German Princess Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt, but the Russian royal family did not approve of the relationship. Regardless, they got engaged in 1893, and were married in a quiet ceremony days after his father's death. They ascended to the throne together as rulers of Russia.

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Czar Nicholas II and Alix of Hesse-Darmstadt -

It was a time of strife and poverty in Russia, which only worsened during World War I. While the people struggled, Nicholas and Alexandra enjoyed opulent royal parties and spent time on their yachts. They quickly lost support, and the Russian people overthrew the crown. Nicholas, Alexandra, and their entire family were executed in 1918, ending the dynasty of the Romanovs.

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Charles Dickens and Nelly Ternan -

In 1845, Charles Dickens was a highly successful writer and a married man with nine children. That year, he met the 17-year-old actress Nelly Ternan and fell in love. His affair eventually destroyed his marriage.

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Charles Dickens and Nelly Ternan -

Dickens left his wife and carried on seeing Nelly Ternan for 13 years. She is said to have been the inspiration for some of his most brilliant characters, including Estella in 'Great Expectations.'

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Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelley -

The 17-year-old Mary Godwin began an affair with the writer Percy Bysshe Shelley when he was 21, and married to another woman. Godwin became pregnant and he left his wife for her. Sadly, his first wife later drowned herself, and Godwin and Shelley were free to marry.

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Mary Shelley and Percy Bysshe Shelley -

The new Shelleys went to Switzerland where they spent time with the famous poet Lord Byron. This is where Mary Shelley developed the idea for her novel, 'Frankenstein.' She went on to write a brilliant tale and created one of the most iconic monsters in history.

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Napoleon and Josephine -

Napoleon Bonaparte fell in love with a French socialite named Josephine when he was still an ambitious young soldier. After posing significant resistance, Josephine finally agreed to marry him in 1796. Through his military campaigns, they became the Emperor and Empress of France.

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Napoleon and Josephine -

Josephine had numerous affairs while he was away and after several years had failed to produce an heir, so Napoleon divorced her. Everything went downhill after their breakup. He suffered devastating military losses and was exiled from France. Josephine died in his absence, reportedly of a broken heart. When he returned to Paris, he picked violets from her garden and wore then in a locket for the rest of his life.

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Catherine the Great and Grigory Potemkin -

When Catherine the Great became Empress of Russia after her husband's assassination, possibly by her own orders, she took a liking to a soldier named Grigory Potemkin. Reports say that he was vain, overweight, and missing an eye, but he was one of the great loves of her life. They carried on their affair for many years.

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Catherine the Great and Grigory Potemkin -

Catherine made Potemkin a count, a statesman, and the leader of her armies. When he died in 1791, Catherine went into a deep depression and never fully recovered.

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King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn -

When the married King Henry VIII fell in love with the young Anne Boleyn, he founded a new religion for Great Britain so that he could marry her! The Pope would not allow him to divorce his first wife, so he created the Church of England. It was a reformed version of Catholicism that allowed divorces.

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King Henry VIII and Anne Boleyn -

Although King Henry would famously go on to have Anne Boleyn executed, his new church has lived on for centuries and is still one of the world's dominant Protestant religions.

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Antony and Cleopatra -

Cleopatra, the Queen of Egypt, and Marc Antony fell in love upon their first meeting in Turkey. Antony followed Cleopatra back to Egypt to continue their romance. Rome was in disarray at the time following the death of Julius Caesar, and Antony had formed an alliance with Octavian and General Marcus Lepidus as joint rulers.

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Antony and Cleopatra -

Octavian was understandably annoyed that Antony had abandoned ship to run away with Cleopatra, particularly as Antony was married to his sister! Octavian went to war with Egypt, defeating Antony and Cleopatra. In the process, they both killed themselves, and Octavian took over full control of the Roman Empire.

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Paris and Helen of Troy -

Helen of Troy was said to be one of the most beautiful women in history. Although she was already married, Paris of Troy was so enamored with her that he took her back to Troy with him. Accounts differ on whether they ran away together, or he abducted her against her will. 

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Paris and Helen of Troy -

Regardless, the affair started a bloody war between the Greeks and the Trojans, killing thousands of people, including Paris. Her original husband, Menelaus, rescued her and took her back to Greece with him.

Sources: (Mental Floss) (Slice)

See also: The royal weddings that changed European history

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