Ranker Collection
Crime & Punishment
Weird History841.2k viewsA Day In The Life Of A Medieval Executioner In Their 16th-Century HeydayThe daily life of a medieval executioner was not easy. They did more than simply chop off heads and break prisoners on the wheel. ...
Unspeakable Times77k viewsThe Wild West Was As Wild As You Think - And 'Justice' Was Often Even WorseThe American West stirs up grand images from movies: daring escapades, shootouts at high noon, tough sheriffs and marshals keeping...
Whoa Facts1.5m views12 Jaw-Droppingly Evil Torture Devices Used Throughout HistoryWARNING: DISTURBING DESCRIPTIONS BELOW
Humans are incredibly creative when it comes to torture and humiliation, as surviving arti...
Graveyard Shift1.4m viewsThe Most Brutal Execution Methods Reportedly Used By Mexican CartelsThe Mexican Drug War - a sustained, violent conflict between powerful drug cartels and the Mexican government - has claimed an est...
Mythology8.2k votersThe Most Epic Punishments Doled Out by Mythological GodsThese horrible punishments in mythology will make you thankful to live in a modern world, where there is a legitimate legal system...
Graveyard Shift1.7m viewsBotched Execution Attempts That Went Horribly WrongCapital punishment: the age-old way for humans to dispose of one another for crimes perceived to be the most egregious in a partic...
Graveyard Shift615.4k viewsHow Firing Squads Have Worked Throughout HistoryAs soon as mankind learned to shoot, it figured out how to use that power to kill. The history of shooting squads is very long, th...
Human Body2.4m viewsCreepy Things You Didn’t Know About Dying In The Electric ChairThe electric chair is no longer used as the primary method of execution in the United States. But at the time it was invented, it ...
Graveyard Shift423.3k views10 Gruesome Execution Methods You Won't Believe Still Happen Around The WorldCapital punishment is a hot-button issue - especially in the United States. While well over half the states in the US still employ...
Unscripted547k viewsThe Most Controversial U.S. Death Penalty ExecutionsDeath row convicts can't rely on an eleventh-hour appeal, although some like Richard Glossip secured a fourth stay of execution in...
Graveyard Shift222.1k viewsFamous Cases Of People Who Were Arrested Abroad (And What Happened To Them)Isn't it the nightmare of any traveler? You go to another country - maybe you don't even speak the language - only to get detained...
Explainer607.8k viewsThe Brutal History Behind Tarring And FeatheringThroughout history, many societies have used tarring and feathering as both punishment and humiliation. The practice reaches as fa...
History259k views6 Exceedingly Strange, WTF Torture Methods From HistoryIt’s a wonder the kinds of brutality man visits on those viewed as dangerous or different. Perhaps even more startling is the trem...
Military353.6k views15 Brutal Military Punishments throughout History to the Modern AgeThe militaries of the world are founded on principles of discipline, so it's no surprise military punishments in history have been...
History76.2k viewsCrazy Punishments, Rituals, and Violent Practices in Native American CultureScholars have spent plenty of time debating the rituals of Native Americans. Some tribes were peaceful, some were war-faring, and ...
Graveyard Shift135.4k views11 Ridiculous Crimes That Carried The Death Penalty Before Queen VictoriaWhen England was on the cusp of the Victorian era in the 1820s, there were more than 200 offenses that were punishable by death. T...
Human Body174.4k viewsWhat a Crucifixion Really Feels Like, from Broken Bones to Blood LossLet's face it, when it's time for you to expire, Mother Nature has plenty of awful ways to take you out of this world, most of whi...
Japan92.6k viewsThe Horrifying, Little-Known History of Japanese CrucifixionCrucifixion in Japan took various forms and was used to punish thieves, threats to public order, and religious enemies alike. It's...
Historical Figures239.9k viewsExecution Scenes From Movies And TV That Were Way Less Violent Than The Real ThingSometimes, television and movies depict historical events with surprising accuracy. Other times, they temper historical truth for ...
Weird History22.7k viewsDid The Iron Maiden Actually Exist?What was the iron maiden, and how did the iron maiden work? The medieval torture device, a human-sized sarcophagus filled with spi...