Lists of true accounts of real people who survived unfathomable situations and depictions of fights for survival in film, TV, video games, and other media.

Stayin' Alive

True Stories

Most people only die once. If you're lucky, you'll make through your life without anybody trying to take it away. But, not everybody is so fortunate. Every year, people across the world are brought within an inch of their lives by another human being. What happens to those unlucky people? Who hurts them, why, and what does it feel like to be left for dead?Some <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/4ahxt1/survivors_of_attempted_murder_whats_your_story/ " target="_blank">brave souls at Reddit</a> have shared their horrifying real life stories of surviving an attempted murder. The stories will definitely upset you... almost as much as the lack the number of people who got away with it.

Survivors Of Attempted Murder Tell Their Grisly Stories

General

Survivors of Attempted Murder Tell Their Grisly Stories

Rosa Pasquarella

Survival

Your home should be your safe zone - a&nbsp;place where you can hide from the outside world, where you kick back and relax. It&rsquo;s your castle, and you are the king (or queen).

But what if someone wanted to take what you had inside your castle? Or worse, what&nbsp;if they wanted to harm you?&nbsp;What would you do? How would you protect yourself? While it&#39;s an overwhelming thought, it is possible to <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/scary-home-invasion-stories/lea-rose-emery" target="_blank">defend yourself against terrifying home invaders</a>.&nbsp;Redditors shared stories of times when someone broke into their house, and how they defended themselves and their families from the intruders.&nbsp;

From teenagers looking to steal whatever they could carry&nbsp;to armed intruders intent on hurting those inside, these stories will make you think twice about whether you locked all the doors and windows at night.

People Who Have Had To Defend Themselves Against Home Intruders Explain How They Did It

19 Stories From People Who Defended Themselves Against Intruders

Stefanie Hammond

Organized Crime

Whether you love&nbsp;Mob Wives&nbsp;or&nbsp;The Godfather (and you no doubt enjoy at least one), the organization holds an allure for many on the outside. <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/mafia-nicknames/amylindorff" target="_blank">Mafia lore</a> and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/how-lemons-led-to-criminal-organizations/beth-elias" target="_blank">mob history</a>&nbsp;have long inspired everything from entertainment to the creation of unions to legal policy framework.&nbsp;Though Rudy Giuliani allegedly took out the American mafia, the Five Families, and the Commission in the 1980s, many say <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/things-the-mafia-controls/philgibbons" target="_blank">the mob is still active</a> throughout the world. Certainly, different countries possess their own iterations of the mob, but even in the US the institution still holds power.&nbsp;These Redditors claim to have encountered it&nbsp;-&nbsp;and lived to tell their tales on the internet.&nbsp;

Disturbing Stories From People Who Have Actually Encountered The Mafia

13 Normal People Share Their True Stories About Mafia Encounters

Beth Elias

Most people would agree that the Internet has improved daily life. But the web has a dark side, too - the rise of social media has led&nbsp;to a rise in creepy online stalkers. These real-life creepy stalker stories are absolutely chilling, and it’s telling that so many of them begin with a seemingly innocent online meeting.If you’re looking for an excuse to limit your Internet time, these Reddit stalking tales&nbsp;will give you plenty of reasons to log off. They contain some of the most skin-crawling&nbsp;descriptions of stalking that you'll ever read.&nbsp;From ex boyfriends who just can't take a hint to strangers who lovingly pen poems to the objects of their obsessions, this list has them all.

14 People Describe Their Terrifying Encounters With Creepy Stalkers

14 People Describe Their Scary Stories About Creepy Stalkers

Jacob Shelton

Lists about what's going on on Capitol Hill and in your own backyard.

US Government & Politics

Trending on Ranker

Laws named after victims remain a source of debate. While plenty of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/crimes-by-rich-white-women/elle-tharp" target="_blank">brutal crimes</a> occur within any given year, only a very small percentage&nbsp;lead to changes to our legal system. When it comes to US laws created because of crimes, public outrage is key. Particularly <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/crimes-by-rich-white-women/elle-tharp" target="_blank">horrifying kidnappings</a>, murders, and suicides receive&nbsp;an unusual amount of press coverage, often resulting in&nbsp;the widespread backlash needed to pressure politicians into reforming the legal system.&nbsp;The crimes that resulted in new laws&nbsp;were already illegal when they were committed. The resulting legislation is usually seen&nbsp;as closing a loophole or addressing a unique aspect of the crime. However, there is much public debate on whether such laws are ethical or effective. People who have laws named after them are honored and memorialized, on the one hand, but critics argue such laws are often too reactionary to be truly effective.&nbsp;If you're unsure where you stand on the issue, browse this list. It will help you develop a more detailed understanding of how and why some crimes lead to new laws.&nbsp;

Every US Law Named After A Victim And What It Does

Jodi Smith

Lists about some of the worst people to ever live and the very bad ways things they did when they let their power go to their heads.

Real Historical Villains

Torture

Madame LaLaurie holds a special place in the mythology of the South, and New Orleans in particular. If&nbsp;there ever was a house that was haunted, it would be her mansion, a collection of rooms used for grotesquely&nbsp;harming and ending the lives of&nbsp;slaves in the most violent ways possible. Born Marie Delphine Macarty, Madame LaLaurie was a&nbsp;wealthy socialite and slave owner who had a body count that rumored to be somewhere near 100. Other accounts believe she owned closer to <a href="https://deepsouthmag.com/2014/01/15/real-madame-lalaurie-legends-american-horror-story-coven/" target="_blank">50 slaves</a>.

Many people believe that it was after she married her third husband that <a href="https://historydaily.org/delphine-lalaurie-new-orleans-famously-sadistic-slave-owner" target="_blank">LaLaurie&#39;s&nbsp;virulent instincts</a> kicked in. Whatever the reason, she was known to openly flog her slaves for even the most trivial of perceived slights. Even given the abhorrent standards of behavior towards slaves in her time and place, this was considered extreme, and her behavior got her <a href="http://www.vice.com/read/a-portrait-of-cruelty-madame-marie-delphine-lalaurie-982" target="_blank">investigated for&nbsp;cruelty</a> in&nbsp;1828, 1829, and 1832.

Some historians believe her worst actions&nbsp;may have been exaggerated over time as her tale became a legend, but even contemporary news reports of the area paint a terrifying picture. With this collection of gruesome facts,&nbsp;you&#39;ll come to meet one of the most disturbing people who ever walked the face of the earth, and one who never faced any recrimination for the brutality she doled out.

Actress Kathy Bates depicted a fictionalized version of LaLaurie in the third season of American Horror Story. And in October 2019, The Conjuring writers&nbsp;Chad&nbsp;and&nbsp;Carey Hayes announced their plans to begin a new horror film franchise based on&nbsp;LaLaurie&#39;s home. <a href="https://bloody-disgusting.com/movie/3591518/conjuring-writers-announce-new-horror-franchise-based-haunted-lalaurie-mansion/?fbclid=IwAR2MSdGYv6U6njr4whfyzdLgbipVoKq0M_5JaEzzFJHFSB77FGjan7srWm4" target="_blank">They describe their intention</a> saying, &quot;The stories will unfold in multiple installments covering the history of the house from recent horrific events of modern day all the way back to the terrifying origins of the house&#39;s history and its owner,&nbsp;<a href="https://historydaily.org/delphine-lalaurie-new-orleans-famously-sadistic-slave-owner" target="_blank">Madame Delphine LaLaurie</a>.&quot;

Madame LaLaurie has become a part of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/axeman-of-new-orleans-facts/amandasedlakhevener" target="_blank">New Orleans legend</a>, and her house, as it stands now, is said to be haunted by the ghosts of the slaves who met their demise at her hands. Even if you don&#39;t <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/celebrities-who-believe-in-ghosts/celebrity-lists" target="_blank">believe in ghosts</a>, the story is so disturbing that a haunting feels likely.

19 Facts About Madame LaLaurie, Socialite, Slave Torturer, & Serial Killer

19 Horrifying Facts About Madame Lalaurie, Socialite & Serial Killer

Mysteries

Nicknamed &quot;Shelby&#39;s Sweetheart&quot;&nbsp;by her community, Asha Jaquilla Degree was last seen walking down a foggy highway in the early hours of Valentine&#39;s Day&nbsp;2000. She was only 9 years old. Over the past two decades, there have been multiple theories explaining why Asha left her Shelby, NC, home in the middle of the night, and as of 2016,&nbsp;there were&nbsp;350 leads on the case.

Despite these leads, one fact remains clear: No one has seen, heard from, or been able to find Asha Degree in over 20 years. Even after two decades of searching, Asha&#39;s family still believes she is alive; while this may strike some as wishful thinking, there are numerous <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/missing-people-who-were-found-alive/rydavis" target="_blank">missing persons</a> who have been found, sometimes years after they disappeared.

The Asha Degree case is still considered an open investigation; here&#39;s everything we know.

Everything We Know About The Mysterious Disappearance Of Asha Degree

Patrick Thornton

Classrooms have always buzzed with rumors of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/student-teacher-romantic-relationships/samantha-dillinger" target="_blank">relationships between teachers and students</a>, but for years it appeared school administrators quietly dimmed any case that came to light with resignations and tight-lipped excuses. If it seems like reported misconduct&nbsp;and convictions occur more frequently these days, the reason may involve one of the most bizarre and upsetting &#39;90s scandals.

Mary Kay Letourneau&nbsp;was a schoolteacher in&nbsp;Burien, WA, when 12-year-old Vili Fualaau&nbsp;entered her Shorewood Elementary sixth-grade class in 1996. The artistic student reportedly suffered an abusive home life, and soon became close with&nbsp;Letourneau&nbsp;and her husband Steve,&nbsp;accompanying them and their four children on trips.&nbsp;

In June 1997, Letourneau and Fualaau&nbsp;began a sexual relationship and&nbsp;produced two daughters, capturing&nbsp;the public&#39;s attention and leading to jail time for the 34-year-old teacher. Twenty-four hour news stations and talk show hosts could not get enough of the story; Letourneau believed she found love with a child, and defied all common sense and court orders to stay with him.

After two prison sentences and a pair of children, the two married in 2005 before slowly fading from the limelight. All these years later, where is Mary Kay Letourneau and is she still with Fualaau? Was it love, lust, or mental illness bringing Letourneau and Fualaau together, despite the age difference and illegal nature of their relationship?

A Look Back At The Teacher-Student Sex Scandal That Rocked Headlines In The '90s

True Crime

Brittanee Drexel told her parents she was staying with a friend for spring break before she went <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/lost-children-who-were-found/anabel-conner" target="_blank">missing</a> in 2009. Leading up to her disappearance, the 17-year-old high school senior from Rochester, NY,&nbsp;was under an immense amount of stress from&nbsp;her parents&#39; separation. While her vanishing&nbsp;may at first sound like the case of a runaway teen, Brittanee Drexel&#39;s disappearance quickly turned ominous.

The Brittanee Drexel case has remained unsolved since she was last seen on April 25, 2009, though the investigation fluctuated between hot and cold throughout the 2010s. While murder and human trafficking are the two leading theories in Brittanee&#39;s disappearance, the events of April 25&nbsp;remain just as perplexing now as they were in 2009.

Here are the facts of the case and a general timeline of events. We&#39;ll also explore plausible theories and suspects in Brittanee Drexel&#39;s confounding disappearance.

Brittanee Drexel Was On Spring Break When She Vanished In 2009, And Her Case Is Still Unsolved

A look at the happenings and goings-on in and around America's dangliest state.

Meanwhile, in Florida...

Though Florida may seem warm and sunny, there&#39;s a dark side to the Sunshine State. The crimes on this list are sinister and mysterious, and they all have one thing in common - they remain unsolved. There are no easy answers when it comes to these unsolved murders, disappearances, and unidentified victims discovered in the state of Florida.

Creepy Unsolved Crimes And Mysteries From Florida

Creepy Florida Unsolved Mysteries

What was going on the year you were born? A look at the most popular things happening in entertainment, music, and even real world news while you were busy cycling through naps.

The Year You Were Born

Timeline

Sometimes, one news story completely overtakes the airwaves. These high-profile incidents&nbsp;can be worldwide events, political struggles, or natural disasters,&nbsp;but sometimes, they're fascinating crimes. The last several decades have been full of prominent true crime stories, and a look&nbsp;back through history reveals which of these tales was on everyone's lips the year you were born.&nbsp;While most of these events spanned multiple years - thanks to lengthy investigations and court proceedings - each seemingly overtook the news cycle for a specific period of time.

The Biggest True Crime Story From The Year You Were Born

In 2019,&nbsp;podcaster Chris Lambert created an eight-part series entitled&nbsp;<a href="https://www.yourownbackyardpodcast.com" target="_blank">Your Own Backyard</a>&nbsp;to investigate the 1996 disappearance of college student Kristin Smart.&nbsp;The&nbsp;case had fascinated him&nbsp;since he was a boy, as he had passed a billboard about Smart&#39;s disappearance almost daily for 20 years.&nbsp;

He&#39;s not the only one intrigued by the story - the Kristin Smart case has captured the attention of countless people across the US, and over two decades later, investigators may have finally found a lead:&nbsp;On April 13, 2021, Paul Flores and his father, Ruben, were arrested in connection with Smart&#39;s disappearance.

After 20-Plus Years, We May Finally Get Some Answers In Kristin Smart’s Mysterious Disappearance

Here's What We Know About Kristin Smart's Mysterious Disappearance

Michelle Nati

Lists about cults around the world, charismatic cult leaders, and warning signs that—uh oh—you might already be in a cult.

Pumpkin, You're In a Cult

What It's Like

Chances are, you've heard the saying &quot;don't drink the&nbsp;Kool-Aid&quot;&nbsp;- which, contrary to popular belief, is technically incorrect since&nbsp;<a href="https://www.theatlantic.com/health/archive/2012/11/stop-saying-drink-the-kool-aid/264957/" target="_blank">the victims actually drank Flavor Aid</a>. The adage refers to Jim Jones, a cult leader who gave his followers cyanide-laced punch, resulting in the&nbsp;mass murder-suicide of more than&nbsp;900 people.The Jonestown cult started&nbsp;as the Peoples Temple, in which Jim Jones preached racial equality and an end to segregation, and even <a href="https://jonestown.sdsu.edu/?page_id=33222" target="_blank">won awards</a> for his civil rights work. However, as Jones's teachings got out of hand, by including fake healings and violent outbursts, the Peoples Temple took a different turn.&nbsp;Jones and his loyalists started Jonestown as a sort of paradise, but this notion quickly fell apart. Daily life in Jonestown was not idyllic; the compound struggled to feed and house the exodus of church followers. Brutal beatings, disturbing &quot;suicide rehearsals,&quot; and Jones's increasing paranoia compelled people to defect from the cult. After hearing complaints from defectors, US Representative Leo Ryan, accompanied by 23 others, traveled to Guyana to investigate.When Ryan attempted to rescue church members and board a plane, Jones unleashed gunmen on them. At this point, the mass murder-suicide began. Some allege loyalists forcibly injected poison into those who refused to drink the deadly punch. Jones himself didn't drink the Flavor Aid&nbsp;and died from a - likely self-inflicted -&nbsp;<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/surviving-a-headshot/travis-morgan?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">gunshot to the head</a>.

What Life Was Like In The Peoples Temple Cult Before The Jonestown Massacre Killed Over 900 People

Jonestown Before The Suicide: What Life Was Really Like

Lists of unsettling and grisly details about what happened to kidnapping victims who were held against their will. 

While They Were Held Hostage

Unspeakable Times

On November 4, 1970, Los Angeles child services discovered an unprecedented case of child neglect. At 13, Susan Wiley had the demeanor and appearance of a 6 or 7-year-old girl. When the authorities began investigating parents Irene and Clark Wiley, they found that two of the four Wiley children passed within months of their births. A third child lived with Clark&rsquo;s mother until her unexpected passing, and the fourth was Susan, also known as &ldquo;Genie.&rdquo; Genie, despite her age, was unable to speak, feed herself, or use the toilet. At less than 60 pounds, the girl walked with an unusual gait, the result of years of confinement.&nbsp;

After child services rescued Genie, child psychologists devoted themselves to the girl&rsquo;s recovery. Known as a &ldquo;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-feral-children/justin-andress" target="_blank">feral child</a>,&rdquo; Genie&rsquo;s isolation from society in her formative years caused her to have stunted cognitive and behavioral abilities. She never developed the ability to communicate with language, although her behavioral and social skills improved with years of positive reinforcement and therapy. Since Genie, other cases of feral children have come to light, such as <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/dani-girl-in-the-window-florida-feral-child/nathan-gibson" target="_blank">Danielle Crockett</a>, known as &ldquo;The Girl in the Window,&rdquo; and Ukraine&rsquo;s <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/oxana-malaya-feral-child-facts/erin-wisti" target="_blank">Oxana Malaya</a>.

The courts arrested Genie&rsquo;s parents, but Clark took his own life&nbsp;before the trial. The judge subsequently dismissed the charges against Irene. In 1994, Nova - a PBS series - released an Emmy-winning documentary about Genie called Secret of the Wild Child. As of 2016, Genie lives in a Los Angeles facility as a permanent ward of the state.&nbsp; 
&nbsp;

A Little Girl Was Locked In A Basement By Her Own Parents For More Than A Decade

Laura Allan

The capture of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/brutal-drug-kingpins/katherine-ripley " target="_blank">infamous crime lord</a> Joaqu&iacute;n &quot;El Chapo&quot; Guzm&aacute;n is one of the biggest blows to organized crime of the 21st century. El Chapo&#39;s capture threw&nbsp;his family and empire into a state of chaos. While Guzm&aacute;n may be incarcerated, that doesn&#39;t mean&nbsp;the Sinaloa cartel has ceased its operations. Internal conflict, rival cartels, and law enforcement agencies are putting the squeeze on this once-untouchable syndicate.

But it&#39;s not over for the&nbsp;Guzm&aacute;n family. Many of his children are living relatively normal lives, and his wife&#39;s public and flashy lifestyle has caught the attention of the tabloids. His sons are consolidating power within the cartel, and there is always the possibility El Chapo will try to escape from the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/famous-prisoners-at-adx-florence-facility/treadlightly" target="_blank">supermax penitentiary</a>&nbsp;in which he&#39;s likely to be housed. In any case, the post-Chapo history of the Guzm&aacute;n family is as rich and horrifying as its leader&#39;s reign. El Chapo is in jail, but the ripples of his numerous exploits will be felt for years to come.&nbsp;

What Happened To El Chapo's Family And Empire After The Last Time He Was Caught

What Happened To El Chapo's Family & Empire After He Was Caught?

Eric Luis

Teachers

Textbooks. Pencils. Needles.&nbsp;Turtles.&nbsp;Yes, all of the above.&nbsp;As teachers have discovered, a student&#39;s backpack, locker, or pocket&nbsp;can contain the usual academic accessories, or&nbsp;sometimes things that are unexpected, illicit, or even reptilian.&nbsp;

Although finding disturbing things students bring to school is not uncommon, it is still unsettling to find a&nbsp;pet turtle packed in a gym bag. It&#39;s downright scary when&nbsp;children bring something dangerous, and sad when they&#39;re&nbsp;expected to hustle for the family business at their elementary or middle school. And&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/boarding-school-scandals/mike-rothschild" target="_blank">boarding schools</a> or elite institutions are no exception.&nbsp;

Teachers on Reddit have shared <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/people-describe-the-most-unexplainable-thing-that-happened-to-them/bailey-brown?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the most disturbing</a> items they&#39;ve confiscated from students - even preschoolers. After checking out the most disturbing things these <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/9k7rna/teachers_whats_the_most_disturbing_thing_youve/" target="_blank">Redditors</a> found, maybe thank a teacher today for all the tasks they do that go beyond teaching. &nbsp;

Teachers Describe The Scariest Things They Have Ever Confiscated

Teachers Describe The Scariest Items They Confiscated From Students

Bailey Brown

Unspeakable Times lists at Ranker - the ultimate source for lists and rankings in all categories