Cleo Egnal lists at Ranker - the ultimate source for lists and rankings in all categories

Cleo Egnal - Lists at Ranker

Methamphetamine

Since its creation in the late 1800s, methamphetamine has been labeled with&nbsp;a variety of street names, most notably&nbsp;crystal, ice, and&nbsp;crank.&nbsp;Despite its current status as a Schedule II substance, this contentious drug was actually created as&nbsp;a&nbsp;remedy&nbsp;for asthma. During WWII, both the Allies and the Axis relied on this substance to keep their soldiers going, and the drug was rebranded as a weight loss tool in the 1950s.&nbsp;Unfortunately, it is also one of the&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-most-addictive-drugs/prescription-drugs-list" target="_blank">most addictive drugs</a> in the world, which perhaps explains its pervasive use, regardless of legality.

In the US, the drug actually increased in popularity after it was outlawed in 1970.&nbsp;In 2012, 1.2 million&nbsp;US residents aged 12 or older used the substance in that year.&nbsp;The timeline of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/how-drugs-changed-history/danielle-ownbey" target="_blank">crystal history</a>&nbsp;gets more frightening&nbsp;with each passing year, as the drug&#39;s potency and popularity have increased with the advancement of&nbsp;synthesis techniques. The events depicted on&nbsp;Breaking Bad&nbsp;are just the tip of the iceberg.&nbsp;

A Brief History Behind The Explosive Popularity Of Crystal Meth Around The World

General

A Brief History Behind the Explosive Popularity of Crystal Meth

Cleo Egnal

Vikings (2013)

The History series&nbsp;<a href="http://vikings.wikia.com/wiki/Vikings_Wiki" target="_blank">Vikings</a>&nbsp;depicts a community of Viking warriors, including the famous Norse warrior Ragnar Lothbrok and his first wife, the legendary Viking&nbsp;warrior&nbsp;Lagertha. The character of Lagertha is based on a real Viking shieldmaiden&nbsp;- born sometime around 795 CE&nbsp;-&nbsp;who really was married to Ragnar. Her story is even more amazing than depicted in the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/inaccuracies-in-history-s-vikings/theodoros-karasavvas" target="_blank">TV show</a>&nbsp;-&nbsp;she sicced a bear on Ragnar while he courted her, almost single-handedly won a civil war, and murdered her husband so she could rule a kingdom on her own. Although historians and archeologists can&#39;t seem to agree on whether or not Lagertha (and <a href="https://www.tor.com/2015/06/08/viking-warrior-women-did-shieldmaidens-like-lagertha-really-exist/" target="_blank">shieldmaidens</a> in general) existed, a 12th-century Danish <a href="http://www.gutenberg.org/files/1150/1150-h/1150-h.htm#link2H_4_0027" target="_blank">historian</a>&nbsp;named Saxo Grammaticus, or Saxo the Learned, includes Lagertha in his <a href="https://www.britannica.com/biography/Saxo-Grammaticus" target="_blank">history</a> of Norse warriors and heroes.&nbsp;

Turns Out The Real Inspiration For 'Vikings' Lagertha Is Even Tougher Than The TV Version

Turns Out The Real Inspiration For Vikings' Lagertha Is Even Tougher Than The TV Version

Lists about the past, present, and future of atomic explosions, just in case you don't already have your bunker prepared.

Going Nuclear

Graveyard Shift

During WWII, many concerted efforts on the part of the Allies to thwart the Third Reich&nbsp;- and some of them worked. One group, called the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/who-were-the-jewish-avengers/cleo-egnal" target="_blank">Jewish Avengers</a>, took revenge by exacting their own justice. Arguably, the most successful anti-Third Reich mission took place in 1943&nbsp;and involved destroying a heavy water plant members of the National Socialist German Workers&#39; Party (NSDAP) planned to utilize to create the ultimate weapon: an&nbsp;atomic bomb.

After invading Norway in 1940, the Germans gained control of a heavy water plant called Vemork. Heavy water was&nbsp;a&nbsp;crucial ingredient in the creation of nuclear armaments, and Allied forces were concerned about Hitler getting his hands on the substance.&nbsp;They scouted the best Norwegian military operatives&nbsp;and parachuted them into the middle of the wilderness on a suicide mission to destroy a seemingly impenetrable building surrounded by German soldiers. Miraculously, the mission was a success, and drastically changed&nbsp;the course of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/how-world-war-2-changed-the-world/kellen-perry" target="_blank">WWII</a>.

The Criminally Under-Told Story Of The Brave Men Who Prevented Hitler From Attaining A Nuclear Bomb

The Criminally Under-Told Story Of The 9 Brave Men Who Singlehandedly Prevented Hitler From Attaining A Nuclear Bomb

All the evidence scholars have found that the stories and people in world religious texts are based on reality.

Proof of Faith

Fact vs. Fiction

According to the Torah and the&nbsp;Bible,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.crystalinks.com/solomonstemple.html" target="_blank">Solomon's</a><a href="http://www.crystalinks.com/solomonstemple.html" target="_blank"> Temple</a>&nbsp;was the first Jewish temple built in Jerusalem&nbsp;in the time of King David (10th century BCE) and destroyed by Babylonians in 586 BCE. Like many key aspects of the Bible, such as <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/physical-evidence-of-noah-s-ark/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">Noah's Ark</a>, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/evidence-for-moses-parting-the-red-sea/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">Moses's parting of the Red Sea</a>, or the very existence of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/physical-evidence-of-jesus-christ/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">Jesus Christ</a>, finding physical evidence of Solomon's Temple has&nbsp;been on the minds of historians for decades, and for a long time, it was practically impossible. Since&nbsp;the biblical <a href="http://emp.byui.edu/SatterfieldB/Rel390R/Fur%20Further%20Study/Ayn%20Dara%20Parallel%20to%20Solomons%20Temple.pdf" target="_blank">descriptions</a> are vague at best and confusing at worst, it seemed historians would never find proof of what Solomon's Temple may have looked like. That all changed in the early 1980s&nbsp;with the&nbsp;excavation of <a href="http://www.ancientpages.com/2014/06/07/unsolved-mystery-of-the-giant-footprints-outside-the-ain-dara-temple/" target="_blank">Ain Dara</a>, a temple found just north of Aleppo, Syria.&nbsp;&nbsp;Solomon's Temple and Ain Dara&nbsp;were incredibly similar, and the remains of Ain Dara&nbsp;helped historians piece together some of the more confusing aspects of the biblical descriptions of Solomon's Temple. In fact, Ain Dara&nbsp;isn't just the strongest source of evidence for the existence of Solomon's Temple—some scholars are convinced Ain Dara&nbsp;served as the architectural inspiration for Solomon's Temple. <a href="https://news.nationalgeographic.com/2018/01/syria-temple-ain-dara-destroyed-archaeology/" target="_blank">Despite significant damage from a Turkish airstrike in 2018,</a>&nbsp;Ain Dara&nbsp;still serves as a valuable resource for historians and archeologists.

Historians Believe Ain Dara Might Be A Near Match For Solomon's Temple

Historians Believe Ain Dara Might Be A Match For Solomon's Temple

Shhh... The less you know, the safer you are.

Government Secrets

Current Politics

Though you might not think&nbsp;White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, when you think of private getaways, it&nbsp;is home to one of the most elite resorts in the United States: The Greenbrier.&nbsp;The resort has hosted&nbsp;numerous congressional meetings, 27&nbsp;presidents, and has been around since 1778. However, underneath the beautiful resort sat a government secret so well kept that, up until 1992, its existence was only known to a handful of people. For 30 years, a secret Congressional bunker lay hidden in plain sight (well, behind a reinforced steel door) at the Greenbrier Resort.&nbsp;&nbsp;The 1950s and '60s were fraught with Cold War tension, and fears of a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/raven-rock-nuclear-plan/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">nuclear</a><a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/raven-rock-nuclear-plan/melissa-sartore" target="_blank"> disaster</a>. These fears led to a heightened interest in nuclear bunkers, underground safe spaces where <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/where-the-president-goes-during-an-attack/christopher-myers" target="_blank">important people</a> (or whomever could afford to build such a&nbsp;shelter) could take refuge in case of nuclear war. President Eisenhower decided to build the bunker, believing Greenbrier to be the perfect location. It was far enough away from Washington D.C. to not need to withstand a direct hit from an atomic bomb, but close enough that members of Congress&nbsp;could rush over in about five hours. The bunker was built between 1958 and 1962 under the name &quot;Project Greek Island,&quot;&nbsp;and was one of the government's best-kept secrets until its location was revealed in 1992.&nbsp;&nbsp;

For Decades, No One Knew About Congress's Secret Apocalypse Bunker In The Mountains Of West Virginia

Get to know the fascinating family headed by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II and comprised of her four children, eight grandchildren, and nine great-grandchildren—some of whom may someday become the King of England.

The Royal Family

Elizabeth II

The public is fascinated by the members of the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/british-royal-family-scandals/cleo-egnal">British royal family</a>, but none so much as the head of the family, the Queen of England.&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/weird-queen-of-england-facts/carly-silver">Queen Elizabeth II</a> was England's longest-reigning monarch - she <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.royal.uk/her-majesty-the-queen">acceded</a> to&nbsp;the throne upon the death of her father, King George VI, in <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/young-queen-elizabeth-ii-pictures/carly-silver">1952</a>, and reigned until her <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.nytimes.com/live/2022/09/08/world/queen-elizabeth">death</a> on September 8, 2022, at age 96. Her death will send her country spiraling into a period of mourning and immense change. So what exactly is happening inside and outside <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-the-rooms-in-buckingham-palace-are-for/carly-silver">Buckingham Palace</a> now that England's beloved queen has died?It was once considered treason to speak of a monarch's potential death, a crime punishable by death. Luckily, planning for a monarch's demise is no longer seen as blasphemous, but necessary, and the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/0/happens-queen-dies/">plans</a> for Queen Elizabeth II's passing are intricate, meticulous, and even rehearsed. The protocol for the country, codenamed "London Bridge,"&nbsp;involves <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/royals/queen-dead-royals-live-updates-27940995">12 days of mourning</a>, very specific public announcements, and a new monarch.&nbsp;

Here's Exactly What Will Go Down Now That Queen Elizabeth II Has Died

What Will Happen Now That Queen Elizabeth II Has Died

Jeb Bush

Perhaps one of the most memorable aspects of&nbsp;Jeb Bush's 2016 presidential campaign was just how unmemorable it was. His bid for the presidency was <a href="https://www.vanityfair.com/news/2016/02/jeb-bush-new-hampshire" target="_blank">marked</a> by self-deprecating comments, bullying tweets from Donald Trump, a less-than-supportive family, and a sad&nbsp;plea for his supporters to, please, just clap for him. After he didn't win any state Republican caucuses, a disappointed Jeb dropped out of the race.Although he came from one of the&nbsp;American <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/members-of-the-bush-family/reference" target="_blank">presidency's&nbsp;legacy families</a>, the 2016 campaign was just the tip of the embarrassment iceberg for Jeb Bush, who's had to deal with his fair share of private&nbsp;family embarrassments as well; by his <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/pranks-clinton-administration-pulled-on-gw-bush/stephanroget" target="_blank">own father's</a> admission, Jeb typically came second to his older brother and former US President,&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/george-w-bush-paintings/ashley-reign" target="_blank">George W. Bush</a>.&nbsp;His&nbsp;mother&nbsp;also <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/surprising-things-george-hw-and-barbara-bush-have-said/stephanroget" target="_blank">publicly declared</a>&nbsp;she hoped he wouldn't become president. Jeb has since become the butt of many online jokes, memes, and even has his own card in Cards Against Humanity, which simply reads: &quot;Jeb!&quot;

15 Ways Jeb Bush's Life Is A Comically Embarrassing Human Tragedy

Madonna

Madonna was at the top&nbsp;of her game in the late 1980s and early &#39;90s. She had already redefined what it meant to be a female pop artist, and she&nbsp;cultivated her own brand of feminism. Madonna&#39;s&nbsp;first number one&nbsp;single, &quot;Like A Virgin,&quot;&nbsp;was released&nbsp;in 1984. That track&nbsp;defined the young rule-breaker. She refused to shy away from singing about intimate topics.

Madonna reinforced her status as an innovative provocateur&nbsp;in 1992; she released her&nbsp;<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/20-greatest-coffee-table-books-of-all-time/superphotog?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">coffee table book</a>,&nbsp;Sex,&nbsp;and the world erupted. The book featured extremely graphic and scintillating photographs, and Madonna starred in quite a few of the shots. After the controversial book release, the singer dropped the hit album Erotica.&nbsp;Both artistic works boosted Madonna&#39;s notoriety with a&nbsp;public that both loved and hated her explicit persona.

<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-madonna-characters/reference" target="_blank">Madonna adopted a fictional alter ego</a>&nbsp;while posing for Sex, and despite the controversy, her decision worked. The book was an instant best-seller and remained&nbsp;in-demand for decades.&nbsp;

When Madonna Made A Book About Her Sex Life, It Became One Of The Best Selling Books Of All Time

Coco Chanel

The name <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/a-list-of-famous-coco-chanel-quotes/reference" target="_blank">Coco Chanel</a> evokes images of glamorous&nbsp;fashion: chic black dresses, feminine suits, and a pretty famous fashion designer. However, what the name doesn&#39;t - but maybe should -&nbsp;evoke is the image of a Nazi sympathizer. It turns out Coco Chanel, the designer and creator of the still-famous fashion label, was a known Nazi sympathizer who slept with at least one German official&nbsp;and took advantage of her relationships to try to steal money from her Jewish business partners. While Parisian Jews were being rounded up, Chanel lived in luxury at the Ritz.

There are so many <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/nazi-mysteries/philgibbons" target="_blank">mysteries</a> surrounding the Nazis, one of which includes Chanel&#39;s involvement with them.&nbsp;We know that she had an affair with a German official, but her actual spy credentials are questionable. Was her involvement with Nazis purely selfish, or were they fueled by hate? Either way, it is surprising to realize that&nbsp;one of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/surprising-companies-that-had-ties-to-the-nazis/chris-abraham" target="_blank">biggest names in fashion</a> had such strong ties to one of the most hated groups in history.&nbsp;

Turns Out Coco Chanel May Have Been An Anti-Semite Who Supported The Nazis

Turns Out Coco Chanel Was A Huge Anti-Semite Who Actively Supported The Nazis

Exploring the strange and fascinating lives of rulers, royals, and royalty all around the world and throughout history.

We Will Never Be Royals

British Monarchy

As long as money has existed, there have been those who have more than others. Nowhere is this wealth gap more apparent&nbsp;than in the purchase history of&nbsp;<a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/richest-royals-in-the-world/worlds-richest-people-lists?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the richest royal</a> families. Throughout history, royalty has been able to get away with spending exorbitant amounts of money on practically anything they want. The question is, exactly&nbsp;what&nbsp;do the royals spend their money on?

Wealthy royals live incredibly&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-lavish-dowries-in-history/carly-silver" target="_blank">lavish</a> lives, and some of what they buy seems &ndash; to us normal folk &ndash; unnecessarily extravagant. From gold-coated luxury cars to <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-royal-residence-for-parties/ashley-reign" target="_blank">enormous&nbsp;estates</a> to birthday parties literally held underwater, here are the most extravagant and unnecessary things modern 20th and 21st century royals have purchased with their sovereign salaries.&nbsp;

These Are The Most Lavish – And Unnecessary – Things Royals Have Spent A Fortune On

Weird History

In the 1840s, thousands of Irish immigrants&nbsp;<a href="http://xroads.virginia.edu/~ug03/omara-alwala/irishkennedys.html" target="_blank">fled</a> the Great Famine and came to America. If dealing with starvation, gruesome ship conditions, and persecution by the British wasn&#39;t <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/horrible-things-in-ireland-history/philgibbons?var=2&amp;utm_expid=16418821-322.aCGzpiECRI6K2_CYUZm8eA.1" target="_blank">enough</a>, Irish immigrants faced significant&nbsp;<a href="http://www.history.com/news/teen-debunks-professors-claim-that-anti-irish-signs-never-existed" target="_blank">discrimination</a>&nbsp;in the United States. One of the major ways this discrimination made itself clear was through&nbsp;job postings, both in newspapers and&nbsp;in shop windows, that read &quot;No Irish Need Apply.&quot; The signs were blatantly discriminatory&nbsp;and surfaced <a href="https://mobile.nytimes.com/2015/09/08/insider/1854-no-irish-need-apply.html" target="_blank">numerous times</a> during the mid-19th century.

In 2002, history professor Richard J. Jensen decided these signs were few and far between&nbsp;and may not have&nbsp;existed at all. Jensen published an academic paper that stirred&nbsp;controversy among the Irish-American community who felt&nbsp;that their long and deep memory of prejudice and discrimination was&nbsp;invalidated by Jensen&#39;s accusations that Irish&nbsp;persecution is a myth. Jensen&#39;s theory prevailed for more than a decade until another academic paper was published by 14-year-old Rebecca Fried in 2015 that delineated <a href="http://www.thedailybeast.com/the-teen-who-exposed-a-professors-myth" target="_blank">why Jensen&#39;s paper was&nbsp;wrong</a>. She found proof of the &quot;No Irish Need Apply,&quot; or NINA,&nbsp;signs with&nbsp;only a few minutes of Googling.

Brave Teen Completely Proves History Professor Wrong With 15 Minutes Of Google Searching

Keith Moon

Keith Moon was at the height of his fame in 1970&nbsp;as the drummer for the British rock band The Who. Unfortunately, that same year, Moon was involved in a tragic accident that ended up causing the death of his chauffeur and bodyguard, Neil Boland. Like many other rock stars&nbsp;and musicians, Moon had his fair share of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/black-metal-violence-and-creepiness/will-gish" target="_blank">violence and antics</a> going on, one of which was his penchant for drinking and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/rock-stars-who-were-always-swapping-ladies/philgibbons" target="_blank">meeting ladies</a>, which prompted him to hire Boland to drive him around to pubs.Sadly, the events that transpired&nbsp;at a London pub on January 4, 1970, resulted in the death of Boland&nbsp;at the hands of Moon himself, when the drunk drummer ran over his own chauffeur while trying to escape from a group of skinheads. There was a lot of controversy surrounding the incident, namely that Moon was cleared of all charges (which upset Boland's family), and that he may not have even been the one driving that night. Despite being freed of manslaughter charges, the death of Boland was a heavy burden Moon carried until the end of his life.&nbsp;

What Happened The Night Keith Moon Accidentally Killed A Man?

How A Group of Nazi Skinheads Led To A Drunk Keith Moon Accidentally Killing His Chauffeur

Lists about the WWII genocide, also called the Shoah, in which Adolf Hitler's Nazi Germany systematically murdered some 11 million people, including Poles, homosexuals, the disabled, and approximately 6 million European Jews.

The Holocaust

Lists about the true stories that inspired books, films, TV, and other stories you think you know. 

What Really Happened

Schindler's List

<a href="http://target.georiot.com/Proxy.ashx?TSID=5036&amp;GR_URL=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FSchindlers-List-Liam-Neeson%2Fdp%2FB00B0U2SFE%2Fref%3Dsr_1_1_sspa%3Fie%3DUTF8%26qid%3D1550880700%26sr%3D8-1-spons%26keywords%3Dschindler%2527s%2Blist%26psc%3D1&amp;amazon-ids-by-cc=US%3Drankercom2646367-20" target="_blank">Schindler&#39;s List</a> was Steven Spielberg&#39;s 1993 Oscar-winning film about a heroic German man, Oskar Schindler, who saved thousands of Jews by writing their names on a list and sending them to work in his factory,&nbsp;thereby providing them an escape from&nbsp;the concentration camps. The movie is heralded as one of the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-movies-about-the-holocaust/ranker-film" target="_blank">best movies</a>&nbsp;about&nbsp;the&nbsp;Holocaust and is remembered for its searing images of Jews in the German camps.

The film goes out of its way to depict Schindler in a positive light, portraying him as desperate to help the Jews, scribbling their names frantically&nbsp;in an attempt to save as many as possible;&nbsp;however, the Oskar Schindler of history was far less heroic than Spielberg&#39;s iteration.

Like with many biopics, the worst <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/bad-things-omitted-from-biopics/evan-lambert" target="_blank">truths were omitted</a>, even if that meant causing the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/most-historically-inaccurate-movies/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">movie to be historically inaccurate</a>. The real truth behind Schindler&#39;s list, including the fact that Schindler didn&#39;t even compose the list himself, is less than heroic, but still paints a picture of a historical figure that has captivated audiences since the release of the film. Here&#39;s everything wrong with&nbsp;Schindler&#39;s List&nbsp;and the truth behind the legendary figure.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Schindler's List Ignored A Lot Of Awful Truths About Oskar Schindler

Pop Culture

Scandals always captivate the public, and British royal family scandals are the cream of the crop, proving the family is not exempt from the grip of impropriety and public embarrassment. Until 2022, the modern royal family, the Windsors, was headed by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/weird-queen-of-england-facts/carly-silver">Queen Elizabeth II</a>, the longest-reigning queen England has ever had. Her children, unfortunately, have borne the brunt of numerous scandals over the years:&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/stories-about-prince-andrew/setareh-janda">Prince Andrew</a>&nbsp;allegedly slept with a 17-year-old sex slave and was relieved of all his royal duties; <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/how-prince-charles-almost-destroyed-british-monarchy/cleo-egnal">Prince Charles</a> had a salacious affair that was highly publicized; and Princess Anne, who was once nearly <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/attempted-kidnapping-of-princess-anne/cleo-egnal">kidnapped</a>, was besieged by adultery rumors concerning her ex-husband. Of course, scandal is not new to the royal family. Queen Elizabeth's uncle, King Edward VIII, abdicated his throne to marry a divorcee, and the story of the love affair between&nbsp;<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/life-of-princess-margaret/melissa-sartore">Princess Margaret</a>&nbsp;and Peter Townsend,&nbsp;a married man, was huge news during the '50s.&nbsp;This list details the most sordid and highly publicized scandals the Windsors have experienced in modern history.

A Definitive List Of The Most Famous Scandals From The Modern British Royal Family

The 13 Biggest Scandals From The Modern British Royal Family

Sarah Ferguson

The British royal family, currently headed by <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/weird-queen-of-england-facts/carly-silver" target="_blank">Queen Elizabeth II</a>, England&#39;s longest-reigning queen, has always been rife with scandal. First, there was the issue of Prince Charles&#39;s playboy <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/how-prince-charles-almost-destroyed-british-monarchy/cleo-egnal" target="_blank">habits&nbsp;</a>and his affair with a woman that nearly destroyed the monarchy. Then there is his brother, Prince Andrew, who was known as England&#39;s resident <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/stories-about-prince-andrew/setareh-janda" target="_blank">bad boy</a>. Their sister, Princess Anne, was nearly <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/attempted-kidnapping-of-princess-anne/cleo-egnal" target="_blank">kidnapped</a>. The Queen&#39;s children weren&#39;t the only ones with bad habits: her own sister, Princess Margaret, was famous in her day for being the first royal in four centuries (since King Henry VIII)&nbsp;to get a <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/life-of-princess-margaret/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">divorce</a>.&nbsp;&nbsp;

The scandals do not end with the royals themselves, though. When princes and princesses marry, their spouses carry their own share of scandal and garner plenty of gossip on their own. From <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/unexplained-things-about-death-of-princess-diana/lyra-radford" target="_blank">Princess Diana</a>, who was beloved by the people despite her tumultuous marriage to Prince Charles and her subsequent, somewhat mysterious death, to Sarah Ferguson, former Duchess of York &mdash; who has been surrounded by&nbsp;scandal for decades.

Here are some of the stories that have surrounded Sarah Ferguson, perhaps demonstrating what she <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=87zagGHGSFs" target="_blank">told Oprah Winfrey in 1996</a>&nbsp;is absolutely true - that being royal is &quot;not a fairytale.&quot;&nbsp;

Sarah Ferguson Might Just Be The Most Scandal-Plagued Modern Royal

Queen Elizabeth II's Out of Control Daughter-In-Law Was The Most Scandal-Plagued Royal In Modern History

Lists about how people had, judged, and treated intimacy around the world throughout recorded history.

The History of Doing It

Culture

Love potions are powerful stuff—if they work, that is. They're incredibly popular in pop culture, depictions of witchcraft,&nbsp;and have their roots in history as far back as Biblical times. The idea of a love potion is idyllic: give the object of your desire a little vial to ingest, and they will become yours forever. However, the <a href="http://www.medievalarchives.com/2014/02/05/medieval-love-potions-people-actually-usedyou-may-be-disgusted/" target="_blank">reality</a> of these love potions was a little more complicated and a lot more disgusting than that. Up there with gross foods from <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/gross-foods-founding-fathers-ate/cheryl-adams-richkoff" target="_blank">colonial America</a>, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-aristocrats-ate-in-pre-revolutionary-france/setareh-janda" target="_blank">aristocratic France</a>, and even the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/disgusting-food-from-vintage-cookbooks/kellen-perry" target="_blank">1950s</a>, the ingredients in some of these ancient, medieval, and even more modern love potion recipes range from the icky, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/bugs-you-eat-without-realizing/rylee_en" target="_blank">like insects</a>, to the straight-up horrid, like crushed bones and menstrual blood. Be sure to venture into this article on an empty stomach.

Yes, Love Potions Were Real, And They Were Disgusting

Military

At the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-happened-after-hitler-committed-suicide/philgibbons" target="_blank">end of WWII</a>, Jewish people had a lot of healing to do, and for a select few, this involved revenge on those who inflicted such atrocities on&nbsp;them and their families. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nakam" target="_blank">The Nakam</a>, which roughly translates to &quot;The Avengers,&quot; was a group of Jewish rebels who originally called&nbsp;themselves the&nbsp;Nokmim. This group operated during WWII, blended with British&nbsp;Jewish Brigade veterans, and came together to exact revenge on those they deemed responsible&nbsp;for the Holocaust. They were - in part - the inspiration behind the 2009 film <a href="http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0361748/" target="_blank">Inglourious Basterds</a>.

Some German soldiers had rich lives after the conflict, and there are still <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/evidence-hitler-may-have-survived-wwii/david-harrison" target="_blank">rumors the Fuhrer himself survived</a>&nbsp;and hid out in Argentina. Very few in his regime&nbsp;were legally prosecuted,&nbsp;so the Nakam took it upon themselves to pass judgment and sentencing.&nbsp;

&nbsp;

Wild Facts About "Jewish Avengers," Holocaust Survivors Who Got Bloody Revenge On Their Nazi Captors

The "Jewish Avengers," The Holocaust Survivors Who Got Bloody Revenge On Their Nazi Captors

Reba McEntire

When celebrities have harrowing brushes with the grim reaper, it always captivates the public. However, the <a href="http://theboot.com/reba-mcentire-band-plane-crash-1991/" target="_blank">fatal plane crash</a> that took the lives of seven members of Reba McEntire&#39;s band in 1991 was a tragedy that haunts the singer to this day. The story of how McEntire&nbsp;narrowly missed being on the flight is tragic&nbsp;and highlights how easy it is to lose everything in a single moment.

Reba McEntire is a country music singer who was at her most famous in the late 1980s and early 1990s, right when the event&nbsp;occurred. At the time, she was one of country music&#39;s <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/top-female-country-singers" target="_blank">top female artists</a>, along with other powerhouses like&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/dolly-parton-facts-trivia-stories/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">Dolly Parton</a>. The devastating event had a huge impact on McEntire&#39;s life, and led her&nbsp;to dedicate her next album to the members of the band she lost on that fateful day. She continued to pay tribute to them throughout her career.

How Reba McEntire Narrowly Avoided The Tragedy That Took The Lives Of Her Entire Band

Band/Musician

How Reba McEntire Avoided The Plane Crash That Killed Her Entire Band

Kings & queens, princes & princesses. They're made of blood and bones like the rest of us, but they're told they can do whatever they damn well please. Sometimes, this causes problems.

Royal Pains

Before he became king, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.princeofwales.gov.uk/biographies">Prince Charles</a> was the longest-serving Prince of Wales in history, thanks to his mother Queen Elizabeth II's decades-long reign. The British royal family is always surrounded by gossip, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/life-of-princess-margaret/melissa-sartore">scandal</a>, and an insane amount of press — from Charles's sister Anne's <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/attempted-kidnapping-of-princess-anne/cleo-egnal">attempted kidnapping</a>, to his rebellious brother Andrew's <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/stories-about-prince-andrew/setareh-janda">antics</a>, Charles's generation of Windsors has been on the front page of the press quite often.Charles, who was born to Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, Duke of Edinburgh, in 1948, has had his fair share of media scandal as well. He had numerous rendezvous&nbsp;before <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-crown-diana-and-charles-relationship-small-details/setareh-janda">settling down with Diana Spencer</a>,&nbsp;but he continued to have one notable affair, with Camilla Parker Bowles. Charles's affair with (and eventual marriage to) Camilla rocked the royal family, and nearly destroyed it in a very similar way his great uncle, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.netflix.com/watch/80181559?trackId=200257859">Edward VIII</a>, did when he abdicated the throne to marry Wallis Simpson.

Prince Charles's Scandal-Plagued Love Life Almost Destabilized The British Monarchy

Facts About Prince Charles's Scandal-Plagued Love Life

Lists of some of the most repressive rules and baffling rituals practiced in modern religions around the world.

Religious Rules

All religions have <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/weird-catholic-beliefs/lea-rose-emery" target="_blank">rules</a> that, to outsiders, can seem unnecessarily&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-the-flds-church-believes/lyra-radford" target="_blank">strict</a>. The Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses, for example, belong to a society called <a href="https://www.jw.org/en/publications/magazines/watchtower-no4-2016-july/" target="_blank">The Watch Tower</a>, which prevents them from enjoying any holidays (even <a href="https://www.jw.org/en/jehovahs-witnesses/faq/birthdays/" target="_blank">birthdays</a>), dating without chaperones, and even receiving life-saving blood transfusions.&nbsp;

The practice most associated with Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses is, of course, knocking on doors early on weekend mornings&nbsp;to ask if they can share the good news of the gospel. While many outside of this group&nbsp;are deeply&nbsp;annoyed by this custom, few consider the experiences of the Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses themselves.&nbsp;Not only are they required to knock on countless doors only to&nbsp;repeat the same message ad nauseam, but, because of their less-than-stellar reputation in mainstream culture, these doors are often slammed in their faces.

Many of the other expectations Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses face seem foreign and rigid to outsiders, though each has its own history and significance for those who subscribe to the Jehovah&#39;s Witnesses&#39; doctrine; below are listed some of these customs. Take a look and see how many you recognize.

Rules And Rituals Jehovah's Witnesses Must Follow

Ridiculously Repressive Rules And Rituals Jehova's Witnesses Must Follow

Lists about the Hitler's Germany, which Der Führer ruled through fascism from 1933 to 1945.

The Horrors of the Third Reich

There are so many <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/strange-hitler-facts/mike-rothschild" target="_blank">weird facts out there about Adolf Hitler</a>, the leader of the German Nazi Party and one of the most brutal dictators in modern history. The party rose to power quickly in the&nbsp;1920s and soon became a terrifying force to be reckoned with, both for the citizens of Germany and the surrounding countries Germany would soon be invading. There is&nbsp;still a plethora of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/nazi-mysteries/philgibbons" target="_blank">mysteries about the Nazis</a>, but one theory has recently gained some traction with historians as more data and documents have come to light&nbsp;&mdash; that part of the reason&nbsp;they were so successful at the beginning of World War II was&nbsp;that they were <a href="https://www.newstatesman.com/culture/books/2016/11/nazis-drugs-how-kick-crystal-meth-powered-blitzkrieg" target="_blank">high on stimulants</a>.

Drugs in the Third Reich were rampant, despite initial attempts by the German government to ban substances such as coke in order to better control the public. Not only were most military members taking crank, but Hitler himself was addicted and had a massive drug problem. The question still remains: Did drugs, which initially helped the Germans take control of Europe by allowing them to stay alert for days on end, eventually lead to their downfall?&nbsp;

Historians Now Think Rampant Meth Addiction Caused Hitler &amp; The Nazis To Lose WWII

Historians Now Think Rampant Meth Addiction Caused Hitler & The Nazis To Lose WWII

<a href="http://www.history.com/topics/louis-xiv" target="_blank">King Louis XIV</a> of France, known as the Sun King, is perhaps most well-known today for his expansion of the <a href="http://en.chateauversailles.fr/discover/history/great-characters/louis-xiv" target="_blank">Palace of Versailles</a>&nbsp;&mdash;&nbsp;yet he was involved in another, more strategic project, which involved crafting tons of miniature 3-D cities.

The Sun King fought <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-battles-of-louis-xiv-of-france/reference" target="_blank">numerous wars</a> in his 72 years on the throne (1643-1715), from the Franco-Dutch War to the War of Spanish Succession, and found that something imperative to success was having knowledge of the terrain before attacking. He ordered experts to create&nbsp;3-D miniatures of French villages and fortifications.&nbsp;These miniatures, called <a href="http://www.iapad.org/about/p3dm-in-history/plans-reliefs-louis-xiv/" target="_blank">plans en reliefs</a> by the French, gave detailed aerial views of Louis XIV&#39;s kingdom, allowing the king to direct sieges, plan fortifications, and have a better understanding of developing projects. These French building miniatures were a huge technological achievement for their day, and essentially provided satellite imagery centuries before such a thing was possible. Louis XIV&#39;s&nbsp;miniatures compose an impressive collection, which is now housed in the&nbsp;H&ocirc;tel des Invalides in Paris, where the king himself transferred them.

Before Satellites, A French King Constructed Painstaking Miniatures Of Cities To Plan Wars

King Louis XIV of France and His War Miniatures

Royalty

The British royal family&nbsp;has fascinated the public since the beginnings of the monarchy itself. The idea&nbsp;of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/members-of-the-british-royal-family/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword" target="_blank">kings, queens, princes, and princesses</a> is captivating; their lives and experiences seem significantly removed from the trials and travails of ordinary life -&nbsp;which sometimes isn&#39;t the greatest thing. For example, Queen Elizabeth II, England&#39;s longest-reigning queen, has been the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/weird-queen-of-england-facts/carly-silver" target="_blank">subject of numerous conspiracy theories</a>&nbsp;as a result of this intense public scrutiny.

Public fascination with the royal family can lead to outcomes more serious than conspiratorial thinking, <a href="http://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/bloody-attempt-kidnap-british-princess-180950202/" target="_blank">such as&nbsp;kidnapping attempts</a>, which is what happened to Princess Anne, Queen Elizabeth II&#39;s daughter, on March 20, 1974.&nbsp;Ian Ball, a north London laborer who was unemployed at the time, created a plot to&nbsp;kidnap Princess Anne and hold her for a huge&nbsp;ransom, and the story of the botched attempt is as interesting and outlandish as the royal family itself.

Queen Elizabeth II's Daughter Almost Got Kidnapped At Gunpoint - Her Response Is Legendary

Queen Elizabeth's Daughter Almost Got Kidnapped At Gun Point—Her Response Is Legendary

In October&nbsp;1941, a German submarine attacked and sank&nbsp;the&nbsp;<a href="https://scubadiverlife.com/the-sinking-of-the-ss-thistlegorm/" target="_blank">SS Thistlegorm</a>,&nbsp;a&nbsp;British freighter ship.&nbsp;It was a huge loss to the Allied forces: the Thistlegorm&nbsp;was carrying a full load of supplies that would have helped relieve troops fighting in Northern Africa.&nbsp;In retaliation, under the&nbsp;cover from US Naval bombs dropping from above, another British&nbsp;ship swept in and sank the U-boat, creating a massive wreck that&nbsp;has since&nbsp;become one of the most famous shipwreck dives in the world. However, it could only be accessed by experienced divers &mdash; that is, until Project Thistlegorm&nbsp;began. On the 76th anniversary of the big boat&#39;s&nbsp;sinking,&nbsp;the Project Thistlegorm website went live, opening a whole world of treasures <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/things-found-underwater/ashley-reign" target="_blank">underwater</a>&nbsp;to those of us without the SCUBA tanks and wetsuits.

The underwater world informs much of what humans know and can learn&nbsp;about history as well as the natural environment, but these&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/artist-makes-detailed-warfare-miniatures/nicky-benson" target="_blank">treasures</a> are often hidden from the general public, only available to those willing to dive to the deepest depths to view and sometimes retrieve them. However, Project Thistlegorm changed the game when it brought virtual reality and a decades-old sunken war ship together. Thanks to an insane amount of photographs and 360 videos taken by divers, everyone can access a <a href="https://www.livescience.com/60720-wwii-shipwreck-thistlegorm-virtual-reality-dive.html" target="_blank">virtual reality tour</a> of the fascinating shipwreck.&nbsp;

This Virtual Reality Program Lets You Experience A Real WWII Shipwreck From Your Couch

This Virtual Reality Program Lets You Experience A Real WW2 Shipwreck

The original versions and real stories behind the fairy tales we've been whispering to sleepy children.

Once Upon a Time

Snow White

Did you know there&#39;s a real-life Snow White? The real life stories and inspirations behind classic childhood fairy tales, like <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/story-of-the-real-beauty-and-the-beast-couple/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">the tragic and very real couple</a> who inspired Beauty and the Beast, are fascinating, if not a bit detrimental to childhood memories. After all, every story has an inspiration, or an origin, and Snow White and the Seven Dwarves is no exception.

Snow White&#39;s story was first made popular by the <a href="http://www.ibtimes.com/snow-white-real-look-back-life-story-countess-margarete-von-waldeck-701110" target="_blank">Brothers Grimm</a> in the early 1800s, and has been <a href="http://mentalfloss.com/article/29186/snow-white-not-just-fairy-tale" target="_blank">engrained</a> into pop culture with the advent of the adorable 1937 <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/list-of-snow-white-and-the-seven-dwarfs-movie-writers/reference" target="_blank">Disney movie version</a>. Although the tale seems far fetched &mdash; a beautiful girl is sent to be killed by her stepmother, and has to live among dwarves in the forest until she is poisoned, only to be rescued by a magical royal kiss &mdash; it was actually inspired by potentially one of two women, and the equally intricate and devastating lives they lived. The real Snow White story is farther from fiction than you&#39;d have ever guessed.

Was There A Real-Life Inspiration For Snow White?

The Real-Life Snow White Actually Had A Talking Mirror, But How?

Cleveland

The words &quot;balloonfest&quot; and &quot;disaster&quot; don't necessarily seem to go together –&nbsp;except in the case of the <a href="https://www.boredpanda.com/balloonfest-86-united-way-cleveland-balloon-disaster/" target="_blank">1986&nbsp;Cleveland Balloonfest</a>, which really did end in disaster for the city. Sometimes, good intentions can end in tragedy –&nbsp;like the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/niagara-falls-jump-of-robert-overacker/kellie-kreiss" target="_blank">man who took a jet ski </a>down Niagara Falls for charity&nbsp;and died in the process – which is exactly what happened when the United Way of Cleveland launched over a million balloons in order to raise money for the organization.&nbsp;The Cleveland&nbsp;Balloonfest was a <a href="https://gizmodo.com/that-time-cleveland-released-1-5-million-balloons-and-c-1565731191" target="_blank">fundraiser</a>&nbsp;that attempted&nbsp;to beat Disneyland's previous record of most balloons released at once. Although the photos are beautiful, the results were disastrous for the environment and the city.&nbsp;&nbsp;<a href="https://www.flickr.com/photos/thomsheridan/" target="_blank">Thom Sheridan</a>, a Cleveland-based photographer who was on site that day, captured the terrible beauty of Ballooonfest '86 on film.

The Aftermath Of When Cleveland Launched 1.5 Million Balloons Into The Air

The Dark Aftermath Of When Cleveland Launched 1.5 Million Balloons Into The Air

Exploring the backstories and nuances of famous historical photos that will change the way you think about the past—and the future.

Photographic Memories

On <a href="http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/burst-joy/" target="_blank">March 13, 1973</a>, photographer Slava&nbsp;'Sal' Veder captured the moment that Vietnam war veteran and POW&nbsp;Lt. Col. Robert Stirm was reunited with his family. Stirm had been held&nbsp;in Vietnam for nearly six years, and this photograph came to represent not only his personal victory in returning home, but also the <a href="http://rarehistoricalphotos.com/burst-joy/" target="_blank">path to healing</a> the United States needed to embark on after the Vietnam War. Yet the real story behind this photograph, titled &quot;Burst of Joy,&quot;&nbsp;is far from the happy, joyful depiction&nbsp;Veder&nbsp;captured.In reality, Robert Stirm's wife had written him a letter only days before his return home, telling him she was planning on divorcing him. For Stirm, this reunion was bittersweet – he was reunited with his family&nbsp;but returning to a wife who no longer wanted to be with him. Stirm endured all the hardships of being a POW&nbsp;in Vietnam only to be greeted by a wife who had admittedly <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Burst_of_Joy" target="_blank">cheated on him</a> during his time in Vietnamese lockdown&nbsp;and written him a letter stating her intent to divorce him –&nbsp;but showed up to his homecoming despite it all. &nbsp;&nbsp;

'Burst Of Joy' Shows A Vietnam Vet Reuniting With His Family - But There's No Happy Ending Here

The Sad Reality Behind the 'Burst of Joy' Photograph

Fascinating, beautiful, and enlightening photographs from history, in their original black-and-white forms, colorized, or even in sepia.

Life in Pictures

A look at some of the oldest known, recorded, and/or existing things on earth.

Old School Cool

Old Stuff

Photography has influenced society since its inception in the 11th century. The oldest photographs depict fascinating details about life before pictures were common. From&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/photos-from-history-that-transport-you-directly-into-the-heart-of-wartime" target="_blank">historical war photos</a>&nbsp;to amazing images of space, the earliest surviving pictures known to humans&nbsp;have a profound and engaging aura.&nbsp;The very first camera was invented by an&nbsp;Iraqi scientist in the 11th&nbsp;century. Called the &quot;<a href="https://www.thespruce.com/brief-history-of-photography-2688527" target="_blank">camera obscura</a>,&quot; the device only projected images onto other surfaces, and upside down at that. However, in the early 19th century, photography as we know it was born. French photographer Joseph Nic&eacute;phore Ni&eacute;pce&nbsp;used a portable version of the 11th-century device &quot;to expose a pewter plate coated with bitumen to light.&quot; This became the first incarnation of permanent photography.The images in this list are some of the oldest photographs, and most of them are the first of their kind. From the first picture ever taken&nbsp;by Ni&eacute;pce&nbsp;to the first movie, these images capture the development of permanent photography throughout the course of the 19th century.&nbsp;

These Are The 19 Oldest Surviving Photographs Known To Humankind, And They're Stunning

These Are The 19 Oldest Surviving Photographs Known To Mankind

Wild facts and historical photos that made us say "Whoa!"

More Stuff for History Nerds 

Historical Photos

Since the invention of photography, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/whoa-historical-figure-photos-112020/mallory-weiler" target="_blank">images of the famous and infamous</a> have enchanted the viewing public. A visual memorial of a high-profile celebrity or historical figure always proves engrossing&nbsp;&ndash; and what&#39;s more fascinating than seeing some of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/last-photos-of-famous-people/celebrity-lists" target="_blank">last photos</a> of historical figures? They bring the past to life in a way that text alone simply can&#39;t match.

Some of these photographs are absolutely chilling:&nbsp;the last photo of Hitler, for instance &ndash; it&#39;s dated just days before he took his life. A final image of Diana, Princess of Wales shows her hiding from the camera in the backseat of her car shortly before her final accident. And then there are the last photos of presidents; Abraham Lincoln, Ulysses S. Grant, John F. Kennedy, and Franklin D. Roosevelt all appeared on film shortly before passing away.

While the dates of some of these photos are dubious, these last &ndash; or near last &ndash; <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/pictures-of-historical-figures-we-did-not-know-existed/mallory-weiler" target="_blank">photographs of historical figures</a> capture fleeting moments in time, from the famous to the seemingly insignificant.

Top 5 Most Popular Lists

75 lists