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Jen Jeffers - Lists at Ranker

Lists about the many ways various animals can end—or at least seriously rek—your life.

It's a Jungle Out There

Weird Nature

Though wild animal attacks are often worst-case scenarios that run&nbsp;through our&nbsp;heads while&nbsp;hiking or camping, the fact is that you're more likely to get attacked by a cat or dog than any feral beast. Still, there are real people out there who have narrowly escaped death from the jaws of&nbsp;decidedly non-domesticated animals. These animal attack survivors - whether they intentionally put themselves in danger or were just minding their own business - all have a story to tell.The following stories&nbsp;- told by <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/7-real-people-who-survived-horror-movie-situations/samantha-wilson?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">people who survived</a> animal attacks - are horrifying real-life tales that involve <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/animal-terror-village/anna-lindwasser" target="_blank">wild animals terrorizing humans</a>. These animals weren't in captivity, they weren't pets, and they absolutely could have been killers.

People Who Survived Wild Animal Attacks Tell Their Stories

General

Jen Jeffers

Lists about mass murders that shook the world due to place & time, the nature of the victims, the weapons used, and the sheer scope of the crimes.

Mass Killings & Massacres

Whoa Facts

Among any kind of historical event, it's rare to find any more lavish, more anticipated, or more enjoyed than a royal wedding. Although such events were rarely arranged&nbsp;for romantic reasons, these spectacles of grandiose affection usually symbolized the union of nations rather than lovers. Such was the arranged marriage between Prince Henri de Bourbon&nbsp;and Marguerite de Valois, the&nbsp;daughter of King Henri II and the infamous Catherine&nbsp;de’ Medici in the year 1572.A marriage designed to unite two royal French houses while easing religious tensions between the Huguenots and the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/most-unforgivable-things-the-catholic-church-has-done/lea-rose-emery">Catholics</a>, the marriage was intended to bring joy and stability to a tenuously peaceful France. Instead, the posh ceremony was among the most violent episodes in the history of Paris. The event kicked off&nbsp;a two-month spree of death where the Catholics massacred the&nbsp;Huguenots&nbsp;and caused mass destruction&nbsp;and civil unrest not unlike the violence of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/french-revolution-bloodiest-moments/setareh-janda">French Revolution</a>.&nbsp;This season of blood - known as the Saint Bartholomew's Day massacre - put an end to any hope for religious harmony and left a scar on history as one of the most horrifying episodes of the Protestant Reformation.Of the many&nbsp;brutal historical massacres recorded, this one holds the distinction of having been intended as a marriage meant to ease the religious tension and instead acted as a round-up of lambs to be slaughtered. The&nbsp;horrifying story of the St. Bartholomew's Day Massacre paint a picture of just how dark the religious politics of the time were. And how deadly the French religious wars would get.&nbsp;

14 Grisly Facts About The Deadliest Wedding In History

St. Bartholomew Massacre: The Worst Wedding in History

Graveyard Shift

On a summer afternoon in July 2008, Greyhound bus 1170 made its way from the Canadian province of Alberta towards Ontario. What was described as an uneventful trip turned into mass chaos when a man named Vincent Li began stabbing fellow passenger Tim McLean. As the remaining passengers fled the bus, they watched in horror as Li decapitated McLean and held up his head for everyone to see.Despite the number of witnesses and the gruesome nature of the crime, Li did not go to prison but instead spent less than seven years in a mental hospital before becoming a free man. Although Li has expressed remorse for the murder, McLean's family and friends do not feel justice was served.In this list, we'll learn about how Vince Li turned unexpectedly violent and how the life of a young expectant father was cut drastically short.

11 Facts About The Horrific Murder Of Tim McLean Aboard A Greyhound Bus

History

Ah, freedom – a state of being so many of us take for granted. Given humans' history of enslaving each other, it's no wonder the idea has been elusive to many. The human experience is rife with <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/best-slave-narratives/ranker-books">stories of mass enslavement</a>,&nbsp;kings who built entire empires on the scarred backs of the oppressed,&nbsp;and the bloody slave rebellions that tried to right the scales of justice. Sadly for those in chains, these rebellions were rarely successful, and those who gained freedom usually only found it through&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/how-did-the-freeing-of-the-slaves-work/kellen-perry">emancipation</a>.&nbsp;Time and time again – from the Zanj of Iraq to Spartacus of Rome to Nat Turner of Virginia – slave rebellions were quashed with 10 times the amount of brutality, a painful reminder to never challenge those in power. But there was one slave rebellion that did not face defeat – the St. Domingue rebellion in Haiti, otherwise known as the most successful slave revolt in history.Lasting from 1791-1804, it was a grassroots revolution that took shape through the influence of voodoo and found victory through fearless determination and clever strategy. This&nbsp;uprising was so fierce, so unrelenting, that it&nbsp;set fire to an entire nation and changed the very mechanics of a racist structure. When it came to slave rebellions, the end was&nbsp;usually one of defeat, but what about those who managed to raise a fist, or a musket, or an ax – and win?

The New Haiti: Remembering History's Most Successful Slave Revolt

Brutal Facts About The St. Domingue Revolt, History's Only Successful Slave Rebellion

Think you know your favorite animals? Study up on fun facts and fascinating trivia to drop at your next cocktail party.

Up Close with Awesome Animals

Coconut crab

Although most people don&#39;t think about crabs as bone crushing, kitten-eating, mastadons of the tropics, most people have never met this terrestrial hermit crab. About the&nbsp;size of a small dog, the coconut crab -&nbsp;otherwise known as the robber crab or palm thief -&nbsp;is the biggest arthropod in the world, often weighing up to nine pounds. These nightmare crabs&nbsp;look more like an alien from outer space than a species of Earth, and their look isn&#39;t the only crazy thing about them.

There are plenty of creepy coconut crab facts. These guys can use their four-foot long legs to scuttle quickly from place to place;&nbsp;burrow into dark holes in the ground; and even climb soaring coconut trees. Sometimes known to take down a small mammal, the coconut crab is a true marvel of nature and one that continues to frighten and titillate anyone nearby. But while some believe they are harmless beach combers, others have suspected them of much greater crimes. Some speculate they may even have a connection to Amelia Earhart.&nbsp;If you love crabs that are scary, look no further than the coconut crab.

13 Facts Most People Don't Know About The Coconut Crab, The Biggest Arthropod

13 Frightening Facts About The Coconut Crab

Lists about the phenomena of the summer music festival - who to see, how to dress, and what to expect beyond heat, crowds, and bigger crowds.

Music Festival Season

US History

Lambasted by <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/in-the-aftermath-of-altamont-19700207">Rolling Stone magazine</a>&nbsp;as "rock and roll's all-time worst day — a day when everything went perfectly wrong," the 1969 music festival at Altamont Speedway in Northern California was a concert unlike any other. Immortalized in the 1970 documentary <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.amazon.com/Rolling-Stones-Shelter-Criterion-Collection/dp/B00004YZFR?tag=rankercom-20">Gimme&nbsp;Shelter</a>, Altamont was scheduled during one of the most rebellious and heady times in American history, filled with gritty guitar riffs, lots of recreational drugs, and young people looking to rebel.&nbsp;The free concert gave fans a chance to jam out with some of the most epic bands of the counterculture, including the Rolling Stones, Jefferson Airplane,&nbsp;and the Grateful Dead. But when the Hells Angels showed up to work security, things took a turn for the worse.&nbsp;Fans expecting free love and peace were treated to brutality and general mayhem. Forever remembered for&nbsp;its shocking violence, destruction, and chaos, the tragic events at Altamont&nbsp;ended the era of free love and marked the death of the swinging '60s.

How The Insanity Of The Free Concert At Altamont Killed The Summer Of Love

15 Ways The Altamont Free Concert Marked The End Of The '60s

Shining a spotlight on shocking deeds done by damsels in anything but distress.

Very Bad Girls

Death

Back in the 17th-century territory of what is now Massachusetts, many <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/puritan-sex-beliefs/kellen-perry&nbsp;">Puritan&nbsp;families struggled to survive</a> in the wild, unpredictable conditions of the New World, and Puritan axe-murder&nbsp;Hannah Duston's crazy story has origins in this struggle. Aside from starvation, one of the Puritan settlers'&nbsp;greatest fears was to be attacked by the local Native Abenaki Indians&nbsp;who were known to wreak havoc on colonial homesteads, slaughtering anyone who fell in their path. Often referred to as the Puritan <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/real-axe-murderers/jacobybancroft">Axe Murderer</a>, Duston&nbsp;lived through the nightmare of abduction when her family farm was attacked by the fearsome Abenaki, and she was forced to leave behind everything she loved in a matter of minutes.For their part, however, the Abenaki Indians had few options for protecting their Native territory outside of attempting to forcefully frighten the settlers off of it, which was part of the motivation behind the Duston kidnapping. Taking Duston&nbsp;prisoner and venturing north, the Natives&nbsp;moved through many white settlements - massacring anyone they didn't capture. However,&nbsp;despite their violent skills and knowledge of the land, they were not even remotely prepared for the savagery of a mother's revenge.&nbsp;

Hannah Duston: The Puritan Axe Murderer Who Found Revenge

Who Is Hannah Duston? What You Need To Know About The Puritan Axe Murderer

Lists about some of the most extraordinary women who made history, forever changing the world and how we see it.

Well-Behaved Women

Interesting

In many ways,&nbsp;Marthe Richard was the original James Bond: beautiful, smart, and savvy, she used her wiles and her wits to survive. She holds a unique place among other notable women in history, thanks in large part to the insane Marthe Richard tales that pepper her colorful biography.Born in northeastern France in 1889, she turned to a life of prostitution as a teenager. Like other historical prostitutes, though, Richard didn't let her perceived lower position hold her back. Soon, she was arranging lucrative marriages for herself, flying planes, and joining the ranks of spies during both World War I and II. Stories about her adventures seem crazy - and Richard was a known embellisher of the truth -&nbsp;but the facts don't lie. Simply put, Richard&nbsp;lived an extraordinary life. By the time she passed away in 1982, she had left her mark on European history.Richard's experiences spanned <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/ww2-european-theater-stories/philgibbons">wars</a>, decades, and countless lovers. She was a queen of her own narrative, determined to raise herself from humble beginnings to wealth and prestige, no matter what.

From Prostitute To Secret Agent: The Unbelievable Life of Marthe Richard

Facts About Marthe Richard, Prostitute, Spy, Pilot, Politician, and Teller of Tall Tales

There are killers, and then there are those who cross all lines of human decency by consuming the flesh of their victims. Here are the grisly details.

People Who Eat People

The legendary medieval bandit&nbsp;Peter Niers&nbsp;would go&nbsp;down in history as one of Germany's most reviled criminals, raping and pillaging&nbsp;his way through 16th-century&nbsp;Europe. An alleged murderer&nbsp;of over 500 people, his escapades managed to cover just about every dark theme imaginable: theft, murder, infanticide, black magic,&nbsp;even cannibalism.A master of disguise with a penchant for escape, the serial killer Niers&nbsp;was rumored to have received the gift of invisibility from the Devil himself, terrorizing an unsuspecting&nbsp;landscape for 15 long years and eventually becoming a <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/who-was-elizabeth-bathory/carly-silver">folkloric figure</a>.&nbsp;During a time when confessions and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/slowest-methods-of-torture-in-history/machk">torture</a> went hand in hand, his gripping capture led to&nbsp;some hair-raising admissions of fetal murder and one of the most grisly executions in history.In the birthplace of punishments like <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/gnarly-ancient-human-suffering-artifacts/theodoros-karasavvas">the breaking wheel&nbsp;and the rack</a>, &quot;going medieval&quot; on ne'er-do-wells was the law of the land, a reality never more clear than in the 1581 execution of Europe's greatest bogeyman.

The Untold Story of Peter Niers, The Cannibal Magician Who Killed 500 People

The Untold Story of Cannibal Magician Peter Niers

Lists about the backstories and persistent legends that surround the many mythical figures that watch you as you walk alone in the woods at night.

Creepy Creatures of Ill Repute

When Kuchisake-onna, the Slit-Mouthed Woman, asks you a question, you better give her the right answer - or else. Among <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-japanese-urban-legends/jenniferlennon">scary Japanese urban legends</a>, she's one of the most frightening, said to brandish large scissors and prey on unsuspecting passersby. Kuchisake-onna&nbsp;stories detail her horrific appearance, with a jagged, bloody scar resembling a smile. Disfigured and murdered&nbsp;by a jealous husband, she is a malicious spirit returned from the dead who can appear anywhere at any time. She always wants to know one thing: Am I pretty?Is Kuchisake-onna&nbsp;real? She's certainly captured the public imagination. Her ghastly figure appears in many Japanese ghost stories that date&nbsp;back as far as the Edo period of the 17th century. But whether you believe in the Slit-Mouthed Woman or not, there's no denying that stories about her send a shiver down the spine.

Creepy Tales About The Japanese Urban Legend Of The Slit-Mouthed Woman

The Scariest Stories Of The Kuchisake Onna, The "Slit Mouthed Woman"

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

The History of Doing It

Explainer

Rarely have women in history played a more deliciously mysterious role than that of&nbsp;the 600 years of the Ottoman Empire, when what is modern-day Turkey and lands from the Balkans to Syria&nbsp;sat at the center of a great Empire. These were the days of the harem, when women - and girls as young as seven years old - were held in a secret world where they could be governed, educated, and primarily&nbsp;enjoyed by the sultan and his court.

But as slaves or subjects? Given as gifts or claimed as spoils of war, these women represented the caliphate&#39;s&nbsp;power, wealth, and sexual prowess. Just like a scene from Arabian Nights, daily life in an Ottoman harem&nbsp;was a life suspended in a secret paradise full of sensual delights - as well as endless rules, expectations, and boundaries. Derived from the Arabic word haram meaning sacred or forbidden, the harem was part of a legendary patriarchy that tried to bottle&nbsp;the essence of woman, capture it in all its glory, and use it solely for its own felicity.&nbsp;

A Glimpse Of Life In An Ottoman Sultan's Harem

What It Was Like To Be In An Ottoman Sultan's Harem

Lists about terrible times in history during which man went to great lengths to dehumanize entire populations of people.

Dark History

Imagine that you're walking down the street with your family. Then,&nbsp;government officials pull up and forcefully take&nbsp;your children, your little sister, your brother. The reason? The color of your skin. For Australia's Stolen Generations, this nightmare was a reality for around 80 years. From 1910 and 1970, between one in three and one in ten indigenous children were forcibly taken from their families and placed into institutions or the foster system. Rather than overtly wiping indigenous people&nbsp;off the face of the earth&nbsp;through <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/genocide-holidays/jacob-shelton">genocide</a>, this more subtle violence against Aboriginal natives&nbsp;stripped them of their communities and native culture.This <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/japanese-wwii-war-crimes/mel-judson">brutal chapter</a> in Australian history went virtually unnoticed by the world for decades, until the heartbreaking stories of the families destroyed in the process began to emerge. Proponents of the removal had argued that children of Aboriginal descent would benefit from assimilation to white society, but in fact, the alienation and trauma experienced by members of the Stolen Generations made their lives immeasurably worse.These&nbsp;heartbreaking stories and insane facts about Australia's Stolen Generations serve as a grim cautionary tale of government overreach, and as a reminder of the evils of colonialism.Please note that&nbsp;the following list may contain images of deceased Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The Whitewashing Of Australian Natives Left A Scar On History

11 Tragic Stories of Australian Natives Forced To Assimilate

They pillage and plunder; they rifle and loot. Drink up, ye 'earties. Yo ho!

A Pirate's Life for Me

Lists of fascinating facts and lesser-known details about the lives of people whose names you learned in History class (or should have).

Down in History

Who was Francois L&#39;Olonnais, you ask? Only the most ruthless and&nbsp;feared pirate&nbsp;to ever sail under the black flag. And given the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/deadliest-pirates-in-history/aaron-edwards">overall&nbsp;brutality suffered during the Golden Age of Piracy</a>, that is one hell of a claim. Born in France and sold into indentured servitude in the mid 17th century, his early sufferings led to a penchant for murder and thievery that quickly propelled him to the top of the criminal food chain.&nbsp;

Over time, he evolved into the bane of the Caribbean, not to mention one of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/ways-pirates-killed-people/nathan-gibson?">most deadly pirates</a>&nbsp;to ever sail the sea. He was&nbsp;a badass marauder who dominated age-old seafaring stories not because he was clever or sadistic or fearless or dashing, but because he was all of those things at once while still managing to pull in more booty than almost any other privateer&nbsp;in history. Nicknamed the &quot;Flail of Spain&quot; for the wild reactions of fear he provoked in others, his life as an adventurer bent on treasure, destruction, and revenge left a bloody scar on seafaring history and created a legend like no other. Badass stories about one of the most violent pirates in the world&nbsp;will leave you shivering in your boots.&nbsp;

From Captivity To Terrorism: The Unlikely Rise of a Legendary Pirate

Incredible Facts About Francois l"Olonnais, The Fearsome Pirate Of The Caribbean

Sure, serial killers ~killed~ people, but what did they actually do? Lists about who they murdered, how they did it, and other horrifying facts that will keep you wide awake tonight, shaking your head at humanity.

The Grisly Details

French History

People are not always what they appear to be. The maxim might as well have been coined to describe the French nobleman Gilles de Rais, a historic pervert like no other. Hidden behind a 15th-century facade of refinement, the man's notorious historical depravity encompassed both bloody violence and shocking crime. Disturbing Gilles de Rais facts show how he was able to maintain his sordid double life. Not only was his position in society one of power and wealth, but he was also a distinguished military figure and the Marshal of France.In the tradition of other <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/brutal-maximilien-robespierre-facts/setareh-janda">power-hungry men</a>, he flaunted his wealth by throwing lavish parties and staging insane spectacles. But tales of Gilles de Rais's&nbsp;infamous proclivities soon surfaced, and France was shocked&nbsp;when his life spiraled into a storm of accusations around abduction, pedophilia, murder, and heresy. When searching for stories of notorious historical pedophiles, few figures are more disturbing than Gilles de Rais, a man whose deviance and psychosis found freedom in an unsuspecting world.

The Shocking Story Of The French Military Hero-Turned Pedophile

Facts About Gilles de Rais: The Refined Pedophile Who Shocked France

Don't know how you do the voodoo that you do.

Dark Magic

Weird History

To many, the word voodoo&nbsp;carries with it some pretty dark images of zombies, bleeding chickens, and even <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/satanism-facts-and-trivia/will-gish">satanism</a>, but it also holds a history rich with&nbsp;spirituality, intense suffering, and cultural misrepresentation. Like the generally accepted and respected religion of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/weird-catholic-beliefs/lea-rose-emery">Catholicism</a>, voodoo was once a supreme belief system for many, brought about through a trust in the old ways and a confrontation with the unknown. What it became over time was something much deeper, darker, and more complex than most practitioners knew possible - the culmination of an extreme African diaspora and the religious evolution it demanded. Like a rich southern stew, voodoo's distinct flavors come from various places, all of which reflect its fiery background and overarching desire to find ritual, divinity, and understanding in a world full of darkness.

How The Dark World of Voodoo Remains Misunderstood

11 Interesting Things You Didn't Know About Voodoo

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

We Will Never Be Royals

For as long as it's been in existence,&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/unflattering-royal-portraits/danielle-ownbey" target="_blank">the royal world</a> has been special, elevated above the mediocrity of regular life and filled with the pleasures and privileges of divine power and influence. And even though the practical function&nbsp;of the monarchy has become mostly symbolic, the public fascination with its office certainly has not. So, for example, when&nbsp;Kate Middleton, the Duchess of Cambridge,&nbsp;gave birth to the newest members of the English monarchy, public curiosity&nbsp;about her experience was boundless. But alas, the details were not so thrilling, as she and William apparently greeted their precious new bundles much like any average citizen –&nbsp;in the privacy of a clean and well-lit room with just a few medical attendants nearby.And so it seems the<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/weird-royals-in-history/danielle-ownbey" target="_blank"> royal rituals</a> for labor nowadays are a far cry from the darkened, smoky bedrooms of the past, when the birth of a monarch was steeped in endless tradition, superstition, and more than a little fear. The age-old practice of bringing life into the world has always varied&nbsp;widely between cultures, but when it came to the secrets of the royal bedchamber, there were none quite as strange and disturbing as those created for new mothers.

Eye-Opening Details About What Giving Birth Was Like For Royal Mothers

14 Bizarre And Insane Royal Birth Rituals Throughout History

When it comes to excess in 16th-century Rome, nothing compares to the Banquet of Chestnuts.&nbsp;During the early 1500s, the great Renaissance city of Rome was ruled by Pope Alexander VI and his&nbsp;son Cesare, both members of the powerful <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/buckwild-lucrezia-borgia-exploits/jen-jeffers" target="_blank">Borgia</a> family. The influential clan epitomized the misconduct and debauchery of the era with their entertainment. Every Borgia party and banquet was a lavish affair catered to a privileged social set.

One such occasion arose the night of October 30, 1501,&nbsp;when a huge banquet was organized in the Papal Palace. The guest list of this Borgia banquet included nobility and senior officials of the Catholic Church - but courtesans and prostitutes as well. What began as a carefully choreographed ballet of manners soon devolved into a wild party with naked entertainers and sexual games.

The infamous Banquet of the Chestnuts&nbsp;has gone down in history as one of the wildest nights in history. Although historians disagree on whether the event actually occurred, there is a firsthand written account of the night. That document shows how the scandalous feast shed&nbsp;light on the morality of the papal office, particularly&nbsp;the negativity surrounding the Borgia rule. Salacious though&nbsp;it was, the party illuminated&nbsp;the duplicitous and flawed nature&nbsp;of religious authority.

Inside Pope Alexander VI's Erotic Banquet Of Chestnuts

9 Reasons The Borgias' Orgy Extravaganza Was History's Sexiest Party

The Holocaust

During WWII - in one of the darkest periods of world history - a drama of epic proportions unfolded&nbsp;behind the high brick walls of Germany's notorious concentration camp known as Auschwitz. Described by <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/people-who-hid-from-the-nazis/aaron-edwards">survivors</a><a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/everyday-life-in-concentration-camps/philgibbons"> </a>as being a virtual hell on earth, the heartbreaking stories from Nazi death camps like Auschwitz are too numerous to count.&nbsp;This comes, in part, as a result of the fact that the camp ended the lives of approximately 1.6 million prisoners at Auschwitz alone. But as the&nbsp;infamous villain of the Holocaust, Dr. Josef Mengele, sought to destroy the innocent, there was an angel of light who used her power to undermine him at every turn, essentially changing the course of many lives. Known as the &quot;Angel of Auschwitz&quot; by those who loved her, Gisella Perl was a resourceful woman who used her medical abilities to provide mercy to the innocent in the only way possible - through death. During a time when the world was rife with political lunacy and people were <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/people-who-hid-from-the-nazis/aaron-edwards">hiding</a> underground, this angel of light worked side by side with the angel of darkness to defy one of the most terrifying regimes in history and provide freedom to the most innocent of all - the unborn. While brutal Gisella Perl stories might not make you feel all warm and fuzzy inside, they might just give you a sense of what it means to make difficult but heroic choices in the worst situation imaginable.

The Angel of Auschwitz Saved Thousands of Lives By Defying The Nazis

12 Facts About Gisella Perl: The Brave Angel of Auschwitz

Lists about polite manners, celebrations, and cultural traditions around the world.

Strange Customs & Rituals

Pop Culture

The castrati&nbsp;of 16th-century Rome &ndash;&nbsp;singers known for their angelic, falsetto&nbsp;voices equivalent to those of&nbsp;sopranos &ndash;&nbsp;were often the most celebrated in the chorus. While their voices were beautiful, the male singers designated as castrati&nbsp;earned their title through a disturbing ritual; these chosen young men&nbsp;were castrated before puberty so they would never reach&nbsp;sexual maturity.

When the Pope <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2001/aug/14/humanities.highereducation" target="_blank">banned</a> women from public singing in the mid-16th century, opera itself was seemingly threatened. Young boys filled in for a time, but boys&#39; voices&nbsp;naturally dropped when they reached puberty. To remedy this alleged issue, the Romans&nbsp;resorted to body modification. These Italian singers left&nbsp;a dark legacy&nbsp;in their wake: adults trapped in prepubescent bodies. While&nbsp;castrati singers no longer exist, the disturbing tale of their origin &ndash; as well as the late date at which the practice was still enforced &ndash;&nbsp;remains.&nbsp;

How The Catholic Church Castrated Young Boys And Made Them Sing

11 Disturbing Facts About The Castrati of Rome

Lists about real practices of witchcraft and the occult and their pointy-hatted, warty-nosed, buckle-shod, broom-ridin', high-pitched cacklin' depictions in media.

Witches Get Stitches

Witchcraft

Witch. That title became an accusation throughout history, as it was used to execute almost half a million people in Europe and the United States alone since the year 1200. In reality, most of these victims - mainly women - were victims of fear-based conspiracies. They weren't agents of the devil, merely social outcasts or healers with unusual knowledge.But in 17th&nbsp;century France, whispers of witches threatened&nbsp;the very reign of King Louis XIV himself. In a case that came to be known as the Affair of the Poisons, authorities uncovered a network of women with tremendous influence. They could seemingly employ dark magic and subtle poisons to control life at the French court. During a time when greedy, elaborately dressed nobles were accustomed to having their own way at any cost, there lived a legendary witch named La Voisin, whose dark talents threatened the most powerful figures in Versailles and French society at large.Read on to learn more about this mysterious figure and her scandalous story.

How The Affair Of The Poisons Uncovered A Network of Witchcraft

Lists that examine the unique, bizarre, and sometimes shocking ways that different worldwide cultures view and celebrate life and what comes next. 

Post-Mortem Rituals

One thing most ancient civilizations share is a&nbsp;fascination with the afterlife. The art of necromancy, communicating beyond the grave through messages to ghosts or the reanimation of deceased flesh, has long been regarded as a deviant way to find answers in the realm of the underworld. Although it has been practiced in some way&nbsp;in nearly every ancient civilization, necromancy began primarily in ancient Persia, Greece, Rome, and Medieval Europe.

Referred to more commonly as sorcery or black magic, <a href="https://www.etymonline.com/word/necromancy#etymonline_v_2359" target="_blank">necromancy derives</a> from the Greek words&nbsp;nekros, meaning&nbsp;&quot;dead body,&quot; and&nbsp;manteia, meaning &ldquo;divination.&rdquo; It is the magical process of bringing the deceased to life with the intent of learning their secrets - a way to read the future, discover the unknown, or just exploit the wisdom of the grave. It&#39;s been <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-magic-and-occult-books/clare-de-lune" target="_blank">the subject of many forbidden doctrines</a>&nbsp;and is still used in some religions today.&nbsp;Although first considered by the ancient Greeks as a way to descend into the underworld of Hades, necromancy eventually evolved into the act of&nbsp;summoning the departed into the mortal world, often against their will and with grave consequences. Talking to the deceased is not for the faint of heart, and the lore surrounding what necromancy is can be equally as terrifying.&nbsp;

Things You Didn't Know About Necromancy, The Dark Art Of Raising The Dead

10 Things You Probably Didn't Know About Necromancy

Unspeakable Times

Lisa Nowak&nbsp;had <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-right-stuff-cast-and-actors-in-this-movie/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">all the right stuff</a> - she was the mother of three young children and a bonafide&nbsp;astronaut in the NASA space program. She had a career, a family, and a husband who loved her. But in just two&nbsp;years, her fairy tale life would splinter into a thousand pieces as her grim mugshot and unbelievable crimes were&nbsp;plastered across every TV screen in America. Under her perfect life of beauty and fame&nbsp;lurked a volatile woman who wanted nothing more than to find revenge against the woman she hated. Spurned by her ex-lover and propelled by jealousy, Lisa Nowak&#39;s&nbsp;fiercely competitive drive had morphed into a dangerous obsession, and she would not rest until her nemesis was out of the way - for good.&nbsp;

Nowak&#39;s adventure might top the list of the <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/halloween-misdeeds/mike-rothschild?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">worst crimes ever</a> committed by an astronaut.

Lisa Nowak: The Astronaut Who Drove Across The Country In A Diaper

11 Things You Didn't Know About Psychopath Lisa Nowak

Myths & Legends

She&#39;s been called many things throughout history - Demon,&nbsp;Night Hag, Lilith&nbsp;- and yet, she is always the same. Creepy, terrifyingly powerful, and malignant, she can appear as a potent seductress, the stuff of a nightmare, or as a wretched crone. She induces sleep paralysis. She is like a golem or jinni, made from the dust of the earth and yet imbued with supernatural powers. Her disquieting image dates back to the most ancient stories in civilization - from Adam&#39;s first wife in Paradise to the succubus who would sit on the chest of her marks as they slept - she perpetuated the myth of the evil woman capable of taking peace from the innocent.

In each historical portrayal, she is uniquely terrifying and, at the same time, remains a universal symbol of woman&#39;s unconquerable power. In most myths, she is chaos and she is ungodliness, but in every guise throughout history, she is a figure that can never be fully understood or vanquished.

Disquieting Truths About Lilith, The Night Hag

14 Unnerving Things You Didn't Know About The Lady In Black AKA The 

People Trivia

Knowledge can be a wonderful thing. But in the case of the ancient philosopher and mathematician Hypatia of Alexandria, it also lead to her doom. Hypatia was one of the most important intellectuals of Byzantine Empire in the 4th Century, and her&nbsp;story is both inspiring and terrifying, providing a glimpse into a period of history that viewed intellectualism with skepticism and outright resentment.

Hypatia was a thinker of the highest order, a teacher, and an inventor, but she was also a pagan and was not afraid to speak her mind in a&nbsp;landscape of religious separatism, conflict, and fear. Being a woman of intelligence, beauty, and strength could not save her from <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/unusual-deaths-prehistoric-people-who-died-in-strange-ways/notable-famous-deaths" target="_blank">the shocking end</a>&nbsp;she would meet at the hands of her own people. During a dangerous time when science and religion were often pitted against one another in the quest for universal understanding, it was precisely her knowledge and fearlessness that would place a target on her back. Her life of excellence would come to mean nothing as a clash of powerful men rendered her one of the most tragic scapegoats in history.

Hypatia: The Story Of The Greek Philosopher Skinned Alive With Seashells

10 Facts About Hypatia of Alexandria: Skinned Alive By Seashells

A beautiful, lively, and richly historical city,&nbsp;London also has a dark side filled with stories of murder and deviant crimes. One such story involves one of London&#39;s most prolific and unassuming serial killers, John Reginald Christie, who resided in a home at what has become one of the most notorious addresses in London - 10 Rillington Place. &nbsp;

Christie, who has come to be&nbsp;considered one of the <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/shockingly-infamous-british-serial-killers-/web-infoguy">most diabolical serial killers in all of Britain</a>, lived in the home in the 1940s and early 1950s. The remains of&nbsp;all of his victims were found on his property, forever sullying the home and its grounds - so much so that the&nbsp;neighborhood was razed to the ground in 1970 in an attempt to erase the story from the memory of the nation. This true story of a <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/necrophilia-serial-killers/jacob-shelton">deranged necrophile</a>,&nbsp;who killed at least eight women, one baby, and inadvertently an innocent man,&nbsp;shocked and titillated 20th-century London and ultimately forced Britain to amend its long-held practice&nbsp;of capital punishment.

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