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Katherine Ripley - Lists at Ranker

Think the whole world revolves around you? Read about some Very Important Historical Figures and the fascinating lives they led while changing the world and having no idea that you even exist.

People of the Past

Since the dawn of civilization, a lot of important things have happened. Here are lists of about the many winding routes we took to get where we are today.

Historical Contexts

Thank You for Being a Friend

Historical Figures

Everyone knows that opposites attract. It's (at least initially) true for <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/list/odd-celebrity-couples/lisa-waugh">romantic relationships</a>,&nbsp;and it's also sometimes&nbsp;true for friendships. There's a whole trove of odd <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/facts-power-couples/elle-tharp?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">couples from history</a> that continue to spark people's imaginations.&nbsp;But, would you ever think that an award-winning playwright and a professional wrestler would hang out&nbsp;together? How about a p*rn magazine editor and a televangelist? Or a Jewish American soldier and a Nazi pilot?&nbsp;Well, all of those things actually happened—and much more. Let's take a look at some of the strangest pairs of friends throughout&nbsp;history.

13 Extremely Unexpected Friendships Between Historical Figures

Person

13 Unlikely Friendships Throughout History You'd Never Expect

Katherine Ripley

If Abraham Lincoln had heeded the warnings that his life may be in danger, the course of history may have been very different. In fact, if you look back through history, you'll find that there are&nbsp;almost always warnings history ignored, as well as times people who were right went disregarded. This&nbsp;unheeded advice from great minds could've changed the course of some of history's most horrific events.&nbsp;Many of these people took stances that <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/weird-causes-historical-figures-supported/stephanroget">surprised</a> their colleagues. Many were ignored because their predictions were assumed to be impossible. Lo and behold, however, all of them were vindicated later. But by the time everyone realized they were actually right, it was too late.The take away?&nbsp;Just because an idea seems crazy, doesn't mean it's wrong.

13 People Who Were Right All Along, But No One Listened To Them

 People Who Were Right But No One Listened To Them

Lists about common and uncommon developmental and mental disorders, conditions, and syndromes and the people who live with them.

Disorders and Syndromes

Is autism a condition that only developed recently through some change in our environment? Or is it a condition that has been around for a long time, but scientists only began studying, defining, and diagnosing it relatively recently?&nbsp;Many psychologists and historians believe it’s the latter - and that there are several <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-people-with-autism/celebrity-lists">historical figures who might have been autistic</a>.In fact, close studies of the writings and behavior of several historical figures - like Albert Einstein and Thomas Jefferson - reveal that they may have had an autism spectrum disorder. Because autism is a spectrum and our understanding of it is still evolving, it's nearly impossible to pin down which type <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/historical-figures-we-most-want-to-bring-back-from-the-dead/alexf?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">a historical figure</a> may have had. Asperger syndrome (AS, or Asperger's) and high-functioning autism (HSA, or autism without intellectual disability) are two mild forms that share many of the same symptoms, so much so that some psychologists believe they are actually the same disorder.The <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn3676-einstein-and-newton-showed-signs-of-autism">three main symptoms</a> of Asperger syndrome&nbsp;are obsessive interests, struggles with social relationships, and problems communicating. Other signs of&nbsp;Asperger's&nbsp;include adherence to a rigid worldview and routine, difficulty understanding social niceties, heightened senses or sensory disorders, extreme emotional outbursts, and a tendency to retreat into one's own world. People with HFA also experience many of these same difficulties. So wherever these historical figures fall on the spectrum, they all have some autistic qualities.Now that we know some common symptoms, let's take a look at some historical figures who may have had autism.

11 Historical Figures Who May Have Had Autism

Graveyard Shift

The Holocaust perpetrated by Nazi Germany was inarguably one of the worst events of the 20th century. Six million Jews and millions of others (gay people, those with disabilities, Roma,&nbsp;and more) were massacred, while many others became refugees or went into <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/people-who-hid-from-the-nazis/aaron-edwards" target="_blank">hiding</a>.

Unfortunately, these kinds of historical tragedies aren&#39;t limited to just Nazi Germany. We&#39;ve seen this kind of genocide before, but&nbsp;humans have an alarming propensity to gloss over the dark parts of our history. Some genocides were even&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/genocide-holidays/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">turned into holidays</a>&nbsp;that celebrate the perpetrators&#39; success. We don&#39;t often hear much about these <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/armenian-genocide-pictures/keshvaralikhani" target="_blank">obscure historical pogroms</a>, because&nbsp;as they say, history is written by the victors.

Maybe it&rsquo;s important, then, to discuss even those genocides throughout history that aren&rsquo;t as well-known. By keeping these victims alive in our minds and hearts, we may be able to prevent similar catastrophes in the future. That&#39;s the whole point of being human, right? Over time, we get better. It does, however, behoove us to remember the times when we were at our worst.&nbsp;

14 Tragic Lesser-Known Genocides That Deserve To Be Remembered

General

14 Lesser Known Genocides You Might Not Know About

True Crime

The&nbsp;Serial podcast, the story of Adnan Syed and the death of his ex-girlfriend Hae Min Lee, captured the interest of millions after it aired on NPR. Adnan was convicted of killing Hae in 1999, and after serving 16 years in prison he was&nbsp;<a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/post-nation/wp/2016/06/30/adnan-syed-granted-new-trial-in-serial-case-attorney-says/?utm_term=.b15ef60fe567" target="_blank">granted a new trial</a>&nbsp;thanks, in part, to the publicity and popularity&nbsp;of the show.

The world <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/true-crime-documentaries/lisa-waugh" target="_blank">has become obsessed with this case</a> ever since. Journalist Sarah Keonig was the first to dive into Adnan&#39;s&nbsp;claims of innocence, his possible alibi on the day of Hae&#39;s murder, and questioned the credibility of the state&#39;s main witness in the case. She unearthed a trove of unsolved mysteries surrounding the case, making some question whether Adnan was to blame.&nbsp;

<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-serial-podcast-episodes/ranker-podcast" target="_blank">The Serial podcas</a>t inspired a host of other podcasts, including Undisclosed and The Serial Dynasty (later renamed Truth and Justice), which&nbsp;continued to investigate the case after Serial season 1 ended. These podcasts have unearthed tons of information that have inspired new theories about the case.

With Adnan&#39;s new trial, the millions of Serial fans who believe in his innocence are thrilled. But a very important question still lingers: who killed Hae Min Lee? Was she killed by Adnan? Was there another force at play? Did the police compromise the investigation?&nbsp;

Let&#39;s go through the prevailing theories of what happened to Hae.

Theories About What Actually Happened To Hae Min Lee From 'Serial'

Theories About What Actually Happened To Hae Min Lee From Serial

These are the most dramatic, petty, savage, and entertaining rivalries since Cain & Abel.

Where's the Beef?

Hatfields & McCoys

The war between the Hatfields and McCoys is one of the most brutal family feuds in American history, distinguished by its absurd escalation&nbsp;of violence.&nbsp;The moonshine-soaked, romance-fueled&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/family-feud-fails/whitneysmoore">family feud</a>&nbsp;took place between 1865 and 1890, in a bloody brother-on-brother, neighbor-on-neighbor wave of violence with ties to&nbsp;the recently ended Civil War. The barbaric&nbsp;battle&nbsp;between the two families became a&nbsp;national legend and was even made into a&nbsp;miniseries on the History Channel.The <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hatfield%E2%80%93McCoy_feud">Hatfields &amp; McCoys</a> were large families on opposite sides of the Tug River, which separates Kentucky and West Virginia. The McCoys lived on the Kentucky side, the Hatfields on the West Virginia side. The families were run by two powerful patriarchs: William Anderson Hatfield, known as Devil Anse, and Randolph &quot;Old Ranel&quot;&nbsp;McCoy. While these men were in charge of their respective families and are largely credited with leading&nbsp;the troops on either side of the river, the feud involved many different members of each clan.History experts disagree on when exactly the feud started. The violence either kicked off in 1865, with the murder of Asa Harmon McCoy, or in 1878, with a deadly dispute over a hog. Regardless, the feud was perpetuated by&nbsp;thefts and increasingly vicious acts of violence, which escalated to all out war. The grand finale of the&nbsp;feud came in 1889, when several members of the Hatfield clan were put on trial for murder.

The 12 Most Brutally Insane Moments of the Hatfield-McCoy Feud

The Craziest and Most Brutal Things the Hatfields and McCoys Did to One Another

Lists about brave, brilliant, and fascinating women who have changed the whole entire world.

Amazing Women You Should Know

Feminism

If you're a woman, especially in a male-dominated field, you probably&nbsp;know what it feels like to be overshadowed by male colleagues, even when you're doing better work than them. All of the women on this list know what that feels like. The group is comprised of scientists, artists, writers, inventors, and humanitarians, who never got credit for their remarkable achievements, and were snubbed when&nbsp;sexism reared its ugly head.&nbsp;The most remarkable thing about these women is that most of them&nbsp;continued to do hard work in their fields, despite the lack of recognition. They're regarded as&nbsp;trailblazers who&nbsp;wouldn't let the chauvinistic world hold them back.Let's celebrate these women for their accomplishments.

16 Brilliant Women From History Who Received No Credit For Their Groundbreaking Work

Accomplished Women Who Did Hard Work And Got No Credit

Did you read that article that linked so-and-so to that guy from the thing? Or see the video about how this is the same as that? Come on, let's weave some tangled webs!

It's a Conspiracy

Conspiracies

This list is for all you&nbsp;fans of&nbsp;The Da Vinci Code who&nbsp;can&#39;t get enough of&nbsp;art conspiracy theories. If these theories are to be believed, all these famous works of art&nbsp;have&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/renaissance-art-symbols-and-codes/kellen-perry">hidden meanings</a>&nbsp;or clandestine scandals surrounding them. Many are da Vinci&#39;s, but the famous Italian polymath certainly wasn&#39;t the only artist who knew how to hide a secret in&nbsp;plain sight.

Some of the&nbsp;theories on this list are pretty <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/antikythera-mechanism-theories/jenniferlennon">bizarre</a>, but if you&#39;ve found your way here, you&#39;re probably okay with that. These ideas are rife with speculation; art historians, stick with your books and academic journals. Here you will find only wonder at the potential of the world and&nbsp;myriad forgotten histories and secret messages buried all around us. Absent uncovering a note from the artist&nbsp;specifically detailing&nbsp;his intentions, there&#39;s no way to prove any of these famous art conspiracies are true. But it&#39;s fun to think about how these famous artists may have left hidden messages for us.

13 Conspiracy Theories About Famous Paintings

Artwork

Criminal Minds is a hit police procedural drama that has aired on CBS since 2005.

Criminal Minds

Criminal Minds has featured&nbsp;some of the most disturbing murders ever seen on television. You might wonder, &quot;How do they come up with all these sick, twisted ways of killing people?&quot; As it turns out, many Criminal Minds episodes are ripped from the headlines. There are plenty of real killers who&nbsp;have provided great material for this show.

If you&#39;re one of those people who&#39;s seen every episode of <a href="https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0452046/?ref_=ttep_ep_tt" target="_blank">Criminal Minds</a>, you might already know which ones were based on true stories. But for those who don&#39;t, here&#39;s a list of episodes based on real serial killers. Readers beware.&nbsp;

14 Criminal Minds Episodes That Were Actually Based On Real Serial Killers

TV Episode

14 Criminal Minds Episodes Based on Real Serial Killers

Weird

From&nbsp;supernatural conspiracies to Led Zeppelin album covers, crop circles have created entertainment, discussion, and endless&nbsp;speculation for decades. But what are crop circles? Crop circles are interesting patterns and designs in large crop fields, usually those containing cereal grains.&nbsp;The creation and existence of crop circles have not been fully explained.&nbsp;Unlike&nbsp;phenomena such as&nbsp;aliens, Bigfoot, and&nbsp;chupacabras, the existence of crop circles cannot be denied.&nbsp;They appear in plain sight for extended periods of time&nbsp;and have been regularly photographed, so there's no question as to whether or not crop circles are real. The only question is: where do crop circles come from?Not much scientific research has been performed on these rare patterns, so it's still a little mysterious as to how they appear. However, plenty of fascinating observations have been gathered over the years about these unique formations. This list contains 15 facts about crop circles, from where they appear&nbsp;to how they might occur and the strange coincidences surrounding them.

11 Out-of-This-World Facts About Crop Circles

11 Things You Didn't Know About Crop Circles

Sometimes, finding out who did it just as shocking as the details of the deed itself, and everyone is like "This guy? THIS guy?" (but some are like, "Yeah, I totally believe that guy did it").

People Who Went Too Far

Death

Serial killers are terrifying when it&#39;s just one person - but when it&#39;s a whole family? That&#39;s beyond creepy. When most people think of serial killers, they think of men, or maybe <a href="https://www.bustle.com/articles/118687-7-creepy-serial-killer-couples-whose-gruesome-crimes-left-their-mark-on-history" target="_blank">killer couples</a>&nbsp;or seriously&nbsp;<a href="https://www.insider.com/most-notorious-female-serial-killers-2018-6" target="_blank">troubled women</a>. &nbsp;

What you might not think of are serial killer families. What&#39;s more horrifying than a family of murderers who kill together? These families are ruthless killers who you absolutely wouldn&#39;t want living next door!

9 Serial Killer Families That Murdered Together

Serial Killer Families

Lists of fascinating and bizarre real cases that continue to stump detectives and amateur sleuths.

Unsolved Mysteries

Mysteries

We like to think that if we&#39;re always prepared, travel in groups, and&nbsp;walk with both eyes open, we&#39;ll be safe from any potential dangers. But then Stranger Things went and made us all terrified of the possibility that we could disappear into the Upside-Down at any moment. No amount of preparation can keep you safe from being snatched into another dimension. So, to make you even more terrified, here&#39;s a list of real-life <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/people-who-disappeared-mysteriously/alby-thompson?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">people who disappeared</a> into another dimension - or at least, it seems very likely that they did.

These are people who disappeared and left no trace. They vanished in an instant, vanished from inside a building, or vanished and appeared to be calling out for help, although no one could find them. Clearly, the most logical explanation is they were taken to the upside-down.

If you don&#39;t think that&#39;s possible, see if you can come up with another explanation for these mysterious disappearances. Good luck, because these are some truly befuddling cases.

10 Incredibly Strange Disappearances

10 People Who May Have Disappeared Into Another Dimension

Lists about the speechless little creatures who hold our hearts and see us naked but don't even know our names.

For the Love of Pets

Money

If you're an animal lover, you might get along with your pets better than you do with people. But do you love your pets so much that you would include them in your will&nbsp;and cut your family members out? That's exactly what many of the people on this list did. These are people who left their fortunes to their pets - often at the expense of those closest to them.&nbsp;If you're wondering what a dog is going to do with $10 million, the answer is, &quot;Not much.&quot; These rich people who gave money to their pets&nbsp;also assigned&nbsp;trustees to take charge of the money and spend it on the animals. Many of these trustees got pretty sweet deals themselves; most of them got to live in the rich person's mansion while&nbsp;taking care of the animals.Would you leave your fortune to your dog? If you were this rich, you just might. Check out these people who left pets money.

13 People Who Left Their Fortunes to Their Pets

Galleries of cool, creative, and stunning artwork tattooed right on human skin.

Amazing Ink

Literature

When you get a tattoo, you want to make sure it's something that's meaningful to you. If you're a bookworm, nothing could be more meaningful than a quote or drawing from <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/celebs-favorite-books/jessica-lawshe?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">your favorite book</a>. This list is full of tattoos for bookworms. There are tattoos about books and reading&nbsp;and tattoos of the best quotes and images from great works of literature. If you're looking for book tattoo ideas, this list has got you covered.These book tattoos draw from a wide variety of literary works. Everything from&nbsp;Harry Potter&nbsp;to Lord of the Rings&nbsp;and Shakespeare&nbsp;to Jane Austen is represented. You'll find your favorite children's books&nbsp;and books you discovered in adulthood. Would you get any of these tattoos for readers? Click through this list of book tattoo pictures and decide for yourself.

35 Meaningful Literary Tattoos Only True Bookworms Would Get

There are a lot of myths out there about the rules of Mormonism—Mormons can't use mirrors, can't wear makeup, and can only ride bicycles. All of these things are untrue, but Mormons do abide by a lot of rules laid down by their church. This list is full of activities banned by the Mormon church.Mormonism is just like any other religion, in that there are rules about what you must do and must not do in order to cultivate your relationship with God. Some of these rules might be considered sexist or otherwise prejudiced, but those rules are not all that different from the rules of many other religions. These things banned by Mormonism ultimately shouldn't be too surprising.Take a look at what it's actually like to be a member of the Latter-day&nbsp;Saints. You wouldn't be able to do any of these activities Mormons have banned.

12 Activities That Have Been Banned by the Mormon Church

Book

Fun and very interesting lists about slang, vocabulary, language, spelling, and even punctuation.

Words, Words, Words

Language

You often hear kids say,&nbsp;&quot;sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.&quot; The entries on this list suggest otherwise. This list is full of forbidden words and phrases throughout history that can allegedly&nbsp;cause harm if they&#39;re spoken out loud (or, in some cases, even if they&#39;re written down).

These supposedly dangerous words&nbsp;and names come from&nbsp;different&nbsp;religions, mythologies,&nbsp;rituals, and superstitions from all across the globe.&nbsp;Some, like the fear of &quot;summoning&quot; bears, actually had a long-term impact&nbsp;on the English&nbsp;language. Others, like the theatrical prohibitions against&nbsp;saying &quot;Macbeth&quot; or &quot;Good luck,&quot; are just pure superstition. The religious word and name&nbsp;taboos, while odd to non-believers, are <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/useful-ancient-curses-for-modern-enemies/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">taken very seriously by practitioners</a>.

As such, you might want to read this list of forbidden words silently and not aloud...

9 Forbidden Words and Phrases You Must Never, Ever Say Aloud

Forbidden Words and Phrases You Must Never, Ever Say Aloud

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

Strange Customs & Rituals

Customs & Rituals

If you've ever traveled to another country, you know that customs can be extremely different&nbsp;around the world. Sometimes, these new rituals and traditions just take a little while to get used to - but in other cases, the strange practices of other cultures can seem downright repulsive.&nbsp;This list is of the foreign practices that most shock Americans, from eating bugs to exhuming corpses.

15 Strange Foreign Customs That Shock Americans

15 Strange Foreign Customs That Would Shock Any American

Books have been challenged or&nbsp;banned for various reasons throughout history. Many times, religious groups petition public institutions to ban books because they believe the theme or plot goes against their beliefs. Whether they succeed in getting the book thrown out is another matter entirely. This is a list of books that have been challenged or banned by people of faith.Many bibliophiles like to celebrate banned books and make it a point to read them. If you're one of those people, you can definitely add some of these books banned because of complaints by religious groups to your reading list.&nbsp;

Harmless Books You Won’t Believe Religious People Banned (Or Tried To)

Books You Won’t Believe Religious People Banned (Or Tried To)

<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/list-of-famous-psychics/reference">Psychics</a> have been around for centuries. There's never been any conclusive proof that their abilities are real, which means that it's up to you to decide&nbsp;- do you believe in their powers or not? This list contains several famous cases of clairvoyance and telekinesis. While some have been debunked, others&nbsp;have not.Could these situations simply be startling coincidences? Do you think a mystery or a crime can really be solved by a psychic? Take a look at these psychic cases and tell us in the comments if these stories changed your mind about clairvoyance&nbsp;or just further cemented what you always believed.

Famous Cases of Clairvoyance and Telekinesis

Some demons just want to watch the world burn.

The Devil in the Details

Lists about real-world demonic possessions that will having you saying, "What an excellent day for an exorcism!"

Kindly Undo These Straps

Devils & Demons

Do you believe in ghosts? What&nbsp;about demonic possession? What if you had seen evidence with your own eyes?&nbsp;This list is full of possessions caught on tape. Some of the victims are possessed by ghosts, and some are possessed&nbsp;by demons. Some of the videos depict exorcisms.It's impossible to know for sure whether these incidents are real or staged, or if the afflicted person has something else wrong with them, like a seizure disorder&nbsp;or mental illness.&nbsp;These videos certainly look like real demonic possession, though. If any of these folks are merely acting, they deserve an Oscar.So now do you think&nbsp;demonic possessions are real? Vote for the video on this list that you find the most convincing&nbsp;- and good luck sleeping tonight.&nbsp;&nbsp;

Demonic Possessions Caught on Tape

[VIDEO] Demon Possessions Caught On Tape

Vote up your favorite types of cookies, biscuits, and snacks.

Cookie Time

Whoa Facts

The <a href="http://www.kitchenproject.com/history/twinkie.htm" target="_blank">history of Twinkies</a> begins in the early 1930s. The Continental Baking Company in Indianapolis had recently started a line of products under the brand <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/hostess-snacks/ranker-food">Hostess</a>. James Dewar, a baker at that facility, wanted to come up with a solution for the fact that the machines used to make cream-filled strawberry shortcakes sat idle when strawberries were not in season. He came up with the Twinkie, and it was Hostess's first big success.Now that Twinkies have <a href="https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/business/wp/2016/07/05/what-it-took-to-save-the-twinkie/">come back</a> from <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-internet-reacts-to-hostess-going-out-of-business/brian-gilmore">the brink of death</a>, public fascination with them is stronger than ever. This list is full of facts about Twinkies - some of which you might want to know if you've ever eaten one. If you've never eaten one, on the other hand, this article just might make you curious enough to try them.Twinkies don't even try to claim that they're a healthy food item, and yet, they're still selling. Consider these Twinkie facts and decide: was the Twinkie worth saving?

Things You Didn't Know About Twinkies

17 Things You Didn't Know About Twinkies

Fascinating facts and interesting stories about organized crime: gangs, gangsters, mobsters, the mafia, and other criminals & crime syndicates all over the world.

Feels Good to Be a Gangster

The life of a drug lord often seems very&nbsp;glamorous. The leaders of drug cartels have frequently made Forbes&#39;s list of the&nbsp;richest people in the world. Acquiring that wealth, though, often requires playing dirty. This list features&nbsp;the most brutal drug kingpins - people who wouldn&#39;t hesitate to murder for the sake of their profits. The people on this list have&nbsp;killed to amass&nbsp;power, get revenge, avoid apprehension, eliminate competition, or just to intimidate rivals.

These notorious drug lords live in a truly Darwinian world where <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/full-cast-of-only-the-strong-actors-and-actresses/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">only the strong</a> survive. They have stopped at nothing to succeed, even murdering innocent civilians, women, and children.&nbsp;There&#39;s no telling how many lives the drug&nbsp;wars have taken.&nbsp;

The Most Brutal Drug Kingpins

The Most Brutal Drug Kingpins Who Ever Lived

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

Myths & Legends

The Hook Man urban legend tells the tale of a deranged murderer with a hook for a hand. He always escapes either from prison or from a mental institution, and on his murder sprees he targets young couples who are alone at night. This list recounts many&nbsp;different versions of the story of the Hook Man, as well as the origins of the Hook Man legend.The Hook Man could have been inspired by real-life cases, or it could have been completely fabricated in order to scare teenagers into listening to their parents. Whatever its origins, though, the Hook Man has become a classic campfire scare story for generations of kids.&nbsp;

Creepy Backstories and Versions of the Hook Man Legend

Creepy Backstories and Versions of the Hook Man Urban Legend

Fun and horrifying facts many weird, gross, and excruciatingly painful things that can happen to you & your body in your final moments.

Terrible Ways to Go

Tales from the Internet

What does it feel like <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/famous-people-who-died-of-drowning/reference">to drown</a>? Well, we can't know for sure what it&nbsp;feels like, because obviously, no one can come back from the dead. We can, however, get a good idea of what death by drowning&nbsp;probably feels like by talking to people who have nearly drowned. This list consists of stories from people who almost drowned, describing what their moments underwater <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-worst-ways-to-die">felt like</a>.The average person can hold their breath for <a href="http://www.medicaldaily.com/breaking-point-how-long-can-someone-go-without-breathing-364450">30 to 60 seconds</a>, and once you run out of breath under water, your chances are slim. Reports about what it feels like to breathe in water are varied. But once you get water in your lungs, your chances of being able to save yourself and make it to the surface sink. This list consists of stories from the lucky people who were rescued before oxygen deprivation shut their systems down.Take a deep breath&nbsp;before you read - and make sure you appreciate it. Some of these stories are pretty grisly.

People Describe What It Feels Like to Drown

An Uncomfortable Description of What It Feel Like to Drown

Wondering exactly what—or who—you'll see after you die? Here are some ideas.

Imagining the Afterlife

Hell

People of all religions debate whether <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/every-interpretation-of-hell/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">hell is real </a>, but for all the people on this list, the question is not up for discussion. This list is full of people who have gone to hell (apparently) and came back to tell everyone that it is a place you never, ever want to end up in. Obviously, the validity of all these stories can&#39;t be verified. Most of these people claim to have seen hell during near-death experiences, but some didn&#39;t have to almost pass in order to get a glimpse of the place of eternal damnation. So what is hell like, according to these travelers? Some of their descriptions are rather conventional, with lots of fire and endless suffering. Some of the descriptions are more creative and resemble <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/weirdest-greek-myths/laura-allan" target="_blank">Greek myths </a>like <a href="https://www.greekmythology.com/Myths/Mortals/Tantalus/tantalus.html" target="_blank">Tantalus. </a>In every case, getting a glimpse of hell changed these people&#39;s lives forever.

People Who've Claimed To Have Seen Or Gone To Hell

People Who've Claimed to Have Seen or Gone to Hell

Do you ever have dreams that you&#39;re falling from a great height? Such dreams are common, and they usually signify a feeling of <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/common-nightmare-meanings/jane-h-kyle" target="_blank">losing control</a> over something in your life. Falling, even in a dream, can be terrifying, but you&#39;ll usually wake up before you land. Worldwide, approximately 420,000 people annually pass from falling - including distances from a tall building to slipping in the shower. These <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/deadly-freak-accidents/harrison-tenpas" target="_blank">accidents</a> don&#39;t always result in fatalities, as the human body has the ability to recover from extraordinary trauma. Scientists promote information on how one can position the body in order to minimize damage from a fall.&nbsp;This list explains what could physiologically happen if you fell from a great height - and one surprising theory of how to possibly counteract the severity of impact and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/crazy-things-people-managed-to-survive/nathan-gibson" target="_blank">survive the unexpected</a>.&nbsp;

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Creepy Things You Didn't Know About Falling To Your Death

Creepy Things You Didn't Know About Falling to Your Death

Lists about punishments, penalties, systemic harm, and execution methods used then, now, here, and all around the world.

Crime & Punishment

Human Body

The electric chair is no longer used as the primary method of execution in the United States. But at the time it was invented, it was considered the best method available to carry out a capital punishment sentence. This list explains what it's like to meet your end via the electric chair. As you would expect, there are no first-hand accounts of what it's like, but we've pieced it together from witness accounts as well as accounts from survivors of severe electrical shocks.These facts about the electric chair will make one thing clear: this is not something you ever want to experience. It may be hard to believe that this method of execution used to be considered humane.&nbsp;

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