Melissa Brinks lists at Ranker - the ultimate source for lists and rankings in all categories

Melissa Brinks - Lists at Ranker

Lists about the levels and scenes you'll never forget.

Great Moments in Gaming

Gaming

The &quot;fourth wall&quot; is a fiction term referring to the idea that the fiction -&nbsp;be it play, song, book, film, game, or any other form of media -&nbsp;exists without acknowledging the viewer. But <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/movies-that-break-the-fourth-wall/anncasano?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">the fourth wall</a> in video games is a bit different, because the player is always a participant - we just have to play along and pretend that teaching a protagonist how to walk (in, say, a tutorial sequence) can really fit into the fiction. The line between player and character is so slim that video games that break the fourth wall really stick out, especially when they remind you that it&#39;s all a game in clever, subversive ways.

Video game perspectives are unusual&nbsp;because there&#39;s a degree of participation that isn&#39;t present in other media. You embody a character, but usually, that character doesn&#39;t represent you. You may also exist as a sort of godlike being with power over multiple in-game characters, but there&#39;s always a degree of separation. When games ignore that separation and address the player, whether outright or through more clandestine means, we get narratives that really muse on the nature of agency, challenge us to think differently, or, in some cases, just plain make us laugh.

18 Times Video Games Broke The Fourth Wall

Computer Game

Melissa Brinks

Lists for and about people who can't get enough video games.

Gamer Life

Maybe you hoard books or collect every piece of movie memorabilia, but it&#39;s video game addiction that really takes the cake. Some games are deliberately designed to get players&nbsp;hooked and keep them&nbsp;playing by&nbsp;encouraging them to spend more time and money to unlock that next loot box or upgrade.&nbsp;

Video games designed to get you habitually playing&nbsp;often start with a simple premise: fun. Few players will keep playing a game if they&#39;re not getting some kind of enjoyment out of it, and the best way to lure new players in is to promise a healthy dose of fun up front. The way video games trigger addiction is by following that up with little tricks that make players want to shell out more time and money. It&#39;s not that you shouldn&#39;t play these games - most of them are as popular for their addictive qualities as for their fun gameplay - but it doesn&#39;t hurt to understand how and why these games get and hold your attention.

All The Ways Video Games Are Designed For Addiction

General

All the Ways Video Games Are Designed For Addiction

List about the world's favorite indestructible building block.

Lego My Legos

LEGO

LEGO history is almost as fascinating as the toys themselves - but the globally renowned, multi-billion-dollar company went through decades of setbacks in an attempt to preserve itself. Created by Ole Kirk Christiansen&nbsp;in Denmark in the 1930s, the toy company&#39;s evolution has been shaped by tragedy in many ways. Though LEGO sets&nbsp;are now beloved and ubiquitous toys - &nbsp;and&nbsp;sometimes&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/rare-lego-sets/kellen-perry" target="_blank">incredible rare collectibles</a>&nbsp;-&nbsp;they began humbly, as the product of one Danish carpenter&nbsp;who originally crafted items&nbsp;like ironing boards and ladders for a living.

Modern LEGO toys themselves are&nbsp;deceptively simple. They&#39;ve gone through many evolutions over the years, starting as simple wooden toys and evolving into cleverly&nbsp;interlocking plastic blocks with special, inimitable designs that have gone on to&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/lego-versions-of-famous-monuments/ariel-kana" target="_blank">inspire the imaginations</a> of children and adults around the world. These LEGO facts are a reminder that Christiansen&#39;s vision persisted despite many hardships. Even in an age when the company has become a pop culture staple around the world, LEGO&#39;s struggles continue.

LEGO Is The Most Wholesome Toy On Earth, But Its History Is More Complicated Than You Knew

The Early Struggles That Almost Derailed The Lego Group's Billion Dollar Empire

Comic Books & Characters

The <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/notable-comic-book-creator_s)/reference?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">best comic book writers</a> didn&#39;t start out that way. Becoming a successful comic book writer takes time&nbsp;and often requires the ability to balance those aspirations with a day job. For some writers, their experience in other lines of work has provided them with exactly the persecutive they need to create popular comics.&nbsp;A few lucky authors and illustrators found the time to pursue their extra-curricular career because they worked a job with a very <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/jobs-with-the-best-schedules-for-the-best-pay/jacobybancroft" target="_blank">flexible schedule</a>.&nbsp;Most creators, however, had to find time in&nbsp;their high-pressure work day or wait until retirement to make it big with a comic book writing career. From CIA agent to rock star, the most popular comic book writers worked some of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-jobs-in-the-world" target="_blank">the coolest jobs</a> before&nbsp;turning to the paneled page.

These writers&nbsp;prove&nbsp;that a career in comics&nbsp;doesn&#39;t have to start with an English degree. In fact, their unique life experiences likely helped them create the work that has reached millions.&nbsp;

13 Writers Who Had Awesome Jobs Before They Became Comic Book Superstars

Person

Writers Who Had Awesome Jobs Before They Became Comic Book Superstars

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

Going Nuclear

History

Once the world saw the long-lasting consequences of the atomic bomb, global powers wanted something more humane. Unfortunately, the neutron bomb&nbsp;- an invention created to neutralize enemy combatants while leaving structures intact and civilians unharmed - wasn&#39;t the nonviolent weapon world leaders envisioned.

Nuclear scientist Samuel Cohen dreamed up the neutron bomb, but his vision did not pan out in reality. While the weapons created from Cohen&#39;s plans were less destructive than the atomic bomb, they were still quite harmful&nbsp;and came with a litany of&nbsp;side effects.&nbsp;

Nuclear weapons have a contentious history. Some see them as a necessity for national security;&nbsp;others see them as a liability, spurring other countries to fund their own nuclear programs and potentially endanger the planet. From <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/manhattan-project-photos/kellie-kreiss" target="_blank">the US-led Manhattan Project</a> to disarmament, the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/us-created-fake-towns-to-test-out-nuclear-weapons/kellie-kreiss" target="_blank">history of nuclear weapons</a>&nbsp;- and particularly that of the neutron bomb - is one in which&nbsp;scientific advancement, foreign policy, and public opinion are inextricably tied together.&nbsp;

The Neutron Bomb: The 'Humane' Nuclear Weapon That Protected Buildings While Killing People

What Is The Neutron Bomb? A Secret History Of The US's Attempt At A Clean Bomb

Weird History

Brown v. Board of Education&nbsp;is inarguably&nbsp;one of America&#39;s&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/the-most-important-supreme-court-cases/michael-gibson" target="_blank">most important Supreme Court cases</a>. It found segregation illegal American public schools, which had up&nbsp;until that point&nbsp;employed a &quot;separate but equal&quot; policy that limited African-American students&#39; access to local and&nbsp;well-funded public education. Though the 1954 ruling&nbsp;was groundbreaking, it was far from an immediate shift. Over 60 years later, America is still grappling with the fallout of years of racism and exclusionary policies in its school system.&nbsp;

Shortly after&nbsp;Brown v. Board of Education&nbsp;ruled in favor of desegregation in the South as well as the rest of the United States, riots broke out. School systems throughout the US invented loophole after loophole to avoid integrating schools, sometimes going so far as to physically block students from entering, actively violating the Supreme Court&#39;s ruling. It took years of activism, demonstrations, and solidarity before integration was fully realized, with people today still fighting to ensure that public school remains accessible to all.&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/photos-of-racial-segregation-in-america/rylee_en" target="_blank">Pictures of segregation</a>&nbsp;can show what these times looked like, but the stories of the students and parents who lived through these years reveals so much more about the fight for equality.

What Happened Immediately After Schools Were Desegregated In The US

What Happened After Schools Were Desegregated?

Urban Cowboy

In the 1980s, a movie starring&nbsp;John Travolta, mechanical bulls, country music, and Western&nbsp;couture inspired a new craze: the urban cowboy movement. Soon, everybody was wearing&nbsp;Western-style <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/best-fashions-from-the-1980s/samantha-dillinger" target="_blank">clothing</a> like&nbsp;spangly shirts and pricey cowboy boots, whether or not they had spent any time on a ranch.

Urban cowboy fashion blended the utilitarian informal wear of real cowboys with the glitz and glamour of city fashion. Though embroidered roses and mother-of-pearl buttons weren&#39;t unheard of in Western <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/least-cool-fashions-from-the-80s/samantha-dillinger" target="_blank">fashion</a>, particularly for show wear and dancing, urban cowboys took it to a whole other level. The movement also sparked interest in a hybrid of pop-country music that&#39;s still popular today.

The music lasted a lot longer than the urban cowboy craze in general, however.&nbsp;This whole new era of urban&nbsp;country obsession&nbsp;died as quickly as it came, although it did its part to change the face of country music, Western wear, and appreciation for the cowboy lifestyle from people who were distinctly not cowboys or cowgirls.

The Rise And Fall Of The Urban Cowboy Craze

How The '80s Urban Cowboy Movement Took Over America

Entertainment

Philip Pullman&#39;s&nbsp;His Dark Materials&nbsp;series strikes an interesting balance with its intended audience - though the protagonists are young, the series deals with complex themes, most of which bemused young readers. That&#39;s by design; Pullman famously wrote the series as a response to other, more heavy-handed approaches to fantasy books for young audiences, and fully intended for them to be read by children and adults alike. Pullman examined deep existential and philosophical themes that served as the subtext for the darker and more violent storytelling. Pullman is far from the first author to tackle <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/dark-shel-silverstein-stories/erin-mccann" target="_blank">dark and complicated themes</a> for children and teenagers, but he manages to do so&nbsp;in his own unique and complex way.

His Dark Materials&#39; themes include love (with&nbsp;emphasis on an appreciation of life), anti-authoritarianism, and (of course) religion. Pullman has made no secret of his feelings about the works of authors like <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/jrr-tolkien-trivia-facts/luke-y-thompson" target="_blank">JRR Tolkien</a> and CS Lewis, both of whom also wrote richly detailed fantasy worlds that espouse certain worldviews. In his series, he responds to those ideas not through satire or parody, but by offering philosophical alternatives. Children who grew up on these books might be surprised to learn about some underlying themes they may have missed while reading.&nbsp;

'His Dark Materials' Is Way More Existentially Terrifying Than You Realized As A Kid

Go Ask Alice

The 1971 book&nbsp;Go Ask Alice&nbsp;is infamous for being repeatedly challenged and banned, but it&#39;s also known for a different reason: was <a class="edS-cl" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/true-stephen-king-stories/juliet-bennett-rylah?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">it based on a true story</a>? For decades, this story of addiction and a seemingly inescapable downward spiral has captured the imaginations of young adults drawn to <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/vc-andrews-facts/michelle-nati" target="_blank">the darker side of YA literature</a>, but despite the book&#39;s marketing as a true story, it&#39;s more fiction than fact. The book&#39;s author - or self-proclaimed editor&nbsp;-&nbsp;Beatrice Sparks&nbsp;made a thriving literary career exploring&nbsp;the trials and temptations of teens, including stories of addiction, abortion, Satanism, and other topics intended to scare kids straight.

Why did&nbsp;Go Ask Alice&nbsp;get banned? Even if fictional, the book&#39;s&nbsp;portrayals of drug use are often graphic and intense, describing acid trips and speed in glowing language, though the narrative is staunchly anti-drug. But <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/history-of-anne-franks-diary/erin-mccann" target="_blank">unlike other famous diaries</a>&nbsp;targeted at younger audiences, the truth behind&nbsp;Sparks&#39;s books has become so skewed and misrepresented that it&#39;s hard to say if those passages have any validity.&nbsp;Sparks, unlike editors of factual historical diaries, seemed more interested in selling her ideology than in telling real stories - but the results have captivated audiences since the &#39;70s.

The Shady YA Drug Diary 'Go Ask Alice' Is Just The Tip Of The Iceberg When It Comes To Author Beatrice Sparks

Beatrice Sparks's Other Books: How 'Go Ask Alice' Is Only The Tip Of The Iceberg

It's always made the world go-round, but how did people of the past let others know how much they had before the days of fast, shiny cars and cheesy name brand apparel? And why do economies keep collapsing? Study up to see why history repeats itself.

Money Matter$

Interesting

Email scams remain a fact of life in the digital era. While spam filters do an admirable job of keeping the more dangerous ones out of inboxes, online hoaxes, like the infamous Nigerian prince scam, persist. And these scams don&#39;t simply prey on people with a lack of internet knowledge, as they&#39;ve existed for over 200 years.&nbsp;

People have been falling for get-rich schemes for about as long as humans have existed. Advance-fee swindles, including the Nigerian prince variant, rely on a person&#39;s&nbsp;desire to get a lot for only&nbsp;a little effort, while playing on both&nbsp;their ignorance of&nbsp;the world and drive to do good.

It&#39;s no surprise they&#39;re so successful, but their interesting history shows exactly why we&#39;re still falling for the same old lie centuries later.&nbsp;

The 'Nigerian Prince' Scam Is Actually 200 Years Old

Where Did The Nigerian Prince Scam Come From?

Lists about real life on the wild American frontier and fictionalized versions of the Old West.

Wild, Wild West

Women&#39;s roles in the Wild West remained somewhat limited.&nbsp;Though women might accompany their families on migrations to the territories, many of them depended on their male family members to <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/wild-west-jobs-zodiac/erin-cody" target="_blank">hold down a job</a> for financial support. Those who&nbsp;became saloon girls, however, occasionally had more options.

There are a lot of&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/wild-west-misconceptions/nida-sea" target="_blank">modern misconceptions</a> about <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/wild-west-saloons/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">Old West saloons</a> and the saloon girl&#39;s occupation. For example, many of the women served as unconventional servers or dancers. And while their lives may not have been glamorous,&nbsp;saloon girls possessed unique freedoms.

Their lives could be difficult and dangerous, but these painted ladies were trailblazers in American history.

What Life Was Really Like As Wild West Saloon Girl

What Life Was Like For Saloon Girls In the Wild West

The Mars Volta

Art-rock band <a href="https://www.ranker.com/review/the-mars-volta/2206558" target="_blank">The Mars Volta</a> are known for being abstract and obscure, but the band&#39;s fourth album,&nbsp;The Bedlam in Goliath, is especially out there. That&#39;s because, if their story is true, it&#39;s partially written by a malevolent spirit.&nbsp;

The Bedlam in Goliath&nbsp;story is one of a strange gift and spiritual meddling, as it all began with a fortune-telling game guitarist Omar Rodr&iacute;guez-L&oacute;pez purchased for lyricist and vocalist Cedric Bixler-Zavala. As they played with it, a sinister story began to emerge, with consequences that convinced the&nbsp;band there was a nasty spirit influencing their lives.&nbsp;

The Bedlam in Goliath&nbsp;- the resulting cursed album - is one of the band&#39;s most interesting. Its dark lyrics and haunting music are matched by moments of levity intentionally put there to balance the album&#39;s eerie energy. If any band can pull off a demonically influenced album, it&#39;s The Mars Volta, and the backstory behind&nbsp;The Bedlam in Goliath&nbsp;only enhances its unique nature.

There Is Compelling Evidence The Mars Volta's Fourth Album Was Directly Influenced By A Demon

The Bedlam In Goliath Curse: How The Mars Volta Made Their Fourth Album

The Los Angeles&nbsp;music scene was the place to be in the 1980s, and few LA clubs had a greater influence on alternative music than&nbsp;Scream. While the rest of the Sunset Strip catered to the growing <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/best-hair-metal-bands-of-all-time" target="_blank">hair metal</a> genre,&nbsp;Scream embraced the rejects of rock music and solidified itself as an essential part of the emerging alternative scene. The club was among the first to book&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/review/jane_s-addiction/1266428" target="_blank">Jane's Addiction</a>, <a href="https://www.ranker.com/review/red-hot-chili-peppers/1884815" target="_blank">Red Hot Chili Peppers</a> and a host of other <a href="https://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/greatest-artists-of-the-_90s" target="_blank">bands that came to prominence</a> in the late 80s and early 90s.&nbsp;Though the club&nbsp;has long since shuttered, it remains an important part of music history. Like many other <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/what-has-happened-at-the-viper-room/mariel-loveland" target="_blank">Hollywood clubs of&nbsp;the 80s</a>, its legacy lives on in old photos and tour fliers,&nbsp;stories of wild parties, and the legions of bands that got their start on its dingy stage - many of which are still touring today.&nbsp;

The Music Club Scream Launched The Career Of Jane's Addiction And Was An Alt Scene Trailblazer

How The Scream Rock Club in Los Angeles Shaped Alt Music Forever

Don Bluth

Though Disney ruled most kids' childhoods, another, darker shade of animation appeared&nbsp;in the '80s and '90s: the work of Don Bluth. Anybody who watched&nbsp;The Land Before Time or An American Tail likely remembers unsettling&nbsp;moments from Don Bluth films. Bluth's films offered storylines and themes atypical of other animated films; each had an undercurrent of darkness not usually found in Disney&nbsp;hits. From haunting visions of hell to <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/anastasia-movie-was-actually-really-weird/zack-howe" target="_blank">dark takes on the Romanovs</a>&nbsp;to oddly sexual frogs, Don Bluth's movies left a lasting impression on everyone who watched them.Don Bluth's&nbsp;penchant for creepy cartoons likely stems from a desire to remove himself from the overly cutesy and safe nature of most children's films. He got his first big break with Disney, but soon left to pursue his own work. Don Bluth's films can freak out viewers, and each one adds an eerie flair to his oeuvre. But all those weird, unsettling moments are part of what people love about his films&nbsp;- they stand out from other <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/the-best-non-disney-animated-movies-of-the-_90s/clay-keller" target="_blank">animated movies</a>.

Weird, Emotionally Scarring Things You Forgot About In Don Bluth Films

Film

The 14 Darkest Moments In Don Bluth Films

It&#39;s easy to write off famous groupies off as clich&eacute;s.&nbsp;Pop culture&nbsp;tends to paint them as airheaded or sex-crazed&nbsp;with little care to capture the actual experiences of&nbsp;women who lived the life. Decades after the sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll lifestyle that fueled the music scene of&nbsp;the &#39;60s, &#39;70s, and &#39;80s, notable rock groupies like Chris O&#39;Dell and Pamela Des Barres are sharing the real stories of how they served as mistresses and muses to some of the most beloved bands of all time. Though they can&#39;t compete with the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/rock_s-_1-groupie_s-conquest-list/celebrityhookups" target="_blank">conquests of rock&#39;s biggest groupie</a>, they shed new light on the entire lifestyle

The words of&nbsp;O&#39;Dell and Des Barres&nbsp;go beyond the simple question of, &quot;Why do groupies do what they do?&quot; By telling these stories in their own words, they reclaim the narratives about them. Though the wildest groupie stories may have a hint of truth,&nbsp;first-hand accounts show&nbsp;how these women are more than stereotypes.

Rock N' Roll Groupies Reveal What The Lifestyle Is Really Like

14 Rock n' Roll Groupies Reveal What Life Was Like On Tour

A closer look at mysterious disappearances that continue to baffle detectives.

Gone Missing

True Crime

Like many unsolved mysteries, the story of the Sodder children continues to haunt people today. On Christmas Eve 1945, the Sodder family house in Fayetteville, WV, went up in flames. Four of the nine children&nbsp;home at the time&nbsp;escaped the fire, but five -&nbsp;Maurice, Martha, Louis, Jennie, and Betty -&nbsp;did not. But it's not a simple case of smoke inhalation or fire. More than 70 years later, there are still many questions remaining about what happened to the Sodder children.The Sodder children are some of <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/what-happened-to-bobby-dunbar/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">the most famous missing children</a> in West Virginia. Accounts of the night of the fire include a strange phone call, a missing ladder, cars suddenly not functioning, and more; the family had good reason to believe their children survived the flames.&nbsp;Throw in the Italian mafia, a box containing beef liver, and a photo mailed 20 years after the incident, and <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/what-happened-to-the-lindbergh-baby/cheryl-adams-richkoff" target="_blank">there's a compelling unsolved mystery</a> laced with conspiracy theories.

The Sodder Children Disappeared In 1945, And The World Still Doesn't Know What Happened

What Happened To The Sodder Family?

Julius Caesar

Anybody looking for Julius Caesar facts is bound to find something interesting along the way - namely, his wild reputation for sex. The <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/roman-sex-facts/aaron-edwards" target="_blank">ancient Romans didn't have the same hangups about sex</a> that many societies do today; much of Julius Caesar's sex life was considered normal by their standards, but not all of it. Caesar had a few alleged preferences in his sexual relationships that made him the subject of mockery, some of which could even be connected to his death in the Senate.&nbsp;Though Caesar was far from the <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/craziest-sex-stories-about-caligula/justin-andress&nbsp;" target="_blank">most depraved leader&nbsp;of Rome</a>, his proclivities do seem a little at odds with the modern concept of him as a stoic, bold, and important leader. But even in the stories accepted as largely historically accurate, such as that of the relationship between Julius Caesar and Cleopatra, there's a hint of lasciviousness about them. Sex was clearly an important part of Roman life, and to Caesar, a&nbsp;leader of Rome, it was no different.

11 Historical Facts About Julius Caesar's Imperial Sex Life

11 Kinky Facts From Julius Caesar's Very Roman Sex Life

Lists of fascinating (SFW) facts about how people had, judged, and treated intimacy at different points in world history.

This Is How We Did It

Greece

The ancient Greeks played an integral role in forming modern society. We have a lot to thank the Greeks for, from systems of government to&nbsp;aspects of the justice system and even plumbing. Not all practices stood the test of time, though, as&nbsp;intimacy in ancient Greece was a far cry from modern romance.&nbsp;

Ancient Greece&#39;s views on copulation were far less conservative than contemporary society&#39;s. Doing the dirty with both men and women was the norm in Athens, and men often took on proteges who doubled as passive physical partners. <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/roman-sex-facts/aaron-edwards" target="_blank">Copulation in ancient times</a>&nbsp;played an important role in culture and societal hierarchy -&nbsp;but the same does not apply to kissing. Men expected women&nbsp;to become homemakers and bear sons, despite the fact ancient Greeks <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/common-causes-of-death-in-ancient-greece-and-rome/philgibbons" target="_blank">frequently perished while giving birth</a>.

Many think of ancient Greece as a&nbsp;free-for-all when it came to physical relations, and in some ways, it was. There were, however, social structures and unspoken rules concerning the practice.&nbsp;

Sex In Ancient Greece: All The Juicy Details On What It Was Like

Sex In Ancient Greece: All The Juicy Details About What It Was Like

Graveyard Shift

The mystery of Don Kemp has haunted those closest to him&nbsp;since he vanished in 1982. Like many people who <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/bizarre-deaths-in-history/christopher-shultz">perished under bizarre circumstances</a>, there are numerous theories about what happened to Kemp;&nbsp;some mundane, some supernatural. The tale of&nbsp;Kemp's disappearance is full of twists, turns, and a few concrete explanations. Formerly an executive at an ad agency in New York City, Kemp gave up his job in pursuit of a simpler life. He planned to leave the city and write a book about Abraham Lincoln's assassination. How his body ended up off a rural&nbsp;Wyoming highway remains a puzzle.Some people speculate his passing was part of a cover-up in a&nbsp;conspiracy theory about Abraham Lincoln. Others say aliens abducted him. Could he have been <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="http://www.ranker.com/list/people-who-disappeared-to-another-dimension/katherine-ripley">transported to another dimension</a>? What seemed like a simple case of exposure turned into a disconcerting narrative full of inconsistencies. As is the case with many <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" href="https://www.ranker.com/list/missing-people-who-were-found-alive/rydavis?ref=internalCrossLinking_keyword">missing persons cases</a>, we may never know the full story.

This Hot-Shot NY Advertising Executive Mysteriously Disappeared In The Middle Of Wyoming - And Left His Car Running

Don Kemp Mysteriously Disappeared In The Middle Of Wyoming - And Left His Car Running

Lists about one of the most famous and mysterious home-offices in the USA.

Inside: The White House

White House

Washington, DC, is the seat of political power in the United States, so it&#39;s no surprise it&#39;s rife with conspiracy theories and <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/secret-conspiracy-and-occult-symbols-in-washington-dc/amandasedlakhevener" target="_blank">secrets</a>. Rumors of Washington, DC&#39;s underground city,&nbsp;a vast network of tunnels providing shelter and&nbsp;transportation to the nation&#39;s leaders, are true, to an extent. Numerous tunnels beneath the city connect&nbsp;important buildings and other areas in unexpected ways. Though their existence is not quite a White House secret -&nbsp;much of this information is publicly available, and some sections are even open for exploration -&nbsp;it&#39;s not exactly&nbsp;common knowledge.

These tunnels are usually used for mundane purposes, like avoiding bad weather or stopping by the Library of Congress&#39; private Dunkin&#39; Donuts. But other areas are <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/why-is-fort-knox-so-secretive/melissa-sartore" target="_blank">more secretive</a>, including at least one nuclear-proof bunker and a train system just for Congress.

Secrets Of The Capitol: Washington, DC's Underground City

Uncovering The Secrets of Washington, DC's Underground City

Thomas Jefferson

The history of America has been told in many classrooms, but that doesn't mean students hear everything. Consider this: one of the most famous divorces in history shaped America's Declaration of Independence. An affair with a British governor, a rumor of impotency, and a shocking death combined&nbsp;to create a fascinating, and formative, court case. Best of all, one of the prominent Declaration of Independence authors presided over the case, with his notes helping guide the language used in the famous document.Before <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/thomas-jefferson-sally-hemings-descendants/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">Thomas Jefferson</a> became&nbsp;a Founding Father, he worked as a lawyer in colonial America. Though <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/reasons-thomas-jefferson-was-awful/stephanroget" target="_blank">Jefferson's&nbsp;personal life</a> leaves a bad taste in the mouth, his actions as a lawyer cemented his beliefs about personal liberties. He advocated for indentured servants and the right to divorce, both somewhat radical beliefs at the time. While neither case went&nbsp;particularly well for his clients, both inspired Jefferson to consider&nbsp;how an independent America would function –&nbsp;a bit ironic, considering&nbsp;the dissolution of a supposedly sacred union provided the backbone for one of the country's most important documents.

Thomas Jefferson Modeled The Declaration Of Independence On A Scandalous Divorce Case

A Colonial Divorce Case Influenced The Declaration Of Independence

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

Supernatural & Paranormal

While the legend of the South Carolina Lizard Man isn't&nbsp;as well known as Bigfoot or &quot;Nessie,&quot; this Southern&nbsp;creature has nonetheless shocked and menaced residents of the Scape Ore Swamp area since its first appearance&nbsp;in 1988. The South -&nbsp;and South Carolina in particular - abounds with rumors of the supernatural.&nbsp;Though reports of the Lizard Man aren't ghost stories, unlike many <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/south-carolina-creepy-stories-legends/isadora-teich" target="_blank">other South Carolina legends</a>, they're part of the cultural fabric of the area.&nbsp;Lizard Man sightings are particularly noteworthy because they leave&nbsp;a lasting impact. People&nbsp;cast&nbsp;footprints of the evasive creature, and he's known for trashing vehicles in the dark of night. Similar to most swamp creatures, the Lizard Man eludes detection -&nbsp;more often than not, it's his aftermath people claim to see, not the being himself. Even if&nbsp;the sightings don't match up with reality, there's intriguing evidence to suggest the Lizard Man lurks out there in&nbsp;Scape Ore Swamp.

The Lizard Man Is Elusive, But His Claw Marks Suggest He’s Haunting Scape Ore Swamp

The Lizard Man Is Elusive, But His Claw Marks Are Evidence That He’s Really Haunting Scape Ore Swamp

The American presidential office is one of great power and prestige. It's an incredibly stressful position, but there's always a little down time for&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/us-presidents-with-weird-hobbies/aaron-edwards" target="_blank">presidential hobbies</a>, too. Even America's leaders can find&nbsp;time in their busy schedules to produce a few doodles every now and then.&nbsp;While <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/george-w-bush-paintings/ashley-reign" target="_blank">George W. Bush's paintings</a> are some of the most famous examples of presidential art, they're far from the only ones. Plenty of presidents&nbsp;have picked up a pen or paintbrush purely for artistic purposes while they were in office, creating a rich tapestry of artwork&nbsp;spanning centuries of US history.

Doodles From The Oval Office: Presidential Drawings

US President

14 Doodles From The Oval Office | Presidential Drawings

The Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) is one of the most popular tests in the world. Using a series of questions, the test divides people into a series of four dichotomies - extroverted/introverted, intuition/sensing, feeling/thinking, and perceiving/judging. These dichotomies combine to form one of 16 different personality types, which purportedly determine a person's fit within a corporate setting. Some also generally consider the types for entertainment purposes&nbsp;or personal understanding.Using <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/historical-figures-meyers-briggs-types/genevieve-carlton" target="_blank">the Myers-Briggs to analyze historical figures</a>, for example, is not only interesting, but informative in understanding the&nbsp;context of&nbsp;global events and the impact of key historical players.Many started questioning the test's validity, leading some to wonder if&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/inaccurate-pop-psychology-findings/rylee_en" target="_blank">pop psychology was all&nbsp;a farce</a> created using&nbsp;ignorant assumptions.&nbsp;The real science behind the&nbsp;MBTI is hazy at best, and&nbsp;experts in psychology are inquiring about its formation, usage, and credibility. Despite having few formal studies of its usefulness, the MBTI carries such a significant cultural impact.If you also question the Myers-Briggs's&nbsp;reliability, you should learn about its&nbsp;origins as a personality test devised by two people with no formal psychological training -&nbsp;the titular Katharine Briggs and Isabel Briggs Myers.

Every Reason Why The Myers-Briggs Test Is Bogus

Lists about the period of United States history that allowed for human enslavement, from early colonial days until the ratification of the 13th Amendment to the Constitution in 1865.

American Slavery

Texas

People expect their children's education to be&nbsp;unbiased and factual, especially in regards to history.&nbsp;After all, history is supposed to be a study of the past and actual events.&nbsp;But as evidenced by controversies over Texas textbooks, it is incredibly easy to rewrite and simplify the truth.In fact, in the early 2000s,&nbsp;people noticed&nbsp;the information in multiple Texas textbooks was skewed, sugar-coating pertinent&nbsp;issues like slavery to suit an ahistorical and offensive narrative.&nbsp;<a href="http://archives.cjr.org/the_observatory/texas_school_board_science_tex.php" target="_blank">Some suggested</a> the Texas Board of Education wanted to give America's&nbsp;<a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/racism-kept-alive-post-civil-war/setareh-janda" target="_blank">racist</a> and problematic&nbsp;past a more favorable slant.&nbsp;Because Texas purchases so many of the nation's textbooks,&nbsp;the issue received nationwide attention. Parents,&nbsp;instructors, and reporters across the United States began to question the material given to younger generations. The answers they found were less than encouraging.&nbsp;Though the textbooks&nbsp;ultimately released were <a href="https://jezebel.com/heres-how-new-texas-public-school-textbooks-write-about-1726786557" target="_blank">not as bad as initially feared</a>, they&nbsp;raised important questions about continuing&nbsp;historical inaccuracy and bias in&nbsp;the Texas curriculum.

Texas History Books Are Downplaying The Role Slavery Played In The Civil War

Hacks, facts, insider secrets, and horror stories from your favorite retail stores, product lines, and places to shop.

SSHHH! Company Secrets

Victoria's Secret

Anybody who has ever worked retail knows there are always absurd rules governing how employees must&nbsp;behave on and off the floor. The&nbsp;rules Victoria&#39;s Secret staffers must follow are incredibly irregular, though.&nbsp;These mandates&nbsp;dictate&nbsp;not just what employees can do while working, but also what they can&#39;t. It seems like VS employees&nbsp;have to walk on eggshells.

The craziest requirements&nbsp;at Victoria&#39;s Secret stores will&nbsp;shock&nbsp;the average customer because the&nbsp;work looks relatively easy. Employees are just as <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/daily-life-of-a-victorias-secret-model/mason-weigel" target="_blank">regulated as the Victoria&#39;s Secret models</a>, though.

Ridiculous Rules You Didn't Know Victoria's Secret Employees Have To Follow

Lists that dissect and analyze (and possibly ruin) some of the movies and TV you watched over and over and over and over when you were a kid.

Revisiting Childhood Favorites

Exploring C.S. Lewis's magical Narnia with the Pevensie children.

Through the Wardrobe

The Chronicles of Narnia

C. S. Lewis's world of Narnia is one of the most <a href="http://www.ranker.com/crowdranked-list/the-best-of-the-fantasy-worlds" target="_blank">enchanting fictional places</a> in existence, but it's also super, duper messed up. Talking animals aren't the only weird things about Narnia. From racism to sexism to painting entire species with a broad brush, there's a whole lot of this fictional land that strikes the modern reader as more than a little suspect. Though the novels themselves are ostensibly for audiences of all ages, there are some pretty disturbing things about Narnia.Sure, we could answer the question of whether the Chronicles of Narnia&nbsp;are&nbsp;racist by hand-waving it as a product of its time. But as a highly influential piece of literature that's often given to fantasy-loving children, it's important to consider the dark implications of Narnia. Fun and engrossing though it may&nbsp;be, the Narnia series holds some pretty disturbing truths buried in there as well.

13 Ways The Narnia Universe Is Incredibly Disturbing

13 Super Disturbing Things About the Narnia Universe

It's easy to make assumptions about people who practice <a href="https://www.ranker.com/list/extreme-body-modifications/jacob-shelton" target="_blank">extreme body modification</a>, but these artists usually have interesting and personal stories that explain&nbsp;<a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/satanic-body-modification-stories/trilby-beresford" target="_blank">why they do what they do</a>.Take Maria Jose&nbsp;Cristerna, the woman with the&nbsp;the body modification world record. Though her appearance is far from mainstream, her story of why she&nbsp;so heavily modified her body —&nbsp;earning her the nickname &quot;Vampire Lady&quot; —&nbsp; is a fascinating, moving tale of personal reclamation and self-healing.The facts about Maria Cristerna&nbsp;the Vampire Lady&nbsp;are as interesting as her many body mods. From tattoos, to subdermal implants, to fangs, there is nobody on Earth quite like her. Cristerna's story is inspirational, not just because she&nbsp;transformed her body into a canvas for her art, but also because of how she has&nbsp;channeled her life experience into artwork and outreach.&nbsp;

The "Vampire Lady" With The Body Modification World Record Has A Fascinating Story

The “Vampire Lady” With The Body Modification World Record

People share their eyewitness and firsthand accounts of true creepy and wild stories that really happened to them.

WTF Stories You've Gotta Read

Pop Culture

If you ever missed death by an inch, and you believe you had a little help, you may be one of many people with guardian angel stories. Even for nonbelievers, a brush with real guardian angels is an encounter&nbsp;with the uncanny, <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/creepy-angel-photos/jacob-shelton">proof of entities in the world</a> beyond your line of sight. That's why real guardian angel stories, such as the ones <a href="https://www.reddit.com/r/Paranormal/comments/3b6oyx/my_guardian_angel_saved_my_life/">these Reddit users experienced</a>, are&nbsp;so creepy; even if it ends as a&nbsp;positive experience, it&nbsp;leaves you with a lot of lingering questions. Most people believe real guardian angels protect people&nbsp;from harm, but that doesn't make them&nbsp;less unnerving—if guardian angels are real, so are the forces they seek to protect people&nbsp;from.&nbsp;Disembodied voices, invisible hands, and some incredible good fortune present in these stories&nbsp;all give&nbsp;proof of guardian angels in day-to-day life. But even if you write these accounts off as <a href="http://www.ranker.com/list/people-tell-stories-of-gut-feelings-that-were-right/amandasedlakhevener">gut feelings that got lucky</a>, it means you believe in gut feelings, which in the end are just as fantastic as the concept of people with guardian angels. If anything, maybe gut feelings provide&nbsp;another way&nbsp;real-life guardian angels try to guide people to safety each day.&nbsp;There are crazier theories out there.

Top 5 Most Popular Lists

90 lists